Every homeowner understands the importance of watering and fertilizing turf, but not as many understand the importance of lawn aeration in Bellefonte, PA. At Lawn Doctor of State College-Bellefonte, we often see lawns where turf is thriving in some areas but struggling in others. In many cases, the culprit is poorly aerated soil.
Not sure why aeration is such a big deal for your lawn? Wondering whether your soil needs an aeration treatment? Below, we’ll take a look at the basics behind lawn aeration and how you can tell when your soil needs to be aerated.
The Importance of Lawn Aeration
The most important thing to understand about soil aeration is how your turf absorbs air and water. All three of these components get soaked up by turf’s roots from the surrounding soil. But if your soil is packed too tight, air and water won’t be able to get through. As a result, your turf won’t get what it needs to survive and thrive.
When soil is properly aerated, there are all kinds of ways for air and water to reach turf’s roots. If you looked closely at a cross-section of well-aerated soil, you’d see tiny gaps and channels running through the soil. These gaps and channels are what allow air and water to filter through the soil and nourish your turf so it’s green and lush.
Problems start to occur when these gaps and channels get closed off. This is usually due to foot traffic or a heavy weight on top of the soil, which causes the soil to become tightly packed. The more compacted soil becomes, the fewer pathways air and water will have to reach turf. Soon enough, the soil starts to effectively choke the roots, causing the turf to wither and die.
Soil compaction usually occurs in specific areas, rather than affecting your entire yard. Because of this, most lawns suffering from aeration problems have uneven growth. If your lawn has sections of struggling turf with healthy growth in other areas, there’s a strong chance your soil needs aeration.
Another great way to check is something called the screwdriver test. Find an area where turf is doing poorly and try to stick a flathead screwdriver into the soil. If it takes effort to insert the screwdriver, it’s time to call in the experts.
Core Aeration in Bellefonte
As a locally owned and operated lawn care company, we take pride in making lawn aeration easy for families in the community. If you’re worried about soil aeration, simply give us a call. We’ll be able to tell whether your lawn needs aeration, which we can provide using Turf Tamer® core aeration technology.
Our core aeration services are available in:
- Bellefonte
- State College
- Boalsburg
- Centre Hall
- Centre County
- Lemont
- The surrounding areas
For lawn aeration in Bellefonte, contact Lawn Doctor of State College-Bellefonte today!
