Core
Aeration
| It is estimated
that over 66% of residential lawns are growing on compacted soils.
Many times, there is no evidence of insect or disease activity,
yet the lawn seems to be off-color, thinning, and shows signs of
stress in high temperatures. If this is the case, then chances are
that the lawn hasn't been aerated in the past few years ... if ever. |
|
Compaction is a
physical process where the soil gets more and more compressed so that
there is a reduction of the amount of oxygen contained in the soil and
movement of nutrients to the roots of the grass plant. The roots need
oxygen, and, as they grow they give off carbon dioxide. Eventually the
lawn thins until, ultimately, the soil can no longer support any turf
growth.
Aeration is the
removal of small cores of soil to allow air, moisture and fertilizer
down to the root zone. A core aerifler will pull one to two inch plugs
of soil from the ground. These plugs are deposited on the soil's surface
where they will break down. Soil surrounding the plugged holes and the
soil deposited on top will collapse and fill in the holes. A trained
professional knows that it doesn't work to use aerifying equipment that
simply punches a hole in the soil. While a hole may be created, the
"punched" soil merely compacts the soil surrounding the hole.