Potential Problems for any Lawn
The basic thought behind lawn aeration is that, like humans, your lawn and the soil under it need to breathe. Providing much-needed lawn aeration for your grass entails dealing with existing thatch, or the layers of old dead grass which builds up over time. This build-up of lawn thatch makes it difficult for your lawn to breathe, causing much lower root expansion and strength harming the integrity and strength of your lawn. To control lawn thatch effectively, aeration should be done in the spring or fall months, allowing for the grass’s natural cycles to give it extra strength for the colder winters and warmer summers.
Not surprisingly, grass roots need air as well as water and fertilizer to thrive. As lawns
age and sustain heavy uses from things such as play, sports activities, pets, vehicle traffic
and parking, the soil will slowly compact. Soil compaction forces are the most severe
in poorly drained or wet sites, and can greatly reduce the pore space within the soil that
would normally hold air. Grass roots require oxygen to grow and absorb nutrients and
water and fertilizer to continue healthy growth, but compaction reduces growth area
and the amount of air within the soil. It also has a negative impact on nutrient uptake
and water infiltration, in addition to being a physical barrier to root growth. If fertilizer,water, and air are not available, the grass can actually poison itself as a result of various
biological processes that occur in the individual grass plants if the roots do not have
enough air. The growth habits of grass in compacted soil are shallow root development
leading to weaker plants, a substantial decrease in the number of grass plants per square
foot causing lawns to look patchy or thin, and an inability to properly use applied
fertilizers which limits overall lawn growth and health. Soil that lacks sufficient air can
also result in slow growth in the affected grass, excess irrigation runoff due to poor permeability, shallow root systems, and a lawn that's highly susceptible to insects,
disease, and heat damage. With the processes of aeration penetrating thatch and soil
compaction, the leading cause of air deficiency in lawns, your lawn will show remarkable improvement with biannual aeration.