Is the soil in your lawn hard to the touch? Does the grass feel spongy when you walk on it? Does it dry out easily? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then it’s time to aerate your lawn. A newer method of aerating your Georgia lawn is Liquid Aeration. The application is easier and neater than the traditional core aeration method, and in many cases, it is more effective and longer lasting. Therefore, Georgia homeowners are opting more often for this newer method.
What is Liquid Aeration?
Liquid Aeration is a soil improvement technique that uses a mixture of liquid chemicals and water. It is applied through a sprayer, or an attachment to a garden hose. Studies have shown it can be more effective than Core Aeration, because the liquid penetrates deeper into the soil. Core Aeration pulls about 3-inch plugs of soil from the ground, whereas Liquid Aeration can penetrate up to a foot below the soil surface.
How does Liquid Aeration work?
Liquid aeration products typically contain ingredients like wetting agents, humic acids, and enzymes that help break up compacted soil. These products work by loosening the soil structure, improving water and nutrient penetration, and promoting healthier root growth. The result is a greener, lusher and overall healthier lawn!
What are the benefits of Liquid Aeration?
There are many benefits to the Liquid Aeration method. Listed here are a few of the most important:
- Greater Coverage: Liquid Aeration covers every square inch of your lawn, whereas bulky Core Aeration machines can only go so far along curbs and fence lines. Because the Liquid Aeration is sprayed onto your lawn, Simply Green technicians can spray right along fencing and right to the edge of landscaping.
- Soil Porosity: As it breaks up hard soil, Liquid Aeration helps to improve air circulation allowing much needed oxygen absorption into the root zone. Oxygen is essential to the development of healthy roots.
- Water Filtration: Liquid Aeration boosts water infiltration, which reduces water runoff from the soil surface and prevents puddling. When water can seep deeper into the soil, the root system can also grow deeper, therefore strengthening the grass and warding off pests and diseases.
- Nutrient Absorption: Nitrogen along with phosphorus and potassium are important nutrients for healthy turfgrasses. Liquid Aeration aids in deeper absorption of these nutrients which helps build a stronger root system as well as greener, healthier grass.
So, what about Core Aeration?
While Liquid Aeration can be very beneficial for your lawn, it is not a substitute for mechanical core aeration, especially when soil is extremely compacted. Georgia earth can be very hard clay, and lawns that have not been aerated in a long time will benefit most from a combination of Core Aeration and Liquid Aeration. For heavily compacted soils, mechanical aeration is still considered more effective initially at relieving solid soil.
In this case, Liquid Aeration can be a valuable supplemental treatment to support the health of your lawn when used in conjunction with proper watering, fertilization, and regular maintenance practices.
When should I aerate my lawn?
Test areas of your lawn for compaction. If it’s difficult to easily push a screwdriver through moist soil, it’s time to aerate! The best time to perform aeration for your Georgia lawn is spring or fall before fertilizing or seeding. Once the lawn is properly aerated, and the soil is opened up to receive nutrients, then it’s time to seed and fertilize and continue proper lawn maintenance. It’s best to aerate your lawn once a year to maintain healthy turfgrass.
Here to help!
Simply Green Lawn Care Plus experts are here to help with your aeration needs. Our technicians work onsite to test your lawn and advise you on which aeration method – Core Aeration, or Liquid Aeration, or a combination of the two – is best for the condition of your soil. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment for an evaluation.
