Local Lawn Care: Mechanical Core Aeration

What is Core Aeration?

Mechanical core aeration is the removal of small cores of soil and thatch from your lawn. 

Why Do I Need To Aerate My Lawn? 

There are numerous benefits to doing core aeration on your lawn at least once or twice a year depending on the condition of your lawn. These benefits include: 

• Aeration will overcome a compacted soil. Compacted soils make it difficult for roots to grow as well as limiting the movement of air, moisture and fertilizer through the soil.
• Aeration will improve your water requirements. By relieving soil compaction, water penetration is increased and water run off is reduced.
• If your lawn has a thick layer of thatch, which is undecomposed living and dead plant parts which restricts root development and provides a good harbor for diseases and insects, core aeration will help by punching through that layer. This will improve air, water and nutrient penetration.
• Aeration will enhance the development of a deep root system. A deeply rooted lawn will be much healthier and better able to withstand drought, disease and insect stress.

How Des Mechanical Core Aeration Work?

Specially designed aeration equipment consists of a series of hollow coring tines. When these tines are rolled over the lawn, they puncture the soil, removing small soil plugs. The equipment is compact and can easily be used in confined areas.

The cores of soil and thatch are pulled up by the machine and left on the lawn, as they contain beneficial micro-organisms that will help break down the remaining thatch.
The cores will disappear back into the lawn in 7-14 days or with the first mowing. Raking the cores to break them up will speed up their disappearance from the lawn surface.

When and How Often Should Core Aeration be done?  

Core aeration may be done 1 or 2 times a season. The frequency of aeration depends greatly on the condition of the lawn. Lawns with very heavy thatch layers or with heavily compacted soil such as clay may want to consider 2 aerations per year. Aerations are usually done in the spring and the fall when the soil is moist.  

If you have a newly sodded lawn, aeration is still an important step in the health of your lawn. When sod is added to your lawn, there is also a layer of soil that is added. This soil does not always match up with the soil that is present on your property. Layering problems can occur two to three years after sodding, however, when the lawn is aerated, the layering problems can be minimized as the two are combined with each aeration.  

Customers who have damaged areas from drought, disease or insect damage would also benefit greatly from core aeration. Over seeding immediately following core aeration would increase seed germination by allowing the seeds to drop down into the holes left. Some Weed Man dealers do offer over seeding at an additional cost to the core aeration. Call you local Weed Man professional for details.