Lawn Aeration, Core Aeration and Overseeding
Lawn Aeration, Core Aeration and Overseeding
This process creates thousands of new growth zones throughout your lawn by removing 1-3 inch cores of soil. As these cores “melt” they speed up the natural process of thatch breakdown. The holes left by aerating catch air, fertilizer, seed and water. Your lawn naturally expands to these pockets and the result is a healthier strand of grass with thicker and deeper roots.
Lawn Aeration, Do I Need It?
Homeowners often overlook problems associated with soil compaction. Insects, diseases, improper watering and a lack of fertilizer are often blamed for a lawn’s decline when the real culprit is compaction. The problem starts when the top 4 inches of the soil become compressed, impeding the movement of air, water and nutrients to the grasses roots. This stresses the grass plants, making them less able to compete with weeds and slow to recuperate from injury. In time, a compacted lawn will need a complete renovation. If soil is compacted, the best solution is straightforward: lawn aeration or core aeration. The practice of physically removing cores of soil and leaving holes or cavities in the lawn is defined as core aeration or aerification. The aeration process has proven to be an important component in the process of creating and rejuvenating lawns.
Benefits of Core Aeration
- Loosens compacted soil and increases the availability of water and nutrients.
- Enhances oxygen levels in the soil, stimulating root growth and enhancing the activity of thatch-decomposing organisms.
- While removing cores of soil, the spoons or tines also sever roots, rhizomes and stolons. Grass plants are stimulated to produce new shoots and roots that “fill up” the holes in the lawn and increase the density of the turf.
- Reduces water runoff.
- Increases the lawn’s drought tolerance and improves its overall health.
- Excellent opportunity for Overseeding.
Lawn Aeration Timing
Lawns composed of cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue are best aerified in the fall, when there is less heat stress and danger of invasion by weedy annuals. Allow at least four weeks of good growing weather to help the plants recover. Aerification of home lawns corrects soil problems but generally is not a routine practice. The best answer to the question, “How often should I aerify?” is, “As often as needed.”
The best answer to the question, “How often should I aerify?” is, “As often as needed.” One way to determine if aeration is needed is by scouting the lawn. Take a screwdriver and probe the soil. If the screwdriver penetrates the soil with little resistance, then you probably don’t need to aerify. If it is difficult to penetrate the soil with the screwdriver, then you may need to aerify. Make sure the soil is moist when testing the areas since dry soil can also be more difficult to penetrate.
Turfgrass in high traffic areas may need aerification more often than the rest of the lawn. Turfgrasses with low traffic tolerance such as ryegrass and bluegrass may need aerifying more often than turfgrasses with good traffic tolerance, such as turf-type tall fescue.
Overseeding
When we overseed your lawn, we take special care to use the correct seed for our climate. We use a “Tri-blend” of Turf-type Tall Fescue, this mixture will result in a more durable, drought tolerant, disease and insect resistant stand of grass.
Unlike most varieties of grass seed used in our area, Turf-type Tall Fescue takes longer to germinate and up to 1 year to fully mature. These negative attributes are greatly outweighed by the long-term benefits.
Incorporating Turf-type Tall Fescue will result in a beautiful, thick lawn that requires less maintenance, less water, and most of all, fewer pesticides.
For a price on Lawn Care Treatment, go to our Quick Quote page.
Any Question? Contact us
We Proudly Serve Lawn Care to the following cities:
Delaware Lawn Care: North Wilmington, Greenville, Hockessin, Newark, Pike Creek, Bear, Middletown, Claymont, Townsend, Smyrna, New Castle, Dover, Camden-Wyoming, Clayton, Hartly, Magnolia, Marydel, Fredrica
Pennsylvania Lawn Care: Landenberg, Oxford, Lincoln University, West Grove, Avondale, Kennett Square, Chadds Ford, Bethel, Concord, West Chester, Glen Mills
