Much like any other investment you own, such as a car, having a healthy lawn requires maintenance throughout the year. While the seasons pass, there are certain things you need to do toward the end of the year to “tune it up,” and in the case of lawns, that usually means lawn aeration in the fall. It is good to do this after an active summer of kids and pets running around in the yard compacting the soil with foot traffic. So what are the exact benefits of lawn aeration?
1. Reduces the Buildup of Thatch
Thatch is the layer of dead grass that sits on the lawn and ends up building a thick, suffocating layer over top of it, preventing your grass from getting the nutrients, air and water that it needs. Save your grass the stress and reduce the risk of it dying or going dormant by using core aeration. This helps to bring thatch decomposing micro-organisms into the soil to get rid of it easily.
2. Improves the Health of the Lawn
Lawn aeration provides benefits to the overall health of the grass. When you aerate, you are giving the root zone of the blades better access to all of their basic needs, which helps the turfgrass roots become deeper and more extensive to promote a more beautiful lawn.
3. Relieves Compacted Soil
When the soil in your lawn is compacted, this, too, limits the essential needs of your grass and can stress it out by keeping out air, water and nutrients. The result of this is often in the form of brown colors, dead spots or thinning of the grass itself. Removing cores through aeration offers a nicely balanced soil density to relieve this compaction.
4. Helps Over Seeding Operations
When you core aerate both after and before seeding a lawn that already exists, this will enhance the seed-topsoil contact that is needed for the seeds to germinate while creating a protective and moist environment for the seedlings to develop and grow.
5. Benefits pH Modification
By applying sulfur or lime after aerating the lawn, you can promote a healthier pH level in the soil. The result of this will allow nutrients to get deeper into the root zone so that it is available to the rest of the turf.
6. Prepares Grass for Dormancy
By aerating the lawn before your cool season grass can go dormant, you can ensure that it is in its best possible shape by aerating it and giving it fall fertilization. This will help the nutrients get into the grass more effectively and will keep the blades nourished through the cold season.
7. Reduces Puddles and Runoff
If the yard often puddles or experiences runoff issues, it could use a good aeration. This will help rain and other water sources soak into the lawn instead of essentially running off.
Aeration is a necessary step in keeping your lawn healthier for longer. For all of the reasons above, you should consider aerating your lawn not only during fall but regularly as well.
