Core aeration works wonders in giving you a healthy, vigorous lawn.  As a matter of fact, virtually every golf course in the country uses core aeration on their greens and tees to keep them healthy and looking great.
           
You may be asking: What exactly is core aeration and why is it so beneficial?

Core aeration is a process where I run a machine over your lawn that makes little holes and removes round cores of soil.  The cores are between ½ and 3/4 inches in diameter and 2 to 3 inches long. The machine removes about 20 to 25 cores per square foot.
           
Core aeration relieves soil compaction.  The soils in our area are typically very heavy, easily compacted soil. Lawn mowers riding over your lawn and foot traffic are the two most common causes of soil compaction.

Many times when the quality of a lawn starts to decline, blame is placed on poor watering practices, or improper fertilizer and control products, when the culprit is often compacted soil. The more compacted the soil becomes, the more difficult it is for oxygen, water and nutrients to reach the root zone resulting in an overall decline in the turf.

Benefits of core aeration:

• Increases the oxygen level in the soil. Oxygen is an essential element in plant growth.  Aeration increases the oxygen level in the root zone stimulating beneficial microbial activity which greatly increases root growth and overall health of your lawn.

• Makes it easier for the lawn to use available water and naturally available nutrients.  Aeration also allows the lawn to better use the nutrients (fertilizers) that are applied to it.

• Reduced water requirements. Aeration helps reduce the amount of water your lawn needs in two ways. First, aeration helps prevent water runoff. The less compacted soil allows the water to penetrate the soil more easily, instead of just having the water run off the lawn. Second, the increased root growth allows the turf to better utilize the water in the soil. If you water your lawn, aeration will help reduce your watering requirements.  If you don’t water, aeration will improve your lawn’s drought tolerance.

• Helps reduce the thatch layer in your lawn. Aeration brings thatch eating microorganisms to the surface. This is a natural way to reduce thatch.

I’m a huge, huge advocate on core aeration. Over my many years in lawn care the properties that are aerated on a regular basis always look better than the lawns that don’t.