How Does Aerating Help a Lawn?

Just like any plant, a lawn’s roots need air, water, and nutrients in order to grow thick and strong. Even a slight compaction of the soil will hamper the flow of these necessities and stunt a lawn’s growth and overall health. When deprived of the necessities, lawns get weaker – a problem exacerbated by stressful situations like heat and heavy rain. Over time, the grass will lose its healthy, rich color and begin to thin out, eventually dying due to lack of oxygen, water, and nutrients.

A great way to combat this problem is with core aeration near Sioux City, delivered by our local lawn care team. The aeration process creates holes that penetrate into the soil and past any compaction, thereby restoring a clear pathway by which water and nutrients can reach grass roots. Depending on the condition of your lawn, it may take just one aeration session to restore the natural delivery of nutrients and put your lawn on the mend.

Why Aerate In Spring?

Aeration works best when it coincides with a lawn’s peak time for growth, which is in spring. The process should occur when the lawn’s soil is still moist from rainfall or irrigation the day before. After a professional aeration, lawn grass recovers quickly and grows rapidly, making dead spots disappear.

The next step concerns what to put on the lawn after aerating. First though, you’ll want to wait until the soil plugs removed during the aeration process are dry, since this allows the plugs to dissipate and contribute valuable soil and organic matter to the lawn’s surface. Once this has occurred, you can commence with overseeding your lawn. With the aeration process complete, the seeds and their accompanying nutrients can easily reach deep into the soil all the way to the grass’s roots, where they’ll begin the revitalization phase. And just as aeration helps the seeds to effortlessly enter the soil, so too does it create fresh pathways through which new grass can grow and easily reach the surface.

After overseeding the lawn, we recommend giving the grass a thorough raking so that the seed is well embedded in the soil. Afterwards, a layer of lawn starter fertilizer can be applied, the exact type of which depends on the condition of your lawn, the amount of light it gets, and the type of grass it’s comprised of. Lastly, put a ¼-inch layer of mulch over the seed – this helps conserve moisture and prevents erosion. Keep the lawn consistently watered and moist, and you’ll be thrilled with the results.

Revive Your Lawn Today

For many Sioux City homes and businesses, the aeration and overseeding services provided by Jay-Lan Lawn Care are an annual springtime ritual. Contact us today and count on our lawn experts to execute an aeration program that’s timed well and done properly.