Most homeowners assume their grass is struggling due to poor watering habits, lawn disease or improper mowing. However, soil compaction is another lawn problem that often gets overlooked and could be the real culprit to your turf concerns. Fortunately, soil compaction is an easy fix with core aeration.
Core aeration involves intentionally piercing your lawn soil with tiny holes to break up the thatch and allow water, air and nutrients to reach the deeper layers of soil and roots. While core aeration is best performed in the early summer for Bermuda and Zoysia grasses, the early Fall is an optimal time frame for Fescue turf. Lawns that are composed of cool season grasses respond best to aeration when there is lesser heat stress and risk of invasion by weedy annuals. You should also allow about 4 weeks of good growing weather so that your lawn can recover.
Identifying Soil Compaction?
How do you know if you have soil compaction and need core aeration? There are a number of things that can compress the top four inches of your soil and create a layer of thatch. Unfortunately, thatch limits water movement, air and nutrients to your grass roots, and the impact on your turf will show quickly.
If your lawn seems to be stressed or is struggling to recover from injury, soil compaction may lie underneath. Different types of soil and dirt get compacted quicker than others. Therefore, it is not uncommon to need core aeration more often than once a year. Core aeration from a landscaping expert can break up the accumulated thatch and revive your Fescue grass.
How Your Fescue Will Benefit from Core Aeration
It may be hard to understand how your lawn is going to benefit from core aeration when you see the countless plugs of soil and holes covering your lawn. However, this one-visit lawn service offer valuable advantages for your turf grass over time, including the following:
- Loosens compacted soil and improves the availability of nutrients and water
- Increases oxygen levels in the soil and encourages thatch decomposing organisms
- Stimulates root growth
- Boosts turf density
- Moderates water runoff
- Improves drought tolerance
Have fescue grass that needs to be aerated this fall? Call Lawn In Order in Decatur. We offer budget-friendly options to rejuvenate your Georgia lawn.
The turf grass type you have planted will determine whether you’ll aerify your lawn in the summer or during fall.
