Save Water and Money with Lawn Aeration

Lawn problems
Lawn aeration constitutes two things, controlling lawn thatch and reducing soil compaction. Lawn thatch is a layer of dead organic tissue that deprives the lawn from much-needed oxygen. Soil compaction makes it difficult for grass to root and it disturbs true rainwater irrigation, therefore it is meaningful to aerate the lawn. This is especially true for highly trafficked lawns. If people walk or even run over a lawn, the pressure generates compaction in the soil. When aerating very dense soil, it will ease the process when the lawn is watered the night before aeration.

Types of aerator
There are two types of lawn aerators. There is the type that uses spikes to punch holes in the soil and there is the type that pulls out plugs of soil, also known as a core aerator due to the cores of soil removed. The latter is preferred if compaction is a problem, because while the spike punching lawn aerator only provides paths for air to contact the soil, the lawn aerator that pulls out soil also reduces compaction. For hobbyist lawn maintainers, there are also spiked shoes that can be used to aerate a lawn, these are much more affordable than larger lawn aerating machines. But these spikes, like the spike punching aerator, positively increase compaction by compressing the soil as the spike enters. This may be an acceptable result if aeration is the primary goal and compaction is not a problem.

Types of lawngrass
There are thousands of varieties of lawngrass, each adapted to specific conditions of precipitation, temperature, and sun/shade tolerance. Breeders are constantly creating new and improved varieties of the base list of lawngrass species. The two basic categories are cool season grasses and warm season grasses.

Cool season grasses start growth at 5 �C, and grows at their fastest rate when temperatures are between 10-25 �C (Huxley 1992), in climates that have relatively mild/cool summers, with two periods of prompt growth in the spring and autumn. They retain their color well in extreme cold and typically grow very dense, carpetlike lawns with relatively little thatch.

Warm season grasses only start growth at temperatures above 10 �C, and grow fastest when temperatures are between 25 �C and 35 �C, with one long growth period over the spring and summer (Huxley 1992). They frequently go dormant in cooler months, turning shades of tan or brown. Of all sorts warm season grasses are quite drought tolerant, and can handle very high summer temperatures, although temperatures below -15 �C can kill most warm season grasses.

In San Diego- Twice a year often does the Job.
Special aeration twice a year can help to keep the grass looking as green as can be! The plugs that come out of the aeration machine most often dissolve within a then two weeks afterwards and your grass will be properly aerated by then. Aeration improves soil drainage and encourages worms, microfauna and microflora which require oxygen. All of this leads to a healthy and brilliant colored lawn. Call your lawn aeration company today or use us! We specialize in making sure your satisfied with the way your lawn looks and feels! A happy lawn is a satisfied customer!