Aerating
What is Aerating?
Aerating is the crucial to any lawn care program. Aerating creates hundreds of holes in your lawn by using a machine called an aerator. The aerator pulls dirt plugs from the soil level of your grass to allow more water to reach the roots. Lawns that are aerated every year stay greener because more moisture reaches the roots (as much as 50% more).
Benefits of Aeration
Reduces Soil Compaction - Soil compaction describes the hardening of the soil that results when people walk, mow, play or water the lawn. Grass-roots cannot grow deep or wide in hard, compacted soil. The grass becomes shallow and grows only on the surface. A lawn without yearly aeration is like trying to grow a garden without rototilling the soil in the spring. Aerating your lawn once a year will reduce soil compaction.
Helps Lawn Stay Healthy - Warm weather tends to dry out the lawn very quickly. When lawns lack moisture, they tend to look sparse and brown. Weeds easily germinate when a lawn is dry and thin. Healthy grass-roots are the foundation of a thick lawn and the secret to keeping your lawn weed-free.
Prevents Thatch Build Up - Thatch is the buildup of organic matter and dead grass that accumulates over time underneath the healthy grass blades. Thatch prevents fertilizer, water, and air from getting to the roots. If your lawn is not green, one of the major reasons can be thatch build-up. Aeration is better at controlling thatch than a power rake. Professional lawn aeration should bring up 10-15% of the soil to the surface of your grass. Each core will have countless microorganisms called microbes. Like a compost pile, microbes break down thatch on your lawn by eating the dead vegetation.
