Aeration: Your Guide To Proper Lawn Care
Lawn aeration can be an incredibly beneficial service for your lawn when done with the proper lawn aeration equipment at the right time of the year. This process, known as Core Aeration, opens the soil allowing nutrients, water, and air easier access to grass roots. This helps to thicken and restore the vitality of your lawn.
What is the Process of Aeration?
Turf aeration can be performed with a “spiker” pulled behind a tractor (usually a lawn tractor) or with a self-propelled, gas-powered machine ( R&D Landscape way) that punches holes into the lawn and extracts plugs of turf grass, thatch, and soil. Ideally, these plugs (cores) should be half to three quarters of an inch in diameter, 2 to 3 inches in length, and pulled every 6 inches on average. Rented units are often bulky, older models that require a significant amount of labor for the operator. If the labor doesn’t bother you, the results may! The rented units often don’t have the hydraulic functions that give the smooth, more accurate results that an R&D Landscape aerated lawn will!
What are the benefits of lawn aeration?
These are 5 beneficial things that Core Aeration will provide:
- Better Air Exchange– Aeration opens and gives your lawn roots more room to breathe. This helps strengthen your lawn by increasing the size and quality of the lawn roots.
- Improved Fertilizer Absorption– Since aeration opens the soil, more food reaches your turf roots which enables the grass to grow more roots!
- More Efficiency of Water Usage– Core Aeration allows water to flow directly to the grass roots which means rain and/or irrigation will be far more efficient.
- Improved Resistance– Healthier root systems are established within your turf which could prove to be beneficial when combating disease or pests.
- Enhanced Thatch Breakdown– Millions of beneficial microbes live in your soil and eat thatch removed by the aeration process. By eating thatch, these microbes release nutrients into you soil which your turf absorbs
When To Aerate Your Lawn?
The best time to aerate and achieve its maximum benefits is when the grass is actively growing. In our habitat we have cool season grass, so the spring or the fall is the optimal time. Here at R&D Landscape we like to aerate in the fall due to the spring pre-emergent herbicide application. We do not want to risk disrupting that weed barrier.
What Can You Do To Help Prepare For Your R&D Landscape Core Aeration Visit?
For the best results, there are a few things that you can do to help us. The first thing would be to make sure there is no debris, lawn furniture, or toys in the lawn. The second is to mark your sprinkler heads and underground dog fence lines.
How R&D Landscape Can Help.
R&D Landscape can advise you on a full range of lawn care services that can be tailored to meet your lawn’s unique needs. At R&D Landscape we use modern, efficient lawn aeration equipment in our approach to help restore your lawn to health and beauty.
For more information, contact us today!
Paul D Park: Fertilization and Aeration Division Leader
Phone: 517-202-5543 ext. 110
Email: paul@rdlandscape.com
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