Aerating and More
Aerating season is upon us. In last month’s newsletter I discussed the importance of observing your lawns. I’m sure with it raining almost every day for the last two weeks that it’s pretty green, but there is more to keeping a lawn happy. Lawns like to breathe. We accomplish this through core aeration. It is the process of mechanically removing plugs of soil from your lawn. This opens the soil, reduces soil compaction, improves filtration of water, while also reducing thatch. Aeration can be done any time of the growing season, but benefits your lawn when its cooler, damp, and weeds are not actively germinating.
But what about those unsightly plugs left behind? It is true, soil plugs are left behind and are observed more in some lawns than others, but usually dissipate with a single rain fall or mowing. There is more to those plugs though. They help in stimulating microbial activity that helps break down thatch in lawn creating a better soil for growing. In the end there is less chance for disease, water is used more effectively, and the grass gets the air and nutrition it desires.
While aerating, now is also a great time to overseed. By overseeing after aeration, grass seed has a place to fall and take root. Fill in those bare spots and help thicken your lawn by having this extra step completed.
Why wouldn’t you aerate?