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How Many Times a Year Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

A healthy lawn needs to have regular aeration. This involves putting small holes in the soil. It permits water, air and important nutrients to make their way to the roots of the grass. This will enable the roots to grow deeper and create a stronger lawn. If you’re looking at a lawn landscape project for your home or business, you’ll need to learn more about the types of soil and grass in your yard.

Compacted Soil

Aerating soil in Ann Arbor MI relieves soil compaction. This is when a lawn’s soil has too many particles contained within its space or by volume. When this happens, proper circulation of nutrients, air, and water within the soil will be prevented. It’s also possible that heavy or organic debris and even lawn thatch could be buried beneath the surface of the grass. This will prevent roots of the grass from getting a sufficient amount of essential nutrients.

When To Aerate

There are a number of situations where lawn aeration will need to be done. A lawn that gets heavy use from people will need to be regularly aerated. It could be a popular place for children to play and more. This could lead to compaction. Lawns that are part of a newly constructed home could have compaction problems.

The topsoil may have been removed or buried. The lawn could have become compacted from being used by construction vehicles. A lawn that dries out easily or feels spongy may have a high amount of thatch. If a slice of the lawn reveals that thatch is over half an inch, then aeration needs to be done. If a lawn has soil layering and was created using sod, this can result in problems with drainage. Water stays on one level of the soil. This creates compacted conditions and hinders root development. If a lawn has vehicles regularly parked on it, then aeration needs to take place a minimum of once a year.

Grasses

There are two different types of grasses in Ann Arbor MI. One is cool-season, and the other is warm-season. The active growing season with warm-season grasses is early summer. When a lawn with this type of grass is aerated in late spring, the period of quick growth will easily fill in the holes from aeration. Cool-season grasses become alive in early fall and are actively growing during low temperatures. It is best to aerate this type of a lawn approximately four weeks before the first frost of the season.

Soil

The soil will also influence the number of times lawn aeration is required. A lawn with clay soil will become compacted easily. It will need to be aerated a minimum of once each year. A sandy lawn can be aerated once each year. This type of lawn will also do well when aerated on alternating years.

Lawn Condition

The condition of a lawn will also influence the number of times it will require aeration. When a lawn has not been properly cared for, it may need additional aeration over what is usually required. It might be best for this to happen during the middle of the growing season. This is when it’s better able to take in important nutrients.

If you need lawn aeration services performed then contact Twin Oaks today.

Categories: Landscape Maintenance