Lawn Green Lawn Aeration using Lawn Coring and Lawn Aerators
Why Lawn Coring or Lawn Aeration?
Soils with a high percentage of clay become very hard and compacted. This makes it difficult for water, fertilizer, air and grass roots to penetrate into the soil. Compaction also contributes to buildup of thatch.
Lawn aeration (also known as core cultivation, lawn coring or plugging) is a process in which a machine pulls small plugs of soil about the size your finger from the lawn. These are left on the surface where they will break down in about two weeks. Golf course greens keepers use this process several times a year to keep their courses in top playing condition. Lawns grown in clay soils should have this done at least once a year.
Aeration, or core cultivation, is standard lawn care. Aerating a lawn means supplying the soil with air, usually by poking holes in the ground throughout the lawn using an aerator. It reduces soil compaction and helps control thatch in lawns while helping water and fertilizer move into the root zone.
A lawn can be aerated at any time the ground is not frozen, but should not be done when it is extremely hot and dry. Heavy traffic areas will require aeration more frequently.
Aeration is most effective when actual cores or plugs of soil are pulled from the lawn. Holes should be two to three inches deep and no more than two to four inches apart. Lawns should be thoroughly watered the day before aerating so plugs can be pulled more deeply and easily. Mark all sprinkler heads, shallow irrigation lines and cable TV lines before aerating so those lines will not be damaged.
On thatchy lawns, it is important to leave the cores on the lawn, allowing them to work back into the grass. Otherwise, the cores may be removed or left on the lawn. Lawns may be fertilized and seeded immediately after aeration. There is no need to top dress lawns following aeration.
Core aeration is the process of mechanically removing plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn. Aeration opens the soil, helps reduce compaction, improves water infiltration, improves rooting, reduces thatch and acts in many other ways to improve the lawn and reduce stress. Aeration restores the vital “nooks and crannies” to the soil.
Core aeration can be used to minimize thatch accumulation, to modify its physical characteristics, and to reduce soil compaction. Soil plugs are deposited on the turf surface (see right). These plugs then break down and redistribute soil throughout the thatch layer. The soil from the plugs helps to modify the physical structure of the thatch, making it a better growing medium.
This soil also enhances thatch breakdown by introducing the beneficial microorganisms that feed on thatch.
Most turfgrasses growing in heavy clay or poor soils benefit greatly from annual aeration to reduce thatch buildup and more importantly, to relieve soil compaction. This cultural treatment will help improve the recycling flow of air, water, and fertilizer to your grass plants. This, in turn, will help to rejuvenate your grass by allowing the roots to grow deeper, creating healthier grass plants and keeping your lawn thicker and greener.
Why should I bother with Lawn Aeration? Lawn aeration (or hollow-tyne aeration as in our case) is the most effective way of relieving a lawn of thatch and soil compaction. By punching lots of holes or cores from the lawn, the process removes thatch from the lawn surface and also relieves soil compaction around the root zone. You will get a HOLE lot more with our lawn aeration process.
Will my lawn benefit from Lawn Aeration? Always. Generally, we recommend lawn aeration every couple of years, however, for best results we would go every year.
Benefits of Lawn Green’s Lawn Aeration and Coring
- Relieves soil compaction
- Increases water infiltration
- Stimulates new root development, and fresh root growth similar to re-potting plants
- Improves turf thickness, vigor, and overall health
- Provides better fertilizer penetration into the root zone
- Increases air penetration into soil which increases soil microbe activity
- Increased microbe activity breaks down thatch
- Enhanced thatch breakdown
- Decreases water requirements for healthy turf
- Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance
- Reduces water puddling and runoff
- Improves fertiliser uptake
- Improves air exchange
- Finally, it promotes a greener, weed free lawn
Our equipment is up to date and top of the line, and is specifically designed to penetrate into the hard clay soil we have in Australia. We are fast and efficient. We can aerate your lawn in minutes with the finest equipment available.