Lawn aeration helps ensure your lawn gets the nutrients it needs to stay vibrant and healthy.
Lawn aeration is a vital part of maintaining a healthy lawn, as it ensures that nutrients can reach the soil beneath the grass. When soil becomes compacted with too many solid particles, it prevents proper circulation of air, water and nutrients within the soil. Aeration involves perforating small holes into the soil of your lawn so that the nutrients can penetrate the grass roots, thus allowing roots to grow deeper and produce a stronger, more vigorous lawn.
Should You Be Aerating Your Lawn?
Many homeowners wonder how to determine whether their lawn needs to be aerated. Here are a few key signs that your lawn might be a good candidate:
- Your lawn is heavily used. Whether it’s children, guests, or pets–too many feet trampling over your yard can contribute to soil compaction.
- Your lawn was recently constructed as part of a new home. The topsoil in newly constructed lawns is often stripped or buried, and grass that’s been freshly established on subsoil will likely have been compacted by construction traffic.
- Your lawn has a spongy feel and dries out easily. This could mean you have an excessive thatch problem. Excess lawn thatch buried beneath the grass surface can starve roots. Aeration is recommended if your thatch layer is greater than one-half inch.
- Your lawn was established by sod, and soil layering exists. Soil layering involves finer-textured soil, which holds water and disrupts drainage. This leads to compacted soil conditions and worse roots conditions. Aerating will break the layers up, and allow water flow more easily through the soil again.
- If water is pooling where it wouldn’t normally, it may be a sign of compacted soil that’s keeping water from flowing, and aeration may be necessary.
When to Aerate
You should plan to aerate during the growing season, that way grass can heal and fill in any open areas. Cool season grasses should be aerated in spring or fall, and warm season grasses in late spring. Fall is considered one of the best times for aeration for cool season turf. Aeration opens up the root zone and promotes root growth so that the turf can make it through winter weather.
Lawn Aeration from Edward’s Lawn & Home
Ready to get started on your next landscaping project? At Edward’s Lawn & Home, we help home and business owners transform their landscapes into the stuff of their dreams. Our experienced design and build professionals take great care to deliver a quality product that will meet your satisfaction. Get in touch with us today by calling (443) 341 6539. You can also check out our portfolio or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.