To produce a lush and healthy lawn, your grass needs water, nutrients, and air to thrive. If the soil gets compacted, then these essential elements cannot reach the grass’s roots and the lawn can start to struggle. One great solution for soil compaction is aeration.
Aeration creates space in the soil to allow air, nutrients, and water to access the roots and strengthen your grass. Read on to learn more about different kinds of aeration, how to know if your yard needs it, and what time of year is best for aeration.
As the best landscape design company at the Lake of the Ozarks, Paradise Landscaping can determine your unique lawn needs and implement a maintenance plan to create a personal paradise in your own backyard.
The three main types of aeration are spiking, slicing, and core aeration. All three types create space in the soil for air, nutrients, and water, but they each do so in different ways.
Spiking uses solid spike-like tines to push holes into the soil, and slicing uses rotating blades to cut narrow slits in the soil. Both methods create openings by moving the soil aside. While they do provide more access to the grass’s roots, sometimes they can create further compaction by simply pushing the soil together around the openings.
Core aeration uses hollow tines to pull plugs of soil out of the ground. The space left behind allows significantly more air, nutrients, and water to reach the grass’s roots and promote deeper and more healthy growth.
Some opt to use the spiking or slicing methods because they are less noticeable on the surface; whereas, core aeration leaves plugs of soil on the surface of your yard. What many don’t realize, though, is that these plugs can help improve the health of your lawn even further. As they dry out and dissolve over time, nutrients naturally return to the soil. If you need a smooth appearance for your yard sooner, you can mow over the plugs to help break them down into smaller pieces and water your lawn to help them dissolve.
As the best landscape design company at the Lake of the Ozarks, our team at Paradise Landscaping can “diagnose” your lawn care needs and determine if aeration is right for you.
Your lawn may need aeration if it experiences a lot of heavy traffic. As kids, pets, and barbeque guests repeatedly walk over your grass, the soil compresses making it difficult for air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots.
Clay soil (like that commonly found around the Lake of the Ozarks) is more prone to compaction as well. Even with light traffic, clay soil tends to compress quickly, preventing roots from growing stronger and deeper into the ground.
Signs that your lawn may be compacted and in need of aeration are pools of water accumulating after heavy rain (poor drainage), patches of grass turning brown from dehydration (water not adequately reaching roots due to poor drainage), or a spongy feel to your topsoil (caused by a build-up of too much thatch due to improper airflow and decreased microbe activity).
There are many other signs that could indicate your lawn needs aeration. Call our professionals at Paradise Landscaping. We can determine what your lawn needs and create your personal paradise.
The best time of year to aerate can depend on what kind of grass you have. For cool-season grasses, the best time is fall – about five weeks before the first frost so that the grass has time to recover before going dormant. Lower temperatures will also help reduce the number of pesky weeds trying to take over. For warm-season species, the best time to aerate is spring or early summer. This is the time when warm-season grasses are actively growing and can benefit the most from increased airflow, hydration, and nutrition.
If you look out your window and notice your yard is less than pristine, it may be struggling due to soil compaction. To ensure your grass isn’t suffering from a lack of nutrients, airflow, and water, call Paradise Landscaping to schedule a consultation on the health of your lawn. Prepare your lawn for a full, beautiful spring - contact us today!
Types of Aeration
The three main types of aeration are spiking, slicing, and core aeration. All three types create space in the soil for air, nutrients, and water, but they each do so in different ways.
Spiking uses solid spike-like tines to push holes into the soil, and slicing uses rotating blades to cut narrow slits in the soil. Both methods create openings by moving the soil aside. While they do provide more access to the grass’s roots, sometimes they can create further compaction by simply pushing the soil together around the openings.
Core aeration uses hollow tines to pull plugs of soil out of the ground. The space left behind allows significantly more air, nutrients, and water to reach the grass’s roots and promote deeper and more healthy growth.
Some opt to use the spiking or slicing methods because they are less noticeable on the surface; whereas, core aeration leaves plugs of soil on the surface of your yard. What many don’t realize, though, is that these plugs can help improve the health of your lawn even further. As they dry out and dissolve over time, nutrients naturally return to the soil. If you need a smooth appearance for your yard sooner, you can mow over the plugs to help break them down into smaller pieces and water your lawn to help them dissolve.
As the best landscape design company at the Lake of the Ozarks, our team at Paradise Landscaping can “diagnose” your lawn care needs and determine if aeration is right for you.
How to Know Your Lawn Needs Aeration
Your lawn may need aeration if it experiences a lot of heavy traffic. As kids, pets, and barbeque guests repeatedly walk over your grass, the soil compresses making it difficult for air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots.
Clay soil (like that commonly found around the Lake of the Ozarks) is more prone to compaction as well. Even with light traffic, clay soil tends to compress quickly, preventing roots from growing stronger and deeper into the ground.
Signs that your lawn may be compacted and in need of aeration are pools of water accumulating after heavy rain (poor drainage), patches of grass turning brown from dehydration (water not adequately reaching roots due to poor drainage), or a spongy feel to your topsoil (caused by a build-up of too much thatch due to improper airflow and decreased microbe activity).
There are many other signs that could indicate your lawn needs aeration. Call our professionals at Paradise Landscaping. We can determine what your lawn needs and create your personal paradise.
The Best Time of Year to Aerate
The best time of year to aerate can depend on what kind of grass you have. For cool-season grasses, the best time is fall – about five weeks before the first frost so that the grass has time to recover before going dormant. Lower temperatures will also help reduce the number of pesky weeds trying to take over. For warm-season species, the best time to aerate is spring or early summer. This is the time when warm-season grasses are actively growing and can benefit the most from increased airflow, hydration, and nutrition.
Schedule Your Fall Aeration
If you look out your window and notice your yard is less than pristine, it may be struggling due to soil compaction. To ensure your grass isn’t suffering from a lack of nutrients, airflow, and water, call Paradise Landscaping to schedule a consultation on the health of your lawn. Prepare your lawn for a full, beautiful spring - contact us today!
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