The Benefits of Aerating Your Soil
When it comes to lawn maintenance and care, most people know the basics: mowing, fertilizing, and watering. However, one may not know about another important lawn maintenance process, aerating the soil. Lawn aeration is another vital step in keeping your outdoors lawn healthy, vibrant, and lush.
What exactly is soil aeration? Soil can become compacted for a variety of reasons. It can happen from high foot traffic, and even from repeated grass cuttings. Thatch or dead grass can fall to the bottom layer, giving the grass a dry or brownish appearance. When soil becomes compacted, it has a number of negative outcomes. The roots of the grass have to work their way deep within the ground in order to absorb nutrients. If the grass roots are not able to push deep enough into the dirt, they cannot absorb the nutrients needed to keep the grass alive and healthy.If you cut into the soil with a hunting knife, and you find tightly compacted clay-like soil, you probably have a good area of yard for aerating.
Proper circulation is a very important process. Without air, decomposition cannot take place, which can cause thatch and give grass an unhealthy and unsightly appearance. By aerating soil, fertilization becomes maximized. This happens by giving the fertilizer a direct channel to the roots.
There are three different tools used to aerate soil, the spike, slice and plug. The spike tools stab into the ground and make holes. These holes allow air circulation and help with the fertilization process. However, a draw back is that the ground is still being compacted in this process by the spike itself. The slice process cuts into the dirt like a knife and slices it. Plugs work in a similar fashion to the spike, except they actually pull out the soil instead of compacting it. The plugs sink about two to three inches into the dirt, thereby making it looser, less dense, and ready to absorb fertilizer. There are different machines available for the aeration of soil. Whatever method one chooses, there are two different machines that can be used. There is a tow behind, or a walk behind. A tow behind aerator is attached to a motorized tractor. This method is particularly efficient if the lawn is large. A walk behind is a gas fueled motorized machine similar to a lawn mower. Both the walk behind and the tow tools have platforms where weight can be added, this will aid in the efficiency of the penetration.
Find out more about the Swisher 11933 40-Inch-Wide Drum-Style Spike Aerator from Amazon now!
The best time to aerate the soil is shortly after a light rain, when the dirt is moist. The soil should not be muddy, but it should not be dry either. Dry soil will limit the penetration of the plugs, spikes, or slice tools.
One can purchase or rent an aerator from the local home improvement store. Many of these stores also have aerators for rent. On the other hand, there are also lawn care professionals who can do this job as well.
If your yard is not fenced, you can keep your small dog from wandering off while you work with the help of a dog playpen.
Keep in mind this essential step in lawn care. Soil aeration will keep one’s lawn healthy and vibrant, making the lawn a beautiful place to spend time.
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