CORE AERATION

Core aeration is a cultural practice that should be done at least once each season to promote a good healthy lawn.

Heavily compacted soils and lawns with excessive thatch buildup may require additional more frequent aerations. The best time to have your lawn aerated is during Spring or Fall when the lawn is actively growing. Core aeration is the process of mechanically removing small cores of thatch and soil from the lawn using an aeration machine. The machine is designed to penetrate the soil and remove small cores about 2-3” in depth. This process leaves cores on the surface of the lawn and as these cores dry, they slowly work their way back into the lawn and provide critical nutrients and microorganisms to the soil.

The benefits of core aeration include:

• Reduces soil compaction

• Promotes deep, healthy grass roots 

• Removes excessive thatch layers (additional benefit of helping to control chinch bugs)

• Reduces weed infestations  

• Reduces insect and disease incidence

• Improves soil water uptake 

• Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance

• Improves fertilizer uptake

• Reduces water runoff and puddling 

• Stimulates new grass growth