Aug 16, 2007

Core Aeration and Thatch Benefits

Some natural lawn care pros say lawn aeration is like acupuncture for the grass. Other lawn care pros say that aeration is a important service to offer your clients.  Lawn aeration, also called core aeration or
aerification is by far the best natural lawn care practice to improve air/gas exchange and water/nutrient intake. For detailed information contact us.

But Core Aeration also helps, control and prevent excessive Thatch build up!

What is considered proper lawn care, your grass health condition may demonstrate thin out and fade drastically over a very short period of time because of increased thatch levels, heavy traffic causing the soil to compress, long hot summers without sufficient rainfalls and high temperatures, wet humid growing seasons or droughts.  If you have a thatch problem, or is developing a thatch problem core aeration and dethatching is a must.  Thatch on your lawn works like a thatched roof, but up to a quarter inch may be ok. By applying Core  Aeration will foster the increased activity of hundreds of thousands of soil micro-organisms that are vital to decompose thatch and will aide greatly in the increased ability of the soil  to absorb water, oxygen and nutrient movement into the soil. Turf surfaces that are thatch prone, it is most important to leave the cores on the lawn where they will slowly decompose and will thereafter work their way back into the much looser into the ground, also creating a seed bed for new growth.

Thatching is best done in the fall on cool season grasses, while warm season grasses should be aerated in mid- spring to summer after they come out of dormancy.

Lawn aeration by mechanically removing soil plugs is the best and most efficient way to combat soil compaction and serious attacks of thatch and aids to:

• Enhance new root growth,
• Enhance soil water uptake capability,
• Enhanced fertilizer absorption
• Enhances the micro biological breakdown of the excess thatch
• Reduces soil compaction
• Will Reduce drastically the water run off and creation of puddles
• Core Aeration will help Improve heat and drought stress tolerance of the lawn

Just a few pointers:

• When should I avoid aerating the lawn.  Aerating during the summer months when the grass is dormant will put unnecessary stress on the turf, and could promote unwanted broad leaf weed growth.
• You should also avoid aerating the lawn after periods of very heavy rainfall when the soil is very wet.
• Aerating improves is the best way to foster new rooting and helps problem soils to absorb oxygen into the soil.

In closing Aeration and Dethating your lawn will maximize the effectiveness of all lawn applications, such as fertilizer and weed and pesticide application.  Aerating during the right parts of the growing seasons eliminates the aforementioned problems and ensures only positive results.

Core Aeration and the ensuing Micro Biological Breakdown are the key aspects for good lawn care and maintenance.  Core aeration is done with mechanically with machines that have hollow tines or spoons mounted on a disk or drum, see some more information here.  Core Aeration is the most secure method to alleviate soil compaction, giving the root systems the necessary amount of air, water, and fertilizer to promote a healthy and lush green lawn.