Aeration: Why it’s the Best Thing You Can Do For Your Lawn
Here in Wisconsin we don’t always get the weather we want. That means, when we can we like to spend time outside, even if we aren’t leaving home. A thick, dense and green lawn is always a welcome retreat from the stuffiness of the indoors! If you want the most out of your lawn then core aeration is a must.
People, equipment, and even pets can lead to soil compaction overtime. Compaction mostly affects the top 4-6 inches of your soil, but heavy equipment can do even deeper damage! Whenever possible, avoid having cars, trucks or any heavy machinery on your lawn. Compacted soils tend to hold more water, but water infiltration and percolation into and through the soil are negatively affected. This will lead to standing water, lack of oxygen to the root zone, increased water loss due to evaporation and an increase in disease pressure – all things we want to avoid.
Compacted soil also makes it difficult for grass plants to “creep” or fill in any bare spots where other plants may have once grown. It leads to shallow root systems and lawns that wilt easily in hot weather. Heavily compacted soils also build up thatch more quickly, limiting oxygen penetration into the soil.
By having your lawn core aerated you are opening the soil back up so that moisture, oxygen and nutrients can move freely and deeply into the soil. It also encourages new and deeper root growth so that your grass has access to more water and more nutrients that are located deeper in the soil.
If your lawn is thinning and has had problems with pests and diseases, immediately after core aeration is a great time to over-seed. We use a sun to shade blend that includes fine fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass. Many of the grass seed varieties that have come out in the last decade are more stress and drought tolerant as well as better at handling disease and pest pressure. If you can’t remember when the last time you over-seeded was, now is the time!
Keyman Fertilization & Weed Control, LLC
608.845.9480
