Many Calgary homeowners and property managers fail to establish a lawn that meets their standards. Calgary has a harsh climate, and our frigid winters, combined with hot, dry summers can leave grass looking patchy, brown, and ugly. As you work with a Calgary landscaper and lawn expert to try and revive your lawn, it’s important not to overlook the importance of aeration.

What is Aeration?

Using an aeration machine, Calgary landscapers mechanically remove 1″ x 2″ plugs of soil across your yard. Removing these dirt cores reduces terf compaction and unbinds any built up thatch (the layer of dead and decaying plant matter). The small holes left in your terf, allow air and water to reach further into the earth, contributing to deeper, stronger, healthier grass roots. These holes also ensure that new grass seed comes in contact with soil instead of becoming trapped in the thatch layer.  Over the next few days, the soil plugs will breakdown into loose soil and disappear. Simultaneously, the holes in your terf will fill with unbound soil and growing grass, leaving your lawn looking tidy, with lush, healthier growth.

Should You Aerate?

Compact soil is a major problem for lawns. When you see a yellowed trail of grass showing the path that everyone walks, it’s often not caused by direct damage to the grass from shoes. Instead, it’s a symptom of all those feet compacting the soil so thoroughly that nutrients, air, and water can no longer penetrate the dirt, leaving the grass starved and parched.

You should consider aeration for your property if:

It sees heavy use.

Frequent use from joggers, children, and pets will compact soil quickly.

Your home is relatively new.

It’s likely that construction workers both buried the rich top soil and severely compacted your lawn as they built your house.

Your lawn was established with sod.

This often leads to soil layering, where the new soil in the sod doesn’t integrate into the original soil it’s placed on top of. When soil layering occurs, grass roots stay very short within the sod, instead of reaching into the original terf. Aeration helps these two layers of soil to mix and come together.

Your lawn isn’t thriving.

If your lawn seems to dry out quickly, feeding & seeding doesn’t help as much as you feel it should, or you’re otherwise unsatisfied with your yard, aeration may be the answer. Reducing excessive thatch and compaction, while increasing water, air, nutrition, and seed access to soil is a perfect recipe for happier grass.

Spring is the perfect time to have a Calgary landscaper aerate your property. For the best results, you’ll want to properly soak the soil the night before your scheduled aeration. Talk with your landscaper about also fertilizing and reseeding your lawn to give your yard the best advantage over the weeds and Calgary’s semi-desert climate.

Need help transforming your lawn into the deep, lush green you desire? Our friendly, Calgary landscapers are here to answer your questions and provide the maintenance your yard needs to thrive. Give our team at Five Star Landscaping a call today at 403) 203-4058 today.