Lawn Aeration explained
Lawn Aeration is the process of making small holes in the soil of your lawn. Lawn Doctor does this by removing soil cores, about 5/8 inch in diameter and 1-4 inches long, with a stand-on or walk-behind core aeration machine. The cores will naturally break down into your lawn by irrigation, rainfall, or lawn mowing. These holes in your lawn help improve essential nutrients, water, and oxygen to reach the root zone quicker, resulting in new growth and increased root development. Lawn aeration service is highly recommended complementing our Lawn Fertilization & Weed Control Program.
Benefits of Lawn Aeration
New lawns on newly constructed neighborhoods in Katy, Richmond, Sugar Land and Missouri City typically have compacted soil due to heavy machinery movement. The older areas in Memorial, Energy Corridor, Heights and Garden Oaks also benefit from aeration tremendously as the ground becomes packed with traffic and thatch build-up over time. Key benefits include:
- Improves grass health – Lawn aeration provides the root zone with more access to fertilizer, water and air, resulting in newer and deeper turfgrass roots.
- Relieves soil compaction – most Houston soil is made of dark gumbo clay prone to easy compaction by foot traffic and weather patterns. On top of that, clay soil will bake in the hot summer sun, causing water puddling, run-off and drainage problems when it rains. Reduced compaction improves the water movement in the ground and enhances the lawn’s tolerance to drought and disease stress.
- Break-up thatch build-up – Over time, especially when you do not mulch the grass mow clippings, the layer of dead grass accumulates on your lawn, builds up to a thick layer minimizing the access of nutrients and water to the grass root. Core aeration can help decompose the thatch by giving more access to the microorganisms from the soil.
We recommend aeration annually during actively growing and less weather stress to the lawn as a general guideline. For us, the best time in the Houston area will be spring and early summer. If this period has passed, for any reason, we can also do aeration during early fall (Sept to Oct) when the summer temperature has dropped or just before rye-grass overseeding.
Maximize the benefits of aeration
The plug holes give an excellent window to introduce boosting organic and root-enhancing nutrients such as phosphorous and potassium to the grass’s root effectively and efficiently. We recommend an optional Lawn Booster Treatment in conjunction with our aeration to maximize the effect of the lawn
Preparation for Aeration
