Lawn aeration
What is Lawn Aeration?
The care of the soil underneath many lawns is often overlooked. The soil contains a multitude of Flora and Fauna which not only support and sustain the grass but on a global scale, help provide a balancing act of gases and other substances that allow the planet to exist as it does.
Soil is very complex (our soil buying guide is available), there are thousands of fungi and bacteria helping to break down organic and inorganic matter to turn it into molecules that can be taken up by a plants root system to be used as food and of these processes are “aerobic” meaning that they require oxygen. One of the major problems on grass areas can be compaction which is caused by machinery or pedestrian traffic. This compaction is caused by “squashing” soils particles together, which forms an impervious layer preventing both water and air entering the soil.
The ideal structure has lots of vertical and horizontal cracks and pores to allow air and water to pass freely in and out.
When a lawn becomes compacted, it is usually due to people walking on it excessively or objects pushing it down, in wet conditions. The picture below shows grassland soil that has become compacted and the cracks and pores that have been compressed, there is no route for water and air movement and it will be difficult for roots to penetrate.
We can remove this problem by aerating the soil, which provides preparation for sowing seeds or laying turf. There are many benefits of aerating your lawn and also the damage that can be done when using the equipment at the wrong time. If lawn aerators are used when conditions are too wet, compaction will be increased and the soil will be left in a worse state than before.
All types of grass can be aerated or treated at any time of the year, when the conditions are right! Different soils respond differently to different machinery applications. We can help you understand a) how your soil can be improved and b) when the best time is to carry out the work.
We use a variety of aeration equipment to match the different conditions and soil types. The aim is always to lift and crack the soil, without any visual disturbance, which is why the soil conditions have to be good.
