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Does Liquid Lawn Aeration Work

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Liquid Aeration Tips For Lcos From Heritage Lawns

Does Liquid Aeration Really Work?

Mixing: Because it is an organic product, you want to keep the mixing to smaller batches. Mix it individually with each truck as it comes through.

Being an organic product, if you leave it sit in the tank over a Labor Day weekend, for example, its going to get a little whiffy on you after 3 days. So, youll want to make sure that youre using it each night as you go.

Mixing it in small batches it is not difficult at all. A couple hundred gallons at a time and it works very well.

Application: As far as application, its just a typical hose-end sprayer, 2-4 gallons a minute or 2-4 gallons per 1000 sq ft works nicely.

Wes sums things up by saying, Were seeing some real solid results and know you will too.

When To Aerate The Lawn

You can aerate your lawn anytime the ground is not frozen with both core aeration and liquid aeration. It is recommended to not perform an aeration when the weather is going to be extremely hot and so it is best to avoid aerating in the summer. If you do you need to be conscious of drying out the soil rapidly especially with core aeration or spike aeration. Most professionals will recommend aerating your lawn during the cooler fall months or early spring for aeration when the ground is reliably moist.

Does Aeration Kill Weeds On A Lawn

This is a common question and the answer can be a little deceiving. You see, lawn aeration itself does not kill weeds but it does encourage deeper root growth of grass. By creating an environment where the grass can thrive, it allows it to grow thicker and more effectively choke out weeds.

So its a little shady to say that aerating your lawn will kill weeds. But you can certainly grow a thicker, healthier grass turf which will discourage weeds from proliferating throughout your yard.

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How Often Should I Apply This

From my personal experience, it worked best for me if I do it weekly for at least 3 weeks on my lawn and I can see my lawn is getting greener and thicker. If you have some stubborn spots, you need to heavily water the areas after you apply liquid aerators because the purpose of applying liquid aerators is to help the water to better penetrate into the soil.

Tips And Tricks For The Best Results

Does Liquid Lawn Aeration Work
  • Avoid watering your lawn 24 hours prior to and after application to ensure proper uptake of solution.
  • Use whenever temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit to energize your soil and restore nutrients.
  • Get a soil sample as soon as possible
  • Be patient give your lawn a chance to make use of the new nutrients, and re-apply the Liquid Lawn Aerator as necessary. With a strict treatment plan and time if you are giving your soil what it needs in time you will see the results you are wanting.
  • Store the container in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight.
  • Use a different sprayer for weed killer than you do your other products. It is nearly impossible to get ALL of the weed killer out of a plastic container. This residue negatively affects your plants and grass ( If you can not use a different container find out how to best clean here: Cleaning Weed Killer out of My Sprayer
  • Always water the product just enough to soak it into the ground, but not so much to create runoff. Since this 100% organic over application will not harm plants or grass. Applying more Liquid Lawn Aerator will increase nutrients available to the soil. If the soil does not need them it simple will not absorb them.

    You can combine with other herbicides, fungicides or fertilizer treatments.

    If you love Covington Naturals® Liquid Aerator, we’d deeply appreciate it if you let your friends know your secret weapon and let us know here : Contact Us

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    Liquid Aeration Is A Convenient And Effective Alternative To Traditional Core Aeration

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    One important way to develop green, healthy grass is to regularly aerate your lawn.

    Traditional aeration involves loosening the soil to allow water, nutrients, air and fertilizer to penetrate deeper. That reduces soil compaction, improves air-to-soil interaction and breaks down excessive thatch. Traditional aeration uses a machine to pull up small plugs of soil from your lawn.

    In recent years, a new lawn aeration method called liquid aeration began gaining traction.

    Professional Recommendation: Liquid Aeration Vs Core Aeration

    I always recommend homeowners take the time to incorporate into their annual lawn and garden maintenance schedule an application of a Liquid Aeration product. While their a slight learning curve in how much to apply to a given area and each product is slightly different so you will need to read the individual instructions on the bottle and follow them to get the desired results overall the results are amazing, the process is not a lot of physical work, and you avoid having lots of little core plugs strewn across the lawn.

    This does not mean there isnt a proper place for core aeration or spike aeration, just if I am going to pick one winner it is liquid aeration.

    Whenever working on a lawn that has not been aerated for two or more years, I would recommend deploying both solutions. Use a core aerating machine to prep the soil and create all the deep core channels followed by a liquid aeration treatment to penetrate and work down deep in the soil and cover the entire yard not just the immediate areas next to each plug core.

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    Is Lawn Aeration Worth It

    Lawn aeration is beneficial to almost any soil but it offers the most benefit for soils that are heavily compacted. Clay soil, for example, has very small pores and does not allow air exchange.

    It also restricts the growth of roots and encourages microbacterial activity that is present in healthy soils .

    If grassroots cannot grow deep, the turf will be less hearty. This can result in grass that is highly susceptible to drought.

    If you have Centipede or St. Augustine grass, we have more info on drought tolerance here:

    The point is this: lawn aeration is intended to break up the compaction of soil, allowing for deeper root growth, healthier grass, and better water absorption.

    Remember, healthy soil means a healthy, thriving lawn.

    When my wife and I built our house, I was faced with growing grass on some of the most challenging red clay soil that youve ever seen.

    I had a local dirt company prep the ground with what we call topsoil around here but its not a nutrient-rich material. Its just dirt and thats better than seeding straight into the clay.

    I sodded close to the house but with over two acres there was no way I was going to be able to do the whole yard. And so, I seeded. Thats my shop in the background and the yard in front of it was one of the areas that I seeded.

    And so, I seeded, watered, fertilized, and did everything I was supposed to. But because Im always testing I chose to divide this particular area for a comparison between aerating and not.

    Buy Some From The Store

    Does Liquid Aeration Work for your LAWN?

    You can also buy plant fertilizer from your lawn and garden store. Whether you choose organic or chemical fertilizer, they both work the same. Just look for the first number to be the highest in the NPK ratio because N stands for nitrogen.

    However, adding too much nitrogen is not good for your soil either. So, it is best not to use all of these ideas at once. Just try one and see how well it works. If it does not do the trick, try another one next year. No matter what you decide to use, just do not use too much.

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    All About Liquid Aeration

    Liquid Aeration And How it Compares to Core Aeration

    Liquid aeration is a type of soil treatment that has been developing for years, but has only started to pick up mainstream momentum more recently. To understand the growing popularity of liquid aeration, the different types of products being used, and how it compares with the traditional mechanical aeration options, we must understand what aeration is, what its purpose is for building a healthy lawn, and how the best types of liquid aeration products actually work.

    As a broad term, aeration is the process of air circulating through a medium. When this medium is soil, aeration refers more specifically the presence of air gaps within the soil system. These air gaps are the defining factor in determining the porosity of the soil, which is how much pore space for air and liquids there is between the solid particles that make up the soil structure. Porosity is inversely related to the soils bulk density, which is the ratio between the mass of the soil and its volume. For our purposes, bulk density is a measure of compaction, and porosity is a measure of aeration.

    What Is Liquid Soil Conditioner

    The majority of liquid soil conditioners on the market use Ammonium Laureth Sulfate as their active ingredient. Youll find this same ingredient in most shampoos. This is where the controversy over liquid soil conditioners usually occurs. Seen by many as nothing more than expensive shampoo, this is a product line that is often dismissed as nothing more than a marketing gimmick. If Im being completely honest, I started out on that side of the fence.

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    The truth is, there is a tangible benefit in using liquid soil conditioners. The University of Colorado at Boulder found that Ammonium Laureth Sulfate serves as a viable surfactant when used on clay soil for the purpose of preventing water absorption resistance .

    What you dont want to do is simply spray liquid soil conditioner on your lawn and call it good. There may be some benefit to this, but where this stuff really shines is when it is used to soften the soil so that additional, more aggressive measures of soil improvement can be implemented. We are talking about core aeration for example and a personal favorite of mine, deep soil integration.

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    Cons Of Liquid Aeration

    • Doesnt work as fast as core aeration. It takes longer to see the beneficial effects of aeration when you go the liquid aeration route.

    • Can be more expensive over the long run. Rather than make a one-time investment in an aerator, you will need to keep buying liquid aeration solution.

    • Not as effective for compacted soil. Chris Lemcke, national technical director at Weed Man, an international network of locally owned and operated lawn care businesses, says he first started testing liquid aeration products about a decade ago. While they can help make lawns healthier, he cautions against using them to loosen heavily compacted soil. Liquid aeration products will have almost no effect on compaction, especially in the short term, he says. If compacted soil is your main concern, opt for traditional aeration.
    • Not the best option for newly-seeded lawns.Those are better served by core aeration since the holes provide a better foothold for new grass growth. Seeds need soil contact in order to germinate, says Lemcke. When you aerate, you pull the plugs that break down and cover the seed and allows for greater germination. Seeds also fall into the aerator holes and will germinate in the holes as well. This will not happen when using a liquid aeration product.

    When Should You Aerate

    Does Liquid Lawn Aeration Work?

    The most crucial time for aeration is spring, especially if your lawn has just endured a harsh winter. By using a liquid lawn aerator, you can breathe new life into a lawn suffering from compacted soil and a suffocating layer of thatch.However, we firmly believe that it’s vital to repeat the process in the summer and the fall. Many homeowners aerate their lawns just once a year and suffer the consequences. By aerating several times per year, you can enjoy much healthier growth and better prepare your grass for the winter months when you’re not mowing or fertilizing. It also leaves you with less of a battle on your hands come the following spring.

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    Diy Pros And Cons Of Liquid Aeration Vs Core Aeration

    You can accomplish any of these methods of aeration on your own lawn with the right equipment and knowledge. Keep in mind, however, that if you are new to aerating or lawn care, you will likely need a few tries to get it right. Thats extra money and your precious time, so please consider all aspects of what youre taking on before you start!

    You can purchase hand held aeratorscore or spikefor less than $50. Manual coring machines cost a little more for a half-day rental.

    Self-propelled coring machines are also available at a higher cost.

    If you want to use liquid aeration, there are a few such products on the market. The same main ingredients are found in any good liquid aeration product.

    First, some sort of wetting agent is needed to get the materials deep into the soil. A wetting agent can be made from natural materials like the yucca plant, or from a more synthetic soap-like material. Either is probably fine. Secondly, the product should contain food for microbial life, typically humates and sometimes kelp. Finally, a good liquid aeration product should contain enzymes or bacteria that are specifically designed to break down thatch. Sometimes the thatch decomposition product is in a separate package and requires its own application.

    How Do You Know Your Lawn Needs Aeration

    Aeration is one of the most frequently performed services in the lawn care industry. We like to do it in spring, so your lawn is prepped for the high heat of summer and the fall, so the thatch isnt left to sit on your lawn over winter. If you notice any of the following signs, you should consider asking your lawn care services team member about adding liquid aeration to your spring lawn care program.

    Water puddling or pooling Thatch is simply the breakdown of organic matter, usually lawn clippings or dead leaves. Having some thatch is not the end of the world, but when the layer is very thick, it can cause water to puddle. Standing water is not only a recipe for lawn disease its also the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. So, you can actually kill two birds with one stone by aerating your lawn!

    Uneven terrain As the thatch builds up, it will create bumps, dips, and uneven areas in what was once a flat lawn.

    Foot traffic This goes for both people and dogs. If theres a particular region of your lawn that sees a lot of foot traffic, its recommended to aerate at least once a year. For instance: if people walk directly across your lawn to reach the front door. Or maybe your dog runs along the fence line. Or your children play in the backyard frequently. All of these scenarios create conditions that speed up the thatch accumulation.

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    What Is Liquid Aeration And How Long Does It Take To Produce Results

    Soil is the base of our landscape areas around the yard. If you do not have good healthy soil, you will never have healthy grass, plants, or vegetables. Good soil is full of organic matter and pore spaces that contain air and water for the roots that build great healthy plants above the ground as well

    Pros Of Liquid Aeration

    Does Liquid Aeration Really Work?
    • No need to buy or rent equipment. An aerator that pulls plugs of soil out of your lawn, the easiest and most effective option, starts at around $200. A machine that simply pokes holes in your lawn starts at $100. You can also buy aerator attachments for your riding lawn mower for $80+. Of course, each of these takes up precious space in your garage or shed.

      You can also go the manual route. Aeration shoes with spikes go for $20+, push aerators for $50+ and a pronged aeration tool you drive into the ground for $30+. You can also rent an aerator. Just know it can be inconvenient because of its size and weight. Plus, HomeAdvisor reports that it costs an average of $64 to rent an aerator machine for four hours.

      Liquid aeration requires none of the above. Thats a plus.

    • Less physically taxing. Core aerators tend to be big and heavy while liquid aeration can be done with just the solution and a hose-end sprayer.

    • No unsightly plugs left in your lawn. Liquid aeration maintains the aesthetics of your lawn.

    • Wont damage anything underground. Aeration machines can hit sprinkler systems, invisible pet fencing and cable lines. The liquid aeration solution wont harm anything underground.

    • Can help condition your soil. Some liquid aeration solutions contain beneficial iron, amino acids and more that benefit your lawn.

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    Will Adding Bacteria Help Reduce Thatch

    We know that bacteria decomposes thatch, so adding more would seem to make sense. But there is a flaw in this logic.

    The amount of bacteria added by any product is extremely small compared to the natural population already there. The bacteria you add will not decompose even a few roots. For this to work, the added bacteria need to multiply to create huge populations of active bacteria.

    The great thing about bacteria is that they can do this if conditions are right. In a lab, some bacteria divide ever 20 minutes, producing millions in a day. For this to happen they need suitable environmental conditions and lots of food.

    If those things existed in the lawn, the native bacteria would have already grown in numbers and taken care of the problem. That did not happen because conditions were not right for it to happen. Adding a few more bacteria will not change that.

    You might think that the bacteria you buy are special, but they arent. The bacteria that decompose thatch are already in the soil and on the grass.

    Simply adding bacteria will not get rid of thatch.

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