Aeration is the process of removing cores of soil from your lawn to allow water, nutrients, and air to reach the grass roots.
Why do you need to remove cores of soil?
Your lawn is actually compacted throughout the year, and it doesn’t take driving a car on your lawn to compact the soil. It happens from normal everyday use such as walking to the mailbox or kids running in the yard . This compaction can prevent grass from growing or if it does you may end up with a weak and thinning lawn. This is due to the grass not being able to send deep roots into the soil and instead has it’s growth stunted to only the top couple inches. Your lawn may be more prone to drought, and severe changes in weather.
We always hear, “I’m never able to get grass to grow here”. This is a sign your lawn could benefit from aeration. If you have a tough time sticking a screwdriver into your lawn, imagine how tough it would be for grass to penetrate! Especially here in San Marcos, where we occasionally receive heavy rain, the downpours cause compaction and even more so with foot traffic while the ground is still moist.
Relieve Compact Soil, See Green Results
You’ve probably seen the spike attachments that you tie around your shoes so that you can stomp holes around your lawn (imagine how tough that would actually be). Well, they don’t really work as intended. It can actually make the problem worse since you are stomping and compacting the soil even further under your feet.
We don’t do that… we use core aeration. Our professional grade equipment removes cores or ‘plugs’ of soil from your lawn. This is the most effective and reliable method for aeration. Instead of punching holes into your lawn, it removes soil which will relieve the compaction instead of furthering the damage.
Why Lawn Care Aeration will Grow the Greenest Lawn You’ve Ever Had:
- Reduces Thatch – Thatch is a layer of living and dead plant material that is usually seen at the base of your grass. A buildup of thatch can block water and nutrients from reaching your grass while also being a host to lawn diseases and insect pests.
- More Nutrient Availability – With less thatch build up and more space in your lawn it will allow nutrients to reach the roots of your grass.
- Thick Luscious Grass and LESS Weeds – Alongside aeration, it’s recommended to overseed the area too. This new grass will fill in the bare spots and holes which will push out weeds. The more your lawn is covered in grass the less of a chance for weed growth.
- Stronger and Green Luscious Grass – Many clients see their grass quickly die back during the heat of the summer months and this could be in part due to shallow roots. With aeration, the grass can grow deeper and therefore is more protected from the heat because it can reach for more moisture.
- Prevent Puddling – If your lawn turns into a swamp after a rain you may want to look into this. With aeration your soil will be able to absorb more water and therefore reduce the puddles.
- Removes Dog Tracks – Dogs somehow find their path and they stick to it day after day until you have a dirt bike track in the yard. That causes severe compaction and no grass will grow/survive unless it’s heavily aerated.
The Best Time To Aerate Your Central Texas Lawn
It’s best to aerate in the spring and early fall, on either side of that blistering Texas Summer heat. We recommend the fall because there is less chance of weed invasion with winter soon arriving. Also, the winter should not have a negative effect on the newly seeded grass as long as it was planted early enough to establish a strong root system. It will then go dormant for the winter, and when spring comes around your grass will look BEAUTIFUL and luscious.
After Aeration: Keeping Your Lawn Green Season after Season
- Leave the plugs on your lawn – These will decompose over time and add nutrients back into your soil.
- Fertilize – This is an opportune time to fertilize your grass now that it has the ability to absorb the nutrients. It’ll help establish a stronger root system and a greener lawn over time.
- Overseed – If you have bare spots on your lawn or areas with weak growth it’s a good idea to seed now that your soil isn’t so compacted.
The Bottom Line – Central Texas Lawns NEED Core Aeration to Thrive!
Aeration is a key step in keeping your lawn healthy and beautiful every year. There’s always some compaction happening, even heavy rains can have an impact on your lawn.
Results are not immediate so give it some time. Your lawn is living too! It’s going to need an adjustment period, but it will have a positive difference.
At CLC Landscaping our goal is to give our clients the home they deserve while offering dependable and professional service to the greater San Marcos area. We offer a wide range of services from general lawn care, landscape design and everything in between. All of our practices are tried and true to accommodate Central Texas lawns. Our commitment to communication and integrity lets you know we are there with you every step of the way – let us make your dream a reality.
