Lawn aeration is a highly beneficial lawn care service that involves using an aerator machine to pull up plugs of soil from a lawn to alleviate soil compaction and create passageways for nutrients, water, air, and sunlight to reach the roots of your grass. This service should be performed in the fall because cool-season lawns in Iowa thrive during this season's cooler weather, allowing the grass to tolerate the process and heal from it before winter. To ensure your grass is in its best shape, make sure you have your lawn aerated at least once a year to keep the soil loose enough for nutrients to pass through!

What is lawn aeration, and how does it benefit your lawn?

Lawn aeration is the process of removing cores or plugs of soil from the ground using a core aerator machine to break up densely packed, compacted soil. If your lawn is compacted, it can prevent nutrients and other resources from reaching the roots of your grass, which can lead to your grass becoming weak and vulnerable to stressors.

The process of aeration results in hundreds of tiny holes in your lawn where nutrients, water, air, and sunlight can pass through to reach the roots of your grass. Because of this, your grass will have better access to the essential resources that are crucial to maintaining its health. This encourages a stronger and more durable lawn that can better withstand foot traffic and stressors like diseases, pests, and weeds.

Aeration helps to fortify your lawn's root system and improve its fertilizer uptake!

Why is fall the perfect time to have your lawn aerated?

Fall is the perfect time to aerate your lawn because it is when your grass is at its strongest. Cool-season lawns thrive when the weather begins to cool, which provides a conducive environment for active growth! Lawn aeration can be invasive and stressful for your lawn, so you want to perform it in the fall when your turf is strong enough to tolerate the process. Aerating in the fall also boosts your lawn's health to recover from any summer-related stress and get in optimum shape before the winter arrives. When you aerate your grass when it is not in its best condition, you risk causing more harm to your lawn's health than good.

How often should you aerate your lawn?

Lawn aeration should be done at least once per year. The soil on your lawn can become compacted over the course of the year from things like foot traffic, rain, the weight of a lawn mower running over your lawn, and more. You'll want to schedule an aeration service at least once every year to prevent your soil from becoming compacted so that your lawn can absorb the nutrients it needs to stay in tip-top health during the growing season. The type of soil you have on your lawn can also dictate whether it becomes compacted easily. Clay soils are more prone to soil compaction, so make sure you're regularly aerating your turf if you have this type of soil!

Call us today to schedule our lawn aeration service!

Here at ETCH Outdoor Living, we offer a lawn aeration service to commercial and residential properties, as well as HOAs, in Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, IA, and nearby areas. When you schedule this service, we will run our aerator machine across your lawn to pull up plugs of soil to alleviate any compaction. We offer this in the fall, but you can also schedule it for a second time in the spring if you want to give your lawn a boost for the new growing season! Call us today at (515) 654-5447 to schedule our lawn aeration service.