Unless you live in a year-round steady climate like I do in Miami, as the seasons change, so do the needs of your lawn.
Sure, we all think about mowing the lawn, spraying for pests like fleas and mosquitos, and edging...but have you ever thought about Why Should I Core Aerate Your Lawn?
Do you even know what Core Aeration is? I sure didn't until recently! Ha! With as much as some people spend on laying down new sod and landscaping when they move into a new home, this is something that everyone should know about!
Why Should I Core Aerate my Lawn?
I have been using a lawn service for about 6 years now. Ever since my ex husband moved out, and I quickly realized that mowing the lawn and edging were NOT something I wanted to be spending my Saturdays doing!
If you use a Professional Lawn Care Company, then you may want to ask them about core aerating your lawn the next time they come out to service your lawn.
When you are talking about Core Aerating your lawn, you are essentially talking about using a lawn aerator to remove plugs or cores of soil and thatch from your lawn.
This process reduces how compacted the soil is and allows for more oxygen, water and nutrients to permeate the soil.
Have you ever heard that earth worms are good for the soil in your potted plants?
It is the same concept, really!
Earth worms dig around and aerate the soil as they crawl, which loosens up the soil a bit and allows oxygen and water to flow more easily throughout the soil.
Of course, actually core aerating your lawn works on a much larger scale than a bunch of earthworms...
When core aerating your lawn, you are ideally creating a hole with a diameter of about ½ to ¾ inches. The process of core aeration is more effective than spike aeration, which just punches spikes down into the lawn.
If you are using the spike aeration method, the holes are a lot smaller, so not as much oxygen, water and nutrients are able to penetrate the lawn.
Why Should I Core Aerate my Lawn?
Core Aerating a lawn is extremely beneficial to your lawn! When the soil in your lawn is tightly compacted, it can reduce the pore space around the grass and limit the amount of oxygen that reaches it.
Without a good supply of oxygen, the grass roots can't absorb the water and nutrients like they should, and the roots won't grow as well.
Think of it this way, if you are at all familiar with houseplants:
If the soil is too compact in a potted plant, the roots aren't able to get enough water and air, and the plant begins to die. That's why we repot our plants as they grow - to make room for the roots so that they can properly support the plant.
Of course, there are numerous benefits to core aerating your lawn!
It also helps fertilizers and nutrients get access to the roots as well as preventing run-off.
Water can also better work its way through the soil to reach the roots.
Thatch can more easily be broken up, and compacted soil is loosened which allows the root system to grow!
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