Achieving a green, healthy lawn requires more than just water and sunlight. Proper nutrition and correcting underlying problems with your lawn all have a role. However, one of the most important yet most often forgotten lawn care items is aeration. Just like you, your lawn needs good food, sunlight, water, and the ability to breathe properly.
Aeration helps your lawn breathe. Just like how gardeners till their plots to improve the flow of air in the soil, your lawn requires the same treatment to help it grow stronger and allow the nutrients you give it to better reach the source. However, just like fertilize and weed control, there are different products for different needs. Here are the two main aeration types to consider:
Core Aeration
This type of aeration requires a tool to mechanically pull plugs, or “cores,” of soil from your lawn. They are spaced out in a way that it does not damage the integrity of your lawn but instead reduces soil compaction so key necessities like water, nutrients, and oxygen can reach the grass. Essentially, it focuses on allowing your lawn to better “breathe” with those pockets of air. It also encourages a healthier root growth and reduces overall plant stress.
We typically recommend this type of aeration especially for newly sodded lawns and lawns dealing with moss plants. Core aeration will help the new grass roots reach the soil below and improve the overall drainage ability of the lawn. When moisture isn’t constantly stuck in the soil, then those moss plants won’t be able to grow.
Liquid Aeration
This type of aeration uses a specially formulated product to increase water flow and increase microbe activity. The proprietary blend of ingredients, when applied to your lawn, moves water through the dense particles in the soil which creates more airways. This proprietary blend also increases microbe activity which aids in breaking down soil organic matter, increasing soil air. While it does take more time for the mixture to work on your lawn compared to core aeration, it helps homeowners avoid the messy look of core aeration. This liquid also helps promote long-term soil ecosystem growth.
While liquid aeration may not be as effective as core aeration on a heavily compacted lawn, it’s still a great option for allowing more air to get to the grass. We do not recommend it with new sod, but it’s an effective option otherwise.
If your lawn has been dealing with compacted soil, worn areas in your lawn from heavy foot traffic, low water retention, and/or water collecting in certain areas, then it’s time to call in a lawn care specialist. bioLawn serves the Twin Cities area and commits to safer, environmentally friendly lawn care services.