Areation
The goal of aerating a lawn is to get more oxygen, water, and nutrients into the root zone.
Improving the aeration within the soil is especially beneficial to lawns that are growing in clay or compacted soils.
Many Nebraska soils have high clay and silt content making them prone to compaction. Foot traffic from both human and pets, equipment and vehicles are all common causes of soil compaction. Look for the following as signs of potential soil compaction in your landscape.
* Areas where water puddles after rain
* Tracks or pathways where grass growth is sparse
* Hard packed soil at garden gates, edges of driveways or sidewalks
* Areas along the inside of a fence where dogs frequently run
Soil compaction reduces a lawn’s quality, growth and vigor by decreasing the amount of oxygen in the soil, slowing and reducing water infiltration, and decreasing grass root growth. Plan to aerate compacted areas at least once per year, but if the compaction is severe aeration twice per year is even better.
CORE AERATION
Core aeration is the type of procedure that most clients are familiar with. Like its name suggests, core aeration involves an aeration machine that pulls 2-3” plugs from the ground every few inches. The plugs are spread across the surface, leaving tiny divots all over the lawn. This breaks up the compacted soil and promotes root growth with better access to rain and sunlight.
LIQUID AERATION
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Liquid aeration creates fractures within the soil and encourages greater rooting.
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With liquid aerate the soil structure is split at a much smaller scale, allowing for deep penetration of water; roots will, in turn, follow, making nutrients available that were previously unreachable by the plant.
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Liquid aeration can be done anytime during the growing season.
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Liquid aeration covers the entire lawn.
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There is no need to mark sprinkler heads, invisible fences or cable lines.
Liquid aeration provides 100% coverage, something that core aeration simply cannot do. Furthermore, liquid aeration saves customers both time and money- as the procedure can be done more quickly and efficiently. Ultimately, the benefits of liquid aeration last much longer than that of core aeration and they are accumulative, so they build over time. Liquid aeration can also be applied at any time throughout the year, as it won’t harm tender young grass like a core aeration would.
As professionals, we are highly recommending our clients to choose liquid aeration over core aeration. We are finding remarkable success in our lawns that have made the switch.
