Lawn Aeration

If you treat your lawn to only one mechanical process, lawn aeration is what you should choose. It is the key to good cultural care of your lawn and will have positive, beneficial effects on most of the problems on ALL lawns.

During lawn aeration, holes or slits are made in the lawn turf to enable air and water to circulate beneath the surface. The purpose of creating these air channels is to relieve compaction which occurs 50-70mm below the surface. Compaction occurs in areas of heavy traffic such as play areas or a pathway when soil particles are squeezed together over a period of time.

Done properly, lawn aeration will improve surface drainage, improve soil air supply and root growth as well as relieving soil compaction and breaking through the thatch.

Many lawns benefit from annual aeration. Lawns that receive this care will be healthy, more vigorous, easier to maintain and have fewer pest problems than lawns that are neglected. It is advisable to carry out lawn aeration in spring or early autumn when the soil is naturally moist. Below is a core of compacted soil removed during hollow-tine lawn aeration.

The cores that are removed during the hollow-tine aeration process should not be viewed as a waste-product. They are removed in order to thin out thatch and relieve compaction. In most cases, these cores break down and are left to act as a lawn dressing since they are part of your fertile top soil. It is not possible for us to remove the cores on the day of aeration because the cores are usually wet and we do not want to be sweeping up wet mud off your lawn surface as the results would certainly look unsightly. We advise that you allow a day or so for them to dry out then use a besom or sweeping brush to gently scatter the cores over your lawn as you would with top dressing.

Why Aerate?

Compacted soil prevents the grass from establishing a healthy root system. Adequate amounts of vital lawn turf nutrients including water, oxygen, nitrates, potassium and phosphorus are unable to reach the roots.

• Lawn aeration relieves soil compaction by removing evenly spaced cores of turf up to 3 inches in depth. Coring spikes or slicing blades enable the lawn aeration to be tailored to your grass and soil condition.
• Once the soil is aerated, air exchange is improved and the soil can easily absorb water, fertiliser and other nutrients.
• Lawn aeration promotes deeper root growth for a lawn that is lush, healthy and drought resistant.