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WHAT IS AERATION?
Aeration is a lawn care process that involves perforating the soil with small holes in order to allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate built-up grass or lawn thatch, allowing grass roots to grow deeper, producing a stronger lawn. Be sure to fertilize directly before or after to ensure nutrients are available.
DO I NEED TO AERATE?
Here are a few signs/issues to watch for:
- Water puddling and taking a long time to drain from your lawn after rain.
- Vehicles driving or parking on grass (including mowers) often TIP: Although mowers can cause your lawns soil to compact, try to vary your mowing patterns in order to slow compaction.
- Thatch layer being thicker than ½ of an inch.
- Heavy foot traffic (pets or children playing, entertaining, etc.)
- Noticing thick strands of clover and/or your lawn being thin, patchy or bare.
- Heavy clay soil.
When in doubt, you can perform an aeration test to assess soil compaction. Take a screwdriver or pencil and push it into the soil. If it is difficult, you may need to aerate your lawn. If you’re still unsure, take a shovel and sink it into the ground. If your shovel easily sinks half the blade deep, you don’t need to aerate but if you have to push and/or jump on the shovel, you need to aerate.
WHEN TO AERATE?
The timing of aeration is key and is determined by grass and soil type.
HOW TO AERATE
- Manual Aerator: great for small lawns, uses foot power to plunge hollow cylinders in the soil to punch holes and/or extract cores
- Motorized Aerator: good for larger lawns, self-propelled with circular drums with hollowed spikes or cylinders that remove soil plugs. You can rent an aerator or you can see if your riding mower has a spike or core aerator attachment. Also, you can talk to your lawn care professional who may offer this service.
- TIP: Leave soil plugs on your lawn to decompose naturally because they contain microorganisms that help digest lawn thatch.
Want to discover important tips on aerating success? Click Here
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For professional fertilizers, humic and AMP-XC™ enriched products available, please visit TurfCare’s online Product Catalog.
For green industry professionals or others interested in ordering Turfcare products, please contact our Customer Service
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References:
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na/en_us/support/maintenance-how-to/browse/aeration-why-how-and-when-to-aerate-your-lawn.html
https://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/how-to-tell-if-a-lawn-needs-aerating
https://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/when-to-aerate-your-lawn
http://www.lawndoctor.com/sanantonio-tx/how-know-what-type-grass-you-have/
https://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/how-to-aerate-a-lawn
Turf Care Supply - TurfReport Blog
With a focus on providing sustainable manufacturing and reducing carbon emissions, Turf Care Supply has embraced the electric power market with the latest mobile equipment upgrades. Completed in June 2023, TCS received all deliveries of electric forklifts to all three manufacturing facilities, including Hatfield, MA, Martins Ferry, OH and Sebring, FL.
When handling fertilizers and pesticide it is important to follow suggested guidelines and prioritize safety to protect yourself, others, and reduce environmental impact. Here are some general measures to follow: 1.Read and Follow Instructions: Carefully read and understand the product labels, safety data sheets (SDS), and any accompanying instructions provided by the manufacturer. Follow all recommended guidelines, precautions, and application rates.
It’s common knowledge that applying too much fertilizer containing high percentages of readily available nitrogen and water soluble nutrients can result in burn damage to plants, but did you know that damage can still occur even if your application rate is correct? Applying the right product at the right rate, but at the WRONG time can have disastrous consequences.