Take a deep breath, and look around. We all live such fast-paced lives that we don't always take the time to see the incredible things around us. In the Sacramento metro, we are fortunate that we have so many attractions to enjoy. Conveniently located by Mather Air Force base, the Tahoe National Forest, the American River, and the Sacramento River, we have a diverse range of places to go and see.
Are you a basketball fan? Cheering on our Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center is always a perfect way to spend time with family and friends. Maybe you're more of an outdoorsy type? Try swimming in the Sacramento Delta Rec Area, or hiking the Capitol Park Loop Trail or Homestead Blue Ridge Trail. Maybe you're more of a history buff? Visit the old Sacramento Waterfront district for an evening of shopping and dining at upscale eateries. With so many places to visit, you can spend every weekend doing something different and never run out of options.
But there's no place like home. After a long week of working or a fun weekend of entertaining, you still appreciate having a beautiful home to relax in and enjoy. If you have a vision of having a perfect lawn, you should consider aeration and all its benefits.
Aerating: Techniques and Benefits
Why aerate your yard? When you aerate your soil, it helps to do two things. It breaks up your soil and creates more room for your grassroots to expand. Just as it benefits you to take a deep breath of fresh air, it also benefits your grass. Aeration creates air pockets in the dirt, providing more oxygen, water, and nutrients to your grass. When you aerate your yard, it's possible to use less water and less fertilizer and still maintain a richly green lawn.
Lawn Care Tip:
Don't water your lawn the same day you aerate, because you can't drill holes into muddy ground. Be sure to water your soil well, using 1 to 2 inches of water, the day before aerating.
Spike Aeration and Core Aeration
There are two kinds of aerating: spike aeration and core aeration. You may consider buying or renting an aerator to spike aerate your yard in an afternoon. There are different types of spike aerator tools, but they all work the same way. The aerator will bore holes into the soil every few inches to break up the dirt. If it's been a long time since you've aerated your yard, you should take a couple passes over your lawn. Spike Aerating drills narrow holes into the soil about 1 to 2 inches below the ground surface.
Core aerating is the second technique. With core aerating, which is sometimes called plug aerating, you dig small holes and then pull the soil plugs from the ground. Core aeration creates holes that are approximately 2 to 3 inches deep, so if you choose this technique, you can go more time between aeration sessions. In turn, spike aeration may take less time but has to be done more frequently. If you core aerate, feel free to leave the soil plugs in your yard. They decompose quickly and help to nourish your grass.
Healthier Roots Give You a Brighter Lawn
Both types of aeration will yield impressive results. Within a short period, about 2 to 3 weeks, after you've aerated your yard, you will begin to see your grass change. It will grow thicker and have a healthier root system. As a result? You'll see a more vividly green color to your grass, and it will retain its color far into the summer and autumn hotter temperatures.
How to Know if You Should Aerate
Take a careful look around your yard. If you see certain indications that your lawn is in distress, then aerating is an excellent choice for you.
Does your lawn have bald or thin patches? If your lawn looks thin in certain spots, you should aerate, but pay particular attention to the areas where your grass is thinning.
Does your lawn get heavy foot traffic? If you entertain a lot of people in your yard or have children playing on your lawn frequently, it compacts the soil. Aerating will help in this situation.
Does your lawn have puddles of water after rain or irrigation that are consistently in the same spots? If that's the case, your soil is likely to be compacted in those areas. Aerating those areas where water pools will help your lawn look more attractive.
Aerating, Fertilizing and Overseeding Your Yard
After you've aerated your yard, you can promote a higher yield and better results if you fertilize and overseed your lawn immediately. Be sure to use a top-grade fertilizer that's slow-release and nitrogen-based. The slow release will help to prevent fertilizer burn and stop your grass from turning brown. You can aerate and fertilize in spring or fall, and then apply either cool-season or warm-season grass seeds accordingly.
Year-Round Responsibility
To keep your lawn and garden looking their best requires a significant commitment of your time, hard work and energy. Have you ever considered hiring lawn and garden care professionals to help you with the hard work?
High Tech Solutions to Lawn Care Challenges
We understand if you have some questions about outsourcing your yard care tasks to someone else. Lawn Love is unlike any other lawn care company because we provide a new style of customer support, and use the latest technology like satellite image quoting, calendaring software and our own online lawn care management platform. We address all the pain points for you. And you can relax knowing that your Lawn Love pro has undergone a background check and is vastly experienced in lawn care. From hanging Christmas lights to cleaning gutters, and weed control to lawn mowing, we can take of all your lawn care needs. So give us a try, you'll be sure to love your lawn.
