Many property owners often wonder if you should aerate your yard. The truth is, aerating a lawn can bring many benefits to your grass and its health.
But what is aeration and how does it work?
Aeration is the practice of puncturing soil to created small holes or plugs that allow air circulation, nutrition, minerals, and water to penetrate and surround the roots and the dirt around them. An aerating tool either pokes small holes in the soil or pulls plugs that leave behind holes. Aerating a yard keeps the soil from compacting around the roots of the grass which over time, will lead to poor growth, dead patches, discoloring, and unhealthy blades.
When is the best time to aerate your yard?
Aeration should take place during the growing season either beginning in spring or at the tall end of summer when the temperature is a bit cooler.
There are three types of methods used for aeration mechanisms.
- Spike Aerators– Puncture small holes in the soil with a handheld tool or spiked platforms hooked to the bottom of a shoe.
- Slicing Aerators– turns sharp blades against the soil to cut slices into the ground.
- Plug Aerators– handheld tool or motorized push tool that inserts a cylinder piece of metal into the ground, popping out a plug of dirt and leaving a hole.
Once you have aerated your lawn’s surface, leave any plugs or loose dirt on top. They will dissolve back into the ground when it rains and will provide extra nourishment for the newly opened holes. The after-effects of aerating your yard can be a bit scary. It will look as if you have destroyed your green, lush grass. But this is only temporary. As the roots begin to fill out and the holes allow in the fresh air, rain, and minerals, your yard will revitalize itself to an even more thick and beautiful carpet of grass. After aerating is also a perfect time to seed and fertilize. The soil is primed for new growth.
Proper aerating takes time, skill, and tools. If you are ready for your yard to be aerated, calling a professional landscape service will yield the very best results.
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