subject: Lawn Aeration – Organic Lawn Care Technique [print this page] Lawn Aeration Organic Lawn Care Technique
Aeration is a popular technique that primarily deals with infusing more oxygen into a medium. For instance, water aeration is a process that increases the oxygen level of a particular water body.
In simple words, lawn aeration means infusing more life into your lawn by letting it absorb more water, oxygen and nutrients from its surrounding. Lawn aeration helps in loosening up the soil making it less dense. It uses various techniques to make tiny holes in the soil. Sometimes it is done by evenly removing small portions of the soil. Manual aerators are available that has small hollow cylinders attached to them. The equipment has to be thrust into the soil with our foot or hand in order to extract soil from the upper surface of the land. This leaves hollow spaces in the land making it aerated. The technique is more suitable for lawns with heavily crusty soil.
Aeration can influence the water content of the soil and also its water retaining capacity. You should know the right amount of aeration required for the grasses and plants growing in your lawn. Too much of water can be harmful for certain grasses and they might start decomposing. In other words, one should be careful while aerating a lawn or garden. Aeration shouldn't be carried out in excess or by means of wrong methods. This can cause more damage.
Aeration is a very useful tool that can bring renewed life to your lawn. You need not appoint lawn care experts to conduct moderate aeration. There are several tools available in the market that can help you aerate your lawn in few simple steps.
Basic level aeration can be carried out using spiked shoes. These shoes bear sharp spikes that dug deep into the soil when walked over it. These spikes are usually an inch long and they are best suited for breaking down moderately compact soil. Aerator shoes and aerator sandals are quite affordable with price ranges starting form as low as $13. However, if your lawn is quite expansive or the soil has become way too compact, you can consider other manual aerator tools like handheld spike aerator or plug aerator. These machines cost between $50 to $250 depending on their complexity and uses.
For aerating large lawns or landscapes, you can hire power aerators. These are commercial tools that need some lawn care skills for their proper handling. Do not use spiked versions. Use coring power aerators as they remove the mud, giving the soil some space to expand. If you are using heavy power aerators for the first time then be careful while manipulating them. If possible appoint someone who has previous experience in lawn aeration.
Immediately after aeration, you should take good care of your lawn. Proper amount of water and nutrients should be added to the soil. If you have sprinkler system in your lawn, care should be taken to avoid excess irrigation.
