To have a gorgeous lawn, it’s important to start with the basics. You have to mow it, give it fertilizer, and keep watering it. However, there is another step that most people overlook, and that step is aeration. Aeration of your St Johns, MI lawn is another important practice to follow if you want your lawn to look healthy and beautiful! For nutrients to reach your soil properly, aeration can be a handy practice through which you allow air and water to pass through the soil.
What most people don’t realize about their lawn, is the structure of it. Everyone sees the top of the grass, known as the blades. Underneath that is the crown. Right below the crown and above the soil is called Thatch. Thatch is a the layer of living and dead stems, leaves, and roots which builds up between the layer of actively growing grass and the soil underneath. It is essential to get to rid of thatch on the grass for the nutrients to pass through. This is why soil aeration is essential for a beautiful lawn. Here is your guide to when, how and why to aerate your lawn:
For grass in your lawn to grow, it needs air, water and nutrients to reach down to its roots. However, when the soil is stuffed and has clogged pores, it hinders the flow of such materials towards the roots. This ends up resulting in the growth of thatch. Thatch is normal, but an excessive buildup can block water, oxygen and other nutrients.
Due to the inhibition of water, oxygen and other nutrients to reach the roots, they eventually exhaust and can die. Aeration is a method to create a pathway for these essentials to reach down the soil. A single aeration session of the soil can do wonders for your soil.
While your lawn may seem fine to you, it might already be suffocating! With vehicles being driven on the lawn and outdoor activities being held on it, it can easily damage the upper layer of the grass resulting in the lawn getting compacted. To counter this from happening, dethatching and aeration are performed.
Dethatching is simply removing the upper layer of the organic matter that rests on the lawn surface and results in compaction.
Ideally, early fall or early spring are the best seasons for residential lawn aeration in cool areas. Whereas for warmer areas, the best time to aerate the lawn is late spring or early summer.
Lawn aeration is not a tricky task. However, you need to do it on time or else it can cause the grass to stress. It’s best not to aerate residential lawns in St Johns, MI that are dormant. Aeration should be done during the active season for the grass to grow quickly.
Aeration can be done through any of these three types of equipment:
Spike accelerators: These have a spike-like line that is meant to poke holes into the soil. The residential lawn owners wear such sandals with spikes attached to them and aerate the lawn by simply walking on the soil. These are feasible for small-scale residential aeration of lawns.
Slicing aerators: These have rotating blades which cut the thatch and penetrate deep through the soil, allowing the air, water and nutrients to pass through easily.
Core aerators: These are used for large-scale residential lawn aeration. These have hollow lines in rows which remove the plugs from the soil. The size of plugs varies depending on the machine used.
Lawn aeration in St Johns, MI has multiple benefits that are not only restricted to just providing a clear passage for the nutrients. Soil aeration also aids in PH modification of the soil. Due to the strengthening of roots because of nutrient availability, you can grow a thicker lawn. It can also help in reducing water runoff after excessive rain. Last but not the least, it prepares your grass for the winter season by keeping it in the best shape and fertile.
For a free St Johns, MI residential lawn aeration estimate, give us a quick call at 517-898-8137 or contact us online here. We can discuss your property and see if aeration is right for your lawn.