Lawn aeration is one of the best ways to wake up your lawn, Chester County!
Especially if you missed Fall.As the warmer weather has finally arrived in Chester County! We know you’ve been waiting, because we have, too.
Whether it’s gardening, playing with the dog, or getting a tan, we’ve all got a reason to get back outside. And, with being outside, comes being in your lawn. From a full winter season, your lawn sure could use a kick-start.
But what exactly does that mean?
If you’re ready to get back to that spring-green grass, lawn aeration may be something to consider. A healthy, green lawn may not appeal to everyone. But if it sounds good to you, read on.
Why Lawn Aeration?
What’s the first step to creating an environment for healthy plants? Cutting away the dead weight!
The same is true for grass, and the same principle makes your lawn healthy and green.
Thatch is the name for the dead layer of grass that can accumulate on your lawn. Lawn aeration is a great way to get rid of this layer.
In the end, getting rid of the thatch will allow more water and nutrients to reach your soil where they will be absorbed by the grassroots.
We don’t want to get too sciency here, but there are a lot of microorganisms that decompose thatch. However, those microorganisms are often stuck beneath the compacted soil or simply not present in the soil.
Using mechanical aeration can break up the compacted soil while alleviating the lawn of that thatch layer.
What is Aeration?
Most people have this process in mind where small ‘plugs’ of dirt, approximately 2 inches long and ¾ of an inch in diameter. That’s core aeration!
These ‘plugs’, also known as ‘cores’, create much-needed space to get the nutrients, water, and air for the root system to expand.
Core aeration (this type of lawn aeration) makes the actual soil less compact by displacing bits of the soil.
But that’s not it!
There’s liquid aeration too.
It can be as effective if not more than core aeration as it loosens the soil deeper.
As its name suggests, it’s a liquid sprayed on your turf. It’s that simple.
The liquid is made up of key bio-stimulants and highly oxidizing material used to create energy within the soil, creating micro-fractures that break up soil and alleviate compaction which allows for better water and nutrient penetration.
The advantages of liquid aeration vs mechanical aeration are:
- Increased Safety and Eco-Friendliness: This method of liquid aeration introduces only biodegradable materials to your lawn. It’s also safe to use around children and pets
- It can be done anytime during the growing season
- There is no need to mark sprinkler system heads, invisible fences, underground utilities, or cable lines
What Are All These Aeration Types Doing?
They are addressing the same thing: Soil compaction.
By systematically addressing compacted soil with aerations, the roots of the grass in your lawn will finally be able to breathe.
Compacted soil, if not taken care of, can prevent nutrients or water from reaching the grass root zone. This could be the cause of dead spots or thin areas in your lawn.
The overall health of your lawn is improved, allowing roots to go deeper and grass to be greener.
How else can lawn aeration help your lawn?
The trouble with water runoff of puddles in your lawn can often be addressed through core aeration.
After years of annoying puddling, it’s certainly worth a try.
So What is Better, Liquid, or Core Aeration?
The main difference between both is, which is best suited for your lawns needs
Core aeration will have an almost immediate positive impact on your lawn, but will require dry soil and ultimately is best suited to be used when introducing seed into the lawn is a must
It does not mean that liquid aeration is less good. It simply means that it’s different.
For instance, you cover more surface thoroughly with liquid aeration than core aeration ever would, even if you multiple passes with the core aerator machine.
Liquid aeration will require no marking of invisible pet fences or irrigation heads and can be done with moist soil, without the mess of “plugs.”
So, there’s a trade-off for each process, but results are durable in both cases.
The good thing about core and liquid aeration?
They can work conjointly.
If your soil has a real thick thatch and your soil is extremely compacted, you can use both simultaneously. But, the core aeration needs to happen before the liquid one.
Am I Done After One Aeration?
No! Very obviously, if aerations are good for lawns, it is certainly not the miraculous process that turns turfs into perfection. There is a reason golf courses aerate several times per year. Wet weather compacts soil, dry weather compacts soil, wear and tear of children and pet’s play compacts soil. Some level of compaction is always present on your lawn.
There is more that can be done for the perfect lawn.
After lawn aeration, lawn care experts turn to pH modification of the soil. By applying gypsum or lime to your soil after aeration, this can impact the pH of your soil.
Ultimately, correcting the pH will allow perfect conditions within the soil for optimal nutrient absorption into the grass plant
But let’s keep that for another blog post – wink, wink!
What’s Your Take-Away In All That?
It’s time to take back your lawn! After months of waiting, you can finally get back the lawn you have been dreaming about.
And there’s no reason to go easy on it. Think of every time you go outside to walk, relax, or spend time with family and friends. Isn’t it worth making your lawn healthy (and look great, too)?
You should be proud of your lawn. If you’re not sure that lawn aeration is the right path for you, give our team a call. We’ll be happy to walk you through the process of lawn aeration.
What steps have you taken this Spring to address your lawn wellness?