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Aerating
By Chris Harrison
Over the course
of time, as your lawn begins to age and rack up those years of wear and
tear from such activities as foot traffic from you and your pets, the
strain from the heavy weight of an occasional parked vehicle, and
those weekend backyard football or volleyball games can all lead to
the same conclusion...soil compaction.
Soil that has
become too compacted can lead to problems where water and air begin to
have trouble finding space to reside within the soil. When soil
begins to have trouble storing air and water, the grass roots begin to
have trouble absorbing much needed nutrients, which can lead to a lawn
that has poor growth and eventually deterioration.
Soil compaction
seems to be most severe in...
- Poorly
drained, wet lawns
- Clay soil in
times of weather stress (such
as a drought)
- Lawns where
an excessive amount of grass clippings are left in the lawn...the
key word here is excessive...
-
Thatch...matted dead organic matter that resided between the soil
surface and the grass
Aerating is the
process where a mechanical device will remove plugs (or small sections
of soil about the size of a finger) from the ground. By removing
these "plugs", soils such as clay are able to expand, water and
nutrients within the soil have places to go, and the overall movement
within the soil is improved. Basically, aerating can help counter the
effects of soil compaction.
Click here to learn more about
aerating
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