Does Lawn Aeration Help With Drainage

What To Do After Aeration

After you finish aerating your lawn, let soil plugs or extra soil dry where they fall. They’ll break down in rain or crumble the next time you mow, adding beneficial soil and organic matter to your lawn surface.

Right after aeration is a perfect time to overseed with premium Pennington Smart Seed and fertilize your lawn or do simple lawn repairs. Seeds and nutrients have direct contact with soil through the openings your aerator created and roots have fresh pathways for the things they need. The combination can help put your lawn on the fast track for quick seed establishment and thicker, lusher growth.

By adding aeration to your annual task list or doing regular compaction tests to check for need, you help ensure your lawn can reach its full potential for thickness, health and beauty. Pennington is committed to providing you with the finest in grass seed and lawn care products to help you achieve your lawn goals.

Pennington and Smart Seed are trademarks of Pennington Seed, Inc.

What Time Of The Year Is Best To Aerate A Lawn In Uk

The best time to aerate is during the growing season avoiding very hot weather that makes the soil dry and difficult to penetrate, so early or late spring or autumn are the best times, but anytime is better than none.

How do I know a Lawn Needs Aerating?

The signs that tell you your lawn needs aeration are not always obvious, but lawns especially on heavy clay soil that get regular heavy use and show wear and tear and thinning, turning brown quickly in dry weather need to be aerated on a regular basis, at least once a year. Or you may have had a visit from Mike the flowerpotman to investigate a lawn drainage problem who to your relief tells you that the lawn is compacted and won’t need to be dug up and drainage installed, just aerated.

Your lawn will need aerating if:

• The surface feels hard and you can’t easily sink a shovel to a depth of half the blade
• Water puddling on lawn after rain for longer than a couple of hours.
• Vehicles driving or parking on lawn or heavy play use.
• Thatch thicker than one-half inch.
• Difficulty pushing a pencil into the soil.
• Heavy clay soil. Tips to break-up clay
• Thin, patchy or bare patches in grass

What Grass Grows In Clay Soil

If breaking up clay soil is not a working solution for you, you may want to think and opt for a turfgrass that grows in clay soil. Zoysia, bufallo grass, tall fescue and Bermuda grass are great grass types to grow on clayey turfs depending on the climate of the region.

To help your grass survive and thrive in clay soils, it is important to ensure a deeper root system thats extensive enough to absorb nutrients and water in poorly aerated soils.

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Is Spike Or Hollow Core Aeration Better

The best time to hollow core a lawn is in conjunction with scarification and lawn renovation work in Spring & Autumn. Hollow tine aeration is very beneficial for lawns with a high amount of thatch and moss as it helps remove this from the lawn.

We recommend using the solid tine method in the winter and summer months.

What Does Aeration Mean In Water

Aeration brings water and air in close contact in order to remove dissolved gases and oxidizes dissolved metals such as iron, hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organic chemicals .

Is it OK to aerate a wet lawn?

You can aerate a lawn when it is wet provided that it is not excessively wet. Lawn aeration involves making small holes on a lawns surface at regular intervals and moist soil helps the process. However, depending on the soil type, excessive moisture can hamper the process.

Whats the purpose of aeration?

Aeration involves perforating the soil with small holes to allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots. This helps the roots grow deeply and produce a stronger, more vigorous lawn. The main reason for aerating is to alleviate soil compaction.

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Determining If Your Lawn Is In Need Of Aeration

There are a few key indicators that your lawn may be in need of aeration. If you notice any of the following problems, aeration may be a good solution:

• Thatch buildup: If you have more than ½ inch of thatch, aeration can help to break it up and allow new growth.
• Compacted soil: If your lawn feels spongy or bouncy when you walk on it, aeration can help to loosen up the soil and improve drainage.
• Poor drainage: If your lawn is constantly wet or soggy, aeration can help to improve drainage by creating more space for water to drain.
• Yellowing or dying grass: If you notice patches of yellow or brown grass, aeration can help to improve the health of your lawn by allowing oxygen and nutrients to reach the roots.

If you notice any of these problems with your lawn, aeration may be a good solution. Aeration can help to improve the health of your lawn by breaking up thatch, loosening compacted soil, and improving drainage.

Aeration Reduces Problems Due To Thatch

Because core aeration helps to remove and break down excessive thatch, it also helps to remove the dense barrier that hides and protects insect pests and promotes lawn diseases. As a result, youll have a healthier and more attractive lawn without needing to spend more money on pest or disease treatment.

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Improve Your Lawn Drainage With These 4 Easy Steps

Posted by Touré Foster

Before we discuss ways to improve the drainage of your lawn, lets briefly explain why lawn drainage is important. If your lawn doesnt drain well, youll have slippery and soggy soil. And, thats not aesthetically pleasing. Even worse, it makes walking unpleasant and dirty. Finally, poorly drained soil leads to pest problems, uneven ground, and dead spots due to rotting roots.

So, thats the bad news. And with this summers record rains in New England, you may be experiencing standing water in areas youve never seen it before. The good news is that you can follow four easy steps to mitigate soggy soil and improve your lawn drainage. Read on to learn more.

Install Dry Wells Or Subsurface Drainage Systems

A dry well is an empty barrel with a top, no bottom, and holes in the side. This will capture the flood water and hold it underground while slowly releasing it through the holes on the side. If your property allows, subsurface drainage systems such as a traditional French drain may be an appropriate remedy as well.

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How Does Core Aeration Work

Lawn aeration can be performed by several types of equipment, even something as simple as a pitchfork. However, tools that simply drive spikes into the ground only push soil aside, leaving the opportunity for it to expand back into the same spaces once it gets wet. To get it done properly, you want to hire trained professionals using specialized equipment who will do a thorough job of an actual core aeration. The pros will have access to machines that resemble either riding or push lawn mowers.

Core aeration removes impediments to water flow, nutrient distribution and root growth by pulling cores out of the soil. The cores are about half-inch chunks of soil or thatch. The cores stay on the top of the lawn, and they break down in about a week.

Core aeration doesnt just remove soil though, it also pulls up thick thatch, mitigating its stranglehold on your lawn. Without crowded thatch, your lawn will receive more sunlight and more water, fostering better growth. Similarly, it can mitigate the effects of overgrown lawns, thinning out the overabundant grass and weeds and allowing the remaining plants to thrive without all that competition.

Once the cores are removed, the lawn gains new channels through the soil. The new channels reduce compaction by giving the lawn more space to breathe, literally. With the new channels, the lawn will better accept water, fertilizer and critical gasses from the atmosphere.

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How Do I Know If I Need Core Aeration

Most lawns get very compacted over the course of the year from lawn mowers and foot traffic. If your soil is too compacted, it is hard for water and nutrients to get into the soil to feed your grass. Signs of compacted soil can include:

• Trouble piercing soil with a shovel.

• Shallow tree roots.

• Puddles of water in low areas of lawn.

• Presence of Broadleaf Weeds: they usually have a deep root system and are able to push through and survive soil compaction.

• Excess thatch. Thatch is the layer of lawn between your grass and soil. Debris can build up here, blocking necessary water and nutrients from grass roots.

• Color: grass that appears to be ‘off’ colored can be lacking needed nutrients.

• Moss. Moss thrives in areas with poor drainage. It is opportunistic and will grow where there is a lack of healthy turf.

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How To Drain A Waterlogged Lawn

Having a waterlogged lawn can be such a frustrating experience. I have had such a situation on my lawn and I know how bad it can be for your garden. The good news is that this does not spell doom at all, there is a way out.

This is how you can drain a waterlogged lawn:

• The first step is to ensure that people dont walk over it. If someone walks over it, there is a possibility of stirring the grass up and, thus, complicating the issue.

• Secondly, allow most of the water to evaporate. For the water that wont go through this method, you can push it in the direction of your lawns borders.

• The next thing is to pierce the lawn with a garden fork to create holes. After the first spiking and draining of the water, use a core aerator to help you take out tiny little cores of soil. Most of the remaining water will flow during this step.

• After this, add a top dressing of sand to help in the absorption of extra moisture. This will help you to create a way for the development of a healthy lawn with good drainage.

Recommended Lawn Care Service

If you are interested in receiving professional lawn aeration treatment, we suggest looking into TruGreen. Not only can this company provide lawn aeration services, but it offers comprehensive lawn care plans. TruGreen is one of the most popular lawn care services in the United States, servicing every state except for Alaska and Hawaii.

The provider offers five annual plans with different levels of lawn care. In addition, the company allows you to customize your lawn care with everything from fertilization to overseeding to pest control and more. In addition to a plan, TruGreens aeration service costs around $259 for a 5,000 square-foot lawn, according to quotes we received while secret- shopping.

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How Do I Fix Soggy Spots In My Lawn

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People Also Asked, How do you fix a soggy lawn?

Herein, how do you fix a soggy lawn? The following are 5 solutions for soggy lawns:

Also know, how do you dry up a soggy ground? To dry out wet dirt, start by clearing out any debris, like soggy leaves and old mulch, since they store a lot of moisture. Next, spread 2-3 inches of gravel on top of the soil, then use a rake, hoe, or shovel to mix the gravel into the top 6 inches.

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Cultivate A Healthy Root System With Lawn Aeration

Hard, dry, compacted soil is not conducive to root growth. Lawns can become compacted through foot traffic, drought, or many other reasons. Even without external contributing factors, a lawn can settle so as to become detrimental to root health. Aeration creates spaces in your lawn that allow for the deep penetration of air, water, and nutrients. The holes also leave a space for roots to grow into, and when the plug matter disintegrates and runs back into the vacated spaces, you will have a stronger, healthier root system.

Your lawn will only be as beautiful as its root system allows it to be. A healthy root system allows your lawn to absorb more water and nutrients and ensures it will return from dormancy or drought more quickly than a lawn with an inferior root system. A hearty root system also helps to fend off weed and insect problems. If youd like to learn more about lawn aeration, or to schedule a professional aeration appointment, contact the customer service representatives at Weed-A-Way.

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When Lawns Need Aeration

It may not seem your lawn could get compacted, but it happens easier than you may think. Vehicles or small equipment driven on lawns are more obvious offenders, but even outdoor entertaining or yard play by kids and pets can leave all or part of your lawn compacted. If you live where heavy clay soil is the norm, annual aeration is probably needed to keep your lawn from becoming thin and weak.

Dethatching and aerating are two different tasks, but they often go hand in hand. Thatch is the layer of decomposing organic matter that forms right at the lawn surface, between soil and grass. When thatch gets more than 1/2 inch thick, it works like compaction to prevent the flow of air, water and nutrients grasses need. Aggressive spreading grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrassin northern lawns and Bermudagrass down south, form more thatch than many other grass types. Aeration helps penetrate and reduce thatch buildup or prep it for removal through dethatching.

If your grass often looks stressed and your soil is hard to the touch or rainwater puddles up where it used to be absorbed, you may have compaction problems. Confirm your suspicions with a simple screwdriver test. Take a regular screwdriver and stick it into your lawns soil by hand. It should slide in fairly easily. If you meet resistance, your soil is compacted, and aeration can help.

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Factors That Influence The Cost Of Lawn Aeration

Multiple factors influence the average cost of lawn aeration services. Learn the details about some of the most significant factors below:

• Lawn size: The larger the size of the lawn, the higher the price you receive. Most lawn care services charge based on the square footage of a lawn.
• Aeration type: Overall, spike aeration is less expensive than core aeration as it is typically less intensive of a process.
• Location: In general, if you reside in a rural community, the cost of lawn-care services is lower than in busy urban areas. In addition, local taxes and business fees influence the cost of lawn aeration and other lawn maintenance services.
• Prep work: Soil aeration requires a clear yard to conduct. If a lawn care provider has to rake dry leaves or clear other debris, additional charges may cover this work.
• Obstacles: If there are many trees or boulders in your lawn, this may cause a higher price. The same goes for fences or a sprinkler system, as lawn care technicians will have to navigate around sprinkler heads and other landscaping features.
• Packages and plans: The cost of aeration might decrease if you opt for a lawn care plan. You might sign up for a plan that includes fertilizing, overseeding, and weed control. The exact amount you might save taking this approach will vary according to the company and its promotions and packages.

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Combine Aeration With Overseeding

Overseeding is a terrific way to address patches or other weak spots in your yard. The increased root growth of fall combined with aeration helps you get the most out of an overseeding treatment. Aerating the lawn creates a fertile bed where a new seed has the best chance of taking root. The combination of air, nutrients, space, and water allows a new seed to flourish and will help fill in a patch of grass. If you are already investing in seed and fertilizer, it makes sense to take the step of aeration to ensure the most accelerated and healthiest growth.

Can You Aerate In July

Aerating in the summer is fine, as long as the ground is soft enough to pull plugs. There really isnt a good reason not to, but then again there isnt a good reason not to wait till fall. Its just more advantagous to do it when youll be fertilizing and overseeding.

You may ask, Can I aerate lawn in June?

So yes, you can aerate the lawn in the summer just keep reading. Warm weather grasses include Zoysia, Carpetgrass, Bermuda, Buffalo, Centipede Grass, Bahiagrass, and St. Augustine. You should aerate warm weather grass when the weather gets warm through the late spring and early summer.

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Why Is Clay Soil Bad For Your Lawn

Clay soil is not suitable for growing a healthy lawn because the soil particles are heavy and compact easily. The soil holds too much water and can make the ground soggy or waterlogged especially if excess watering is done.

Here are the reasons why clay soil is not good for your lawn:

• Compaction: clay soils have poor drainage and can lead to waterlogging. The grass will turn yellow and start to die if there arent breathing spaces in the soil.
• Shallow roots: grass roots suffocate in heavy clay soil and may develop poorly.
• Soggy yard after watering: You might find yourself with a yard thats always muddy because clay soil does not drain easily if not amended.

You can successfully establish a lawn on heavy soil but you will first need to break up the clay soil to improve drainage and aeration.

Ive discussed below the best fixes and ways to improve clay soil and establish a lawn with healthy grass.