Aeration: What, How, When & Why
Like every living soul on the planet, grass and the soil under it needs to breathe. Aeration is one of the most basic lawn care practices that ensure that nutrients reach the soil beneath the grass, allowing air and water to penetrate built-up grass or lawn thatch. Therefore, aeration is an extremely vital element to a healthy lawn.
Want to know what, how, and why of aeration? Here is a quick guide.
What is Aeration?
Aeration refers to the practice of alleviating soil compaction by removing hundreds of minor cores of earth and putting them on top of the lawn. The process involves perforation of soil with small holes to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the grassroots.
The resulting holes deliver significant benefits to the lawn by helping the roots grow deeply and source a stronger, livelier lawn and attractive looking landscape.
Why Need Aeration?
The main reason behind aerating is to reduce soil compaction. Compacted soils possess numerous dense particles in a particular volume or space, which inhibits the proper circulation of water, air, and other nutrients within the earth. Years of foot traffic, extra lawn thatch or hefty organic debris dormant under the grass surface along with child’s play can also famish the roots from achieving these essential elements. As a result, the soil becomes very hard and compacted and does not leave much space for roots to grow.
Benefits of Aeration
Deprived of their essential needs due to compacted soil, lawn grasses struggle in tense conditions like low rainfall, heat and lose their healthy, vibrant color. Lack of oxygen, water, and nutrients also causes the grasses to gradually thin and eventually die out entirely while those necessary elements are available just inches away.
However, regular aeration improves the flow of the essentials that support thicker, healthier turf growth. Moreover the provision of a healthier environment for grass to grow will also boost lawn's resistance to diseases. Even a single session can open the way for these fundamentals to reach their mark and put a garden back on an upward trend.
How to Aerate?
The growing season is the best time for aeration as the grass can heal and seal in any exposed areas after soil masses are removed. Before the session, it is better to ensure that soil is moist enough for better results.
Like every living soul on the planet, grass and the soil under it needs to breathe. Aeration is one of the most basic lawn care practices that ensure that nutrients reach the soil beneath the grass, allowing air and water to penetrate built-up grass or lawn thatch. Therefore, aeration is an extremely vital element to a healthy lawn.
Want to know what, how, and why of aeration? Here is a quick guide.
What is Aeration?
Aeration refers to the practice of alleviating soil compaction by removing hundreds of minor cores of earth and putting them on top of the lawn. The process involves perforation of soil with small holes to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the grassroots.
The resulting holes deliver significant benefits to the lawn by helping the roots grow deeply and source a stronger, livelier lawn and attractive looking landscape.
Why Need Aeration?
The main reason behind aerating is to reduce soil compaction. Compacted soils possess numerous dense particles in a particular volume or space, which inhibits the proper circulation of water, air, and other nutrients within the earth. Years of foot traffic, extra lawn thatch or hefty organic debris dormant under the grass surface along with child’s play can also famish the roots from achieving these essential elements. As a result, the soil becomes very hard and compacted and does not leave much space for roots to grow.
Benefits of Aeration
Deprived of their essential needs due to compacted soil, lawn grasses struggle in tense conditions like low rainfall, heat and lose their healthy, vibrant color. Lack of oxygen, water, and nutrients also causes the grasses to gradually thin and eventually die out entirely while those necessary elements are available just inches away.
However, regular aeration improves the flow of the essentials that support thicker, healthier turf growth. Moreover the provision of a healthier environment for grass to grow will also boost lawn's resistance to diseases. Even a single session can open the way for these fundamentals to reach their mark and put a garden back on an upward trend.
How to Aerate?
The growing season is the best time for aeration as the grass can heal and seal in any exposed areas after soil masses are removed. Before the session, it is better to ensure that soil is moist enough for better results.
- Spike aerators can be used to poke holes down into the soil with a solid, spike-like tine.
- Slicing aerators feature rotating blades to slice or cut through grass and thatch and down into the soil. Like spike aerators, these machines leave soil in the ground; however they make pathways for air, water, and nutrients without triggering more compaction.
- Core or plug aerators, generally favored by lawn professionals, use rows of hollow tines to remove masses of soil from lawn and put them on top, where these plugs decompose. The size of the masses and the holes the core aerators craft vary in width and depth and are dependent on the machine used.
- After aerating, it's vital to carry on basic lawn care practices like fertilizing, mowing, and watering.
