Why It’s Time To Think About Fall Aeration

As much as we hate to think about it, fall is only a month away. With cooler weather on the horizon, now’s the time to start thinking about your autumnal aeration treatment. As you’ll see, fall is the ideal time to have core aeration performed.

Why Fall Is The Ideal Time To Get Core Aeration

Core aeration is the process of removing hundreds or thousands of tiny “plugs” of soil from your lawn. We do this to break up hard, compacted soil and allow air, water, light, and nutrients to get to your grass’ root system. Both spring and fall are good times to aerate, but the fall has clear advantages. At Land Art Inc, we actually offer both traditional core aeration as well as liquid aeration. Be sure to discuss your needs and goals with your lawn care service technician! We’re happy to help you find the right solution to your situation.

The Soil Won’t Get Compacted Again

Soil naturally becomes compacted over time through things like thatch build-up and foot traffic. If you frequently use your lawn for things like playing with your kids or pets, your soil will get compacted faster. Summer is the season when we spend the most time outdoors, so your lawn is most likely to experience compaction during this season. With that in mind, if you don’t aerate in the fall, you’re setting your grass up for failure when spring comes again. Instead, you can do your grass a favor and aerate in the fall.

You Get The Added Bonus Of Weed Control

When aeration opens up your lawn, it creates the ideal environment to be receptive to weed control products. By applying one last weed control in the fall, you’ll give your lawn a running start the following spring – when weeds are ramping up their invasion of our lawns. You’re also unlikely to bring as many weeds to the surface as you would aerating in the spring since weeds will begin to go dormant for the winter. Now, that’s not to say you can’t aerate in spring or even summer! Aeration in spring is nearly as good as aerating in the fall. As long as you’re aerating your yard once or twice a year, you’ll never have to worry about compacted soil again.

Cool-Season Grass Benefits Most

For our customers that live in Ohio, you’ll reap even more benefits. That’s because Ohio lawns use cool-season grasses, which means they flourish in cooler temperatures. By aerating before the winter freeze-thaw cycle, you’ll have your yard primed and ready for more aggressive root development come spring. Florida lawns, of course, don’t experience the same severe temperature drops in winter, but they still can benefit from aeration in the fall.

The Green Grass Grows All Around, All Around

You might think summer is the best time to repair those thin or bare patches in your lawn. After all, summer is when all the plants in our yards are at their peak growth! Actually, the ideal time for new grass is in the fall. And the ideal time to overseed your lawn is directly after an aeration treatment. We already discussed how a lawn that’s been opened by aeration is primed for weed control applications. The same is true for seeding. The dispersed seed can nestle easily in the holes and get ready to germinate. Unlike summer, fall has cooler nights and milder days, which are actually the best conditions for new grass seed. And without the scorching summer temperatures, the new grass can retain its moisture levels better.

Thatch Is At Its Thickest

Thatch is the layer of dead organic material that naturally builds up in our lawns. It’s comprised of things like dead grass and leaves. After the intense heat of the summer, you probably have quite a lot of dead grass lurking beneath the layer of healthy green grass. If you have deciduous trees, their annual leaf shedding will only add to the thatch layer. If you’ve ever played the game Tetris, you know how frustrating it is when the layers of blocks keep adding up, and you don’t have room to move. When the thatch layer in your lawn is too thick, your grassroots won’t be able to move either. By aerating in the fall, you’re preventing the layer of thatch from overwhelming your turfgrass.

Hire Lawn Maintenance Services In Ohio Or Florida

Land Art Inc is pleased to serve customers near Toledo, Ohio, and Fort Myers, Florida. Our core aeration and overseeding program breaks up the compacted soil in your yard and gets it ready for the cooler fall weather, and thickens up your lawn when it’s poised for optimal growth. If you’re curious and would like to learn more, or even schedule an appointment, give us a call at 1.800.336.5296.

Where We Service

Ohio

Florida

• Estero
• Fort Myers
• Naples