Aeration
Aeration is a vital process for maintaining a healthy lawn. It involves removing small plugs of soil from the lawn, which allows air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the ground. This can have a number of benefits for your lawn, including improved root growth, reduced water runoff, and increased resistance to pests and diseases. One of the main benefits of aeration is that it improves root growth. By removing small plugs of soil, aeration makes it easier for roots to grow deeper into the ground, which can lead to a stronger and more resilient lawn. Aeration also allows for better water penetration, which can lead to a reduction in water runoff and puddling. This can be especially beneficial in areas with heavy clay soils. In addition to improving root growth and water penetration, aeration can also help to control pests and diseases. When soil is compacted, it is the right environment for the growth of certain pests and diseases.
Lawn Health
Aeration can help eliminate this problem by improving the health of the soil. Making it less hospitable to these types of organisms. Another benefit of aeration is that it can help to improve the overall appearance of a lawn. When soil is compacted, it leads to uneven growth and a patchy appearance. Aeration can help to promote even growth and a more lush appearance, which can make your lawn the envy of the neighbourhood. Aeration should be done at least once a year. It is best to do it when the grass is actively growing, typically in the spring or autumn. There are different ways to aerate your lawn, you can use a manual aerator tool or rent a power aerator machine. Of Course, we can also do this job for you and it comes with our scarifying package. In conclusion, aeration is a crucial process for maintaining a healthy lawn. It can improve root growth, reduce water runoff, and increase resistance to pests and diseases. It can also improve the overall appearance of a lawn.
Hollow Tine Aeration
Hollow Tine Lawn Aeration is the process of taking small plugs from the lawn, which is the best way of easing compaction and sub-surface thatch, allowing air, water and fertiliser to penetrate to the root zone. This is particularly effective at the beginning and end of the growing season. A lawn aerator can also help the lawn through drought stress conditions; enabling water retention in the crucial root zone.
What To Expect
Your lawn treatment expert will arrive on a pre-arranged date to carry out your hollow tine aeration treatment. The length of time a hollow tine aeration will depend upon the size of the area to be treated but for an average size lawn measuring 170m2, you should expect the treatment to be completed within 1 – 2 hours. The lawn aerator will be moved backwards and forwards across your lawn, removing plugs from the turf as it goes. The removal of these plugs will relieve compaction and allow air, water and nutrients to circulate within the soil to the roots of the grass. Once the treatment is complete your lawn will be covered with soil plugs but do not worry this is normal.
To explain the process fully we have created the video to the right to show you what you can expect from an aeration treatment.
Lawn Aerators
There are multiple types of lawn aerators available, each for doing different things to the lawn. A spike aerator pokes holes into the lawn, allowing it to have greater access to the air, water and nutrients. These come in the form of handheld, aerator shoes or rolling aerators. Although this will help the lawn a little, it is not the most effective way to aerate the lawn. At Mad About Lawns, we use hollow tining, also known as core aerators or plug aerators. This process removes cores of soil from your lawn, allowing the air and water to reach deeper into the sub-surface soil. This breaks down the most heavily compacted soil, whereas spike aerators can further compact the soil area you have spiked.
Why Does My Lawn Need Aerating?
Over time most soils will become compacted, squashing the particles together and reducing the grass’s ability to grow well. This compaction will cause a number of problems, such as increasing the likelihood of the lawn becoming flooded or water-logged. Compacted soils are much more likely to become infested with weeds such as daisies or moss. The roots are unable to access the nutrients they require, so the grass tends to be thin weak and pale in compacted soils.
If thatch is a problem in your lawn, then the best way to reduce its impact on turf growth is through lawn aeration.
How Often Does My Lawn Need Aerating?
A lawn cannot be over-aerated as long as it is not damaged. In most cases, it’s the more often the better. We suggest that it is carried out every year. As all soil types/lawns and situations are different it is something that needs to be discussed individually. Mad About Lawns will constantly be assessing your lawn. Highlighting any problems they detect to advise you when they believe hollow tine aeration is required.
We are the best company to aerate your lawn for you, we can also provide a topdressing service as well as overseeing and reseed your lawns or lawns.
When we scarify your lawn or lawns, we always aerate as well. This is part of our lawn renovation service.