Core Aeration Services
What is Core Aeration? It is the process of making thousands of small holes in the turf. Soil microbes, like all living things, need air, food and water in order to function. These holes allow fertilizer, water and air to reach the root zone quicker, resulting in new growth and increased root development. Opening up the soil helps reduce thatch build up and soil compaction allowing your lawn to breathe which reduces disease and insect pests.
All grass types (Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, St. Augustine and Fescue) benefit from this most important cultural practice for improving and maintaining the health of turn. Annual or semi-annual aeration is strongly advised for all lawns on heavy clay soils, those with a thatch buildup and any other lawn that may need to be thickened up.
Benefits of Core Aeration
- Aeration removes thousands of small cores of soil from 1 to 3 inches in length. The cores melt back into the lawn with proper watering.
- The holes left by the removal of these cores catch fertilizer and water. Roots naturally grow toward these growth pockets and thicken in the process.
- Aeration holes relieve pressure from compacted soils, allowing oxygen and water to move more freely into the root zone.
- Regular aeration helps thatch break down naturally by mixing the soil cores into the thatch and speeding up decomposition. Performed once or twice per year, aeration significantly reduces thatch and improves turf growth.
When Should Lawn Aeration Be Done?
Aeration timing is critical, if done at the wrong time, it can damage or stress your turf. It is best to aerate during or right before your grass reaches its peak for natural growth. When aeration coincides with active growth, grasses recover quickly and fill in areas where aerator equipment exposes soil. Never aerate dormant lawns.
Cool season grasses that are common up north or in heavily shaded southern lawns (fescue, rye, bluegrass) should be aerated in the fall, at the same time that our overseeding service is performed.
Warm season lawns that are common here in the south (Bermuda, zoysia, centipedegrass, St. Augustine) should be aerated in the spring or early summer.
What To Do After Aeration
After we aerate your lawn, leave the soil plugs were they are so they can break down and be incorporated back into the soil.
Contact TDI for details on the annual and semi-annual aeration services available for your lawn.
