Think about your lawn. Does it look like you need to aerate it? Most Phoenix homeowners will recognize the typical symptoms of too much thatch in their lawns, including poor water drainage and land that can become soggy after rainstorms.
You might think that this is a job for a landscape professional, but Phoenix homeowners can aerate their lawns themselves. To do it right, you should know a bit about the process and be sure of what your goals are before you begin.
Aerating removes little plugs of soil from your lawn. This process allows better water penetration, leading to healthier plants and grass.
Aeration is an easy Phoenix lawn care task, but it requires some patience and hard work. You will need a sturdy aerating fork or aerating machine to get the job done properly. There are three ways to aerate your lawn:
you can use a manual aerating machine
you can rent an aeration machine
you can aerate by hand using a metal lawn aerator
Phoenix homeowners who have a Phoenix area lawn that is too compacted will want to aerate in late summer or early fall. This allows the soil time to recover and for new grass seed to take hold. It is important to water your lawn thoroughly after aerating it, but you shouldn't do this more than twice a day. Phoenix homeowners who are experiencing problems with excess thatch in their lawns will want to aerate year round.
Many Phoenix homeowners believe that soil aeration leads to a Phoenix lawn that looks bigger and better. This is because this process allows nutrients and water to get deeper into your Phoenix area lawn, improving the overall quality of the soil. Also, aerating helps reduce water runoff and keeps Phoenix area soils from becoming too saturated.
Another important reason for Phoenix homeowners to aerate their Phoenix area lawns is that it improves the Phoenix lawn grass and soil.
Thatch is a layer of dead Phoenix lawn grasses, roots and rhizomes that builds up in your Phoenix area lawn over time. Really compacted soils tend to encourage thatch build up, making aerating an important part of phoenix lawn care.
When Phoenix homeowners aerate their lawns, they are breaking up the thatch and allowing water to reach the soil more easily. This encourages healthy Phoenix lawn grass growth and reduces thatch build-up. A healthy Phoenix area lawn is key for Phoenix homeowners who want to reduce the Phoenix lawn thatch and Phoenix area soil compaction in their Phoenix area lawns. If Phoenix homeowners want to reduce Phoenix lawn thatch, they should aerate their Phoenix area lawns regularly.
As long as you use a sturdy aeration fork or machine, safety tips include wearing protective clothing and swimming goggles, aerating during Phoenix area fall or Phoenix area spring, and avoiding aerating Phoenix lawns that are wet. Phoenix homeowners should also be aware of their lawn type when they are aerating. While it may be tempting to just run the machine over the grass quickly, it is important to divide your Phoenix lawn into sections so you can get thorough results.
Phoenix homeowners who have St. Augustine lawns should aerate about an inch deep. Bermuda grass Phoenix area lawns should be aerated 1-1/2 to 2 inches deep, and Bluegrass Phoenix area lawns should be aerated between 3 to 4 inches deep.
Phoenix homeowners will want to aerate their Phoenix area lawns every other year, but this doesn't mean you can aerate Phoenix area lawns too often. Phoenix area turf experts recommend allowing 10-14 days between aerations so your Phoenix lawn has time to heal properly.
The benefits of aerating Phoenix lawns are obvious, but Phoenix area homeowners must know when and how often to aerate Phoenix area lawns. Phoenix homeowners who want to improve the Phoenix lawn grass of their Phoenix area lawn should make aeration a part of their Phoenix lawn care routine.