|
Maintenance Tips
Aeration — How Does Your Turf Benefit From This Process?
The roots of turf areas need air as well as water and nutrients for growth. As turf areas mature, they can develop compacted, air-deficient soil. Compacted soil restricts water and nutrient absorption. The visual evidence of this problem usually manifests itself in the following way: brown turf areas that are not irrigation related, the need for excessive water and fertilization to keep the turf green, weed and insect infestation... general poor turf performance.
To correct the problems that compacted soil causes, we suggest a corrective process called aeration. Sometimes also referred to as "hole punching" and "coring", the process is the same. Hollow metal tubes 1/4" to 3/4" in diameter are pushed into the soil by a machine to a depth of about 3 to 4 inches. These plugs of grass and soil are pulled back out of the soil and left on the grass area to dissipate. The aeration process opens up many tiny holes in the turf areas for oxygen, water and nutrients to penetrate into the root system. This produces more efficient water usage, less water waste and promotes healthier grass areas. Aeration is also used in areas where rapid water run off is a problem, such as the top of mounded turf areas where the water tends to run off quickly or in areas with heavy clay soil.
 Thank You! We thought we were doomed to live with old juniper shrubs forever. What a dramatic difference your colorful new plantings have made in our landscaping.
|