A well-maintained lawn can enhance the visual appeal of your home and provide you with a pleasant hangout space for an evening with friends or calm mornings with your family. A key aspect of maintaining a healthy lawn is proper lawn aeration. It is a process that improves the quality of the soil in your lawn and promotes the growth of stronger, lush green grass. In this article we will explain how you can aerate your lawn without the help of any professional.
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Lawn aeration: What is it?
Over time, the quality of the soil in our lawn degrades as we step on it several times a day, and this can really dull the appearance of your lawn and make it look unhealthy. With lawn aeration, you perforate the soil with small holes to let the air, water and fertilisers seep into the ground and do their work. This allows the grass to grow better and improves the overall appearance of your lawn.
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Lawn aeration: Benefits
Before getting into the process of lawn aeration, here are a few benefits that the aeration of your lawn provides:
Better nutrient absorption: With constant foot traffic, the soil becomes hard, and such a soil makes it hard for the nutrients to reach the roots of the plants. Lawn aeration makes the soil loose and allows the nutrients to reach deep inside the soil and promote better plant growth.
Improved air exchange: Air is essential for plants to grow, and a loosened soil allows proper air exchange and makes sure that roots receive the oxygen that is necessary for the survival of the plant.
Water infiltration: A hardened soil often prevents water from penetrating into the soil and reaching the roots. Soil aeration allows the water to reach the soil and promotes better plant growth.
Stronger root growth: Since plants get the necessary air, water and nutrients once the soil is aerated, they grow better, and the roots get stronger and more resistant to diseases.
Thatch removal: Thatch is a layer of dead grass and dirt that accumulates over the soil once it starts getting hardened. Soil aeration helps enhance microbial activities, which in turn results in the breakdown of thatch.
Enhanced soil structure: Aeration helps improve soil quality as it makes the soil absorb all the nutrients and water.
When is the right time to aerate your lawn?
Usually, early spring or fall is the most appropriate season for aeration because grass actively grows during this season, and the soil is damp and moist, which makes it easier for you to aerate your lawn.
Lawn aeration: Necessary equipment
Before starting with the aeration process, here is a list of necessary tools that you will need:
- Aeration machine: You can usually rent these from a nearby garden centre.
- Lawn mower: To mow your lawn before aerating as it helps make the process more efficient.
- Irrigation system: It is necessary to water your lawn a couple of days before the aeration process to make sure it is perfectly moist and easier to aerate.
How to aerate your lawn?
- Prepare the area: The first step is to clear your lawn of any dirt or debris and mow the grass. Mowing provides better access to the soil and makes the aeration process more efficient.
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- Water the lawn: It is necessary to water the lawn one to two days prior to the aeration process as it makes the soil moist and makes sure that the lawn aeration process is more efficient.
- Start aerating the lawn: With the help of the aeration machine, start the process and make sure that you evenly move the machine throughout the lawn. Aeration also helps in removing the soil plugs, but do not bother removing them from the soil. Let them lie there, as they will loosen over time and add to the soil’s fertility.
- Overseed (Optional): With aeration, you can also overseed as an aerated lawn is great for seed growth.
- Fertilise and water: Once you are done with the aeration process, add fertiliser and water the lawn so that it properly seeps into the ground and promotes better plant growth.
Aerating your lawn is not enough to ensure a healthy growth of plants; you also need to take regular care of your lawn by watering it regularly, adding fertilisers and mowing it from time to time. It is also important to note that aeration is not a one-time process, and you should aerate your lawn from time to time.
FAQs
Is it necessary to fertilise the soil after aeration?
It is advised to fertilise your soil after aeration so that the fertiliser can properly reach the roots of the plants.
Why should I leave the soil plugs in the soil?
Soil plugs disintegrate and contribute to the quality of the soil.
Can a newly seeded lawn be aerated?
It is important to let the roots of the plants and the grass grow so that they get established and then proceed with the aeration process.
How often should I aerate my lawn?
It is advised to aerate your lawn once every year, either every spring or every fall.
Can I mow my lawn after aeration?
It is advised to wait a while after aeration before starting to mow your lawn.
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