A Crash Course On Lawn Aeration

With the days rapidly heating up, your garden and turf is roaring back to life. While now is the time to tackle lawn aeration, where exactly do you start?

Unfortunately for many gardeners, keeping your lawn in tip top shape goes far beyond simply mowing it. In order to avoid the dreaded bare patches in your turf come summer, lawn aeration is an important process that shouldn’t be ignored. When actioned well, the process allows the turf to be porous enough for oxygen, water and all the essential nutrients to penetrate down to the root zone, which in turn helps to promote healthy and strong grass growth. 

Regular lawn aeration provides your grass with a wealth of benefits, with just a handful these including the following: 

• Relieves surface compaction and encourages growth of new roots
• Increases the depth of roots
• Improves uptake of nutrients
• Reduces the buildup of thatch below the surface
• Stimulates the soil borne microbes which are important in maintaining healthy soil
• Improves the permeability of the soil
• Improves drainage, reducing the risk of fungal diseases like red thread
• Improves the exchange of air between the soil and the atmosphere

However, many gardeners tend to ignore lawn aeration because they simply don’t know how to do it. Thankfully, the good news is that the process is easier than many people think, with a variety of different medleys available depending on your own personal preference. 

How To Tackle Lawn Aeration At Home 

Major foot traffic on your lawn leads to the soil underneath becoming too firm or compact. While soil varieties all compact slightly differently, as your lawn grows a layer of thatch, dead materials build up between the root structure and the leaf of your lawn. In turn, heavy lawn thatch will prevent nutrients from getting to the roots of your yard, which of course is where the lawn needs the good stuff the most. Like all plants, not enough access to air and water is harmful to your lawn’s overall health and prospective growth. 

For residential lawn aeration, there’s plenty of tools for the job on offer from your local hardware or garden centre. As a general rule, the most popular lawn aeration methods usually include one of the following: 

Garden Fork – For gardeners who don’t want to spend the funds, lawn aeration can be undertaken using a tool that’s most likely already in your possession. Using a garden fork, plunge the spikes at least ten centimetres into the soil. Wiggle the fork to open up these holes in the soil to let nutrients through, and you’re well on your way to having a healthy lawn. 

Aerator Shoes – Although they resemble a prehistoric football boot, aerator shoes and sandals essentially function in the same fashion as a garden foot for lawn aeration, but without the need to bend or strain your back. Simply wear them over your normal shoes, and cut a few laps on foot around your lawn to make the right type of holes. 

Motorised Aerators –  Motorised mechanical aerators can be self-powered, and you walk behind them much like you would a home lawn mower. There are two variations in the mechanism used for mechanical aerators: drum and cam, or piston units. The main difference is how their tines are driven as well as hole spacing and of course, their efficiency. For lawn lovers, this method is the most successful and should be carried out every year to keep your lawn looking lush. 

Keeping The Weeds At Bay After Lawn Aeration  

It’s important not to undo all of your hard work that’s been put into getting your lawn fluffy and green. While it can be hard to know which chemical-based weed killers may also impact your pets or even your family, the good news is that there is a safer alternative now on the market. 

While hand plucking weeds is the cheapest method used to prevent a weed infestation – it’s certainly not the most convenient. In comparison, a natural weed killer like Bioweed is a safe way to keep them under control. As a non-residual solution, it will break down into the soil in as little as 72 hours and can combat over 200 invasive weed species. The best part? It’s not just exclusive to lawns, and can be used to defend your garden or even pastures against a large variety of foreign invaders.

After all, what’s the point of a well-manicured lawn if you can’t stop and feel the grass between your toes from time to time? Now that you have all of the insights required in order to keep the local turf weeds under control, there’s no reason why you can’t.

With a team of highly experienced plant and gardening enthusiasts, the team at Bioweed are armed with a wealth of knowledge, tips and tricks that can help you to get your lawn and garden looking their very best. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you’re looking for further organic gardening solutions.