We’ve all been there. You’re sitting in a car or an airplane for hours waiting to get to your destination. It’s cramped, you’re bumping into your neighbor, and you desperately want to stretch and walk around. Your turf can face a similar struggle when activities like walking and sports compact the soil and make it feel suffocated. Without some extra breathing room, turf can have a hard time receiving necessary water, nutrients, and air.
So how can we help reduce that compaction? With soil aeration of course!
The most common method of soil aeration is using a plug aerator that removes small plugs of soil from the turf. These plugs are then left onto the surface for them to break down and provide more nutrients. Other methods include using spikes to push holes into the surface without removing plugs as well as slicing the surface to open it up.
An annual aeration can bring a multitude of benefits. An immediate effect from creating openings in the soil is allowing air and water to penetrate. When you give your turf a chance to stretch out and breathe you will notice more vigorous and dense growth. With the reduced compaction comes less water runoff and better fertilizer intake. In the long run, soil aeration can also reduce thatch accumulation by combining it with the soil allowing soil organisms to break it down.
At Commercial Landscape Management, we recently completed our annual aeration to ensure you get the healthiest turf! If you’re dreaming of having great looking turf or have questions about how to get there be sure to contact a commercial landscape professional for more information.