Lush gardens don’t just grow overnight. Proud lawn owners of healthy, vibrant grass know that it takes a year-round commitment in order to achieve their goals. During winter, there are a couple of lawn care procedures that you should perform so that when summertime arrives, your lawn looks lush and beautiful. This means you should fertilise your soil, oversow it, remove any weeds, and most importantly, conduct soil aeration.

Today we’ll be discussing what soil aeration is and why you should do it during wintertime.

What is soil aeration?

Soil aeration is perforating small holes in your lawn. These holes help facilitate the flow of air, water, and essential nutrients to better reach the grass roots. When the grass roots receive adequate amounts of these vital resources, it grows deeper and much more resilient. Strong grass roots serve as the foundation of a healthy lawn which is one of the reasons why you should consider doing soil aeration.

Soil aeration is crucial to the growth of your lawn because it remedies a common problem most lawn owners face; soil compaction. Soil compaction occurs when your lawn is under constant traffic, meaning that your pets and kids frequently play on your lawn. Combine that with lawn thatch, and your grass can be starved of essential nutrients. These prevent the grass roots from receiving sufficient supply of nutrients needed for optimal growth.

What are the signs that your lawn needs soil aeration

If there are uneven areas in your lawn, chances are it needs soil aeration. If your yard is mainly used as a playground, you’ll notice uneven spots in your lawn where the soil has compacted. This can prove detrimental to the grass roots and it may lead to brown spots if left untreated. If your home is newly constructed, soil aeration is also necessary. This is because the topsoil of new homes are usually removed and the subsoil is unlikely to be compacted due to the high volume of traffic at the latter stages of construction.

If there is soil layering in your lawn after it was established, you need to conduct soil aeration as well. This helps break up the soil layering to facilitate sufficient flow of air, water, and nutrients down to the roots of the grass.

Why aerate your lawn during winter

Your lawn is at a vulnerable state during winter because of the soil’s reduced water retention capacity, meaning that the grass roots won’t receive enough water needed for optimal growth. Winter is the perfect time to address any drainage and compaction issues before spring rolls around. Soil aeration solves these issues by facilitating the flow of essential nutrients to the roots. Additionally, soil aeration allows you to make the most out of your fertiliser application as it reaches more of the grass roots.

Soil aeration is an important procedure in lawn care maintenance, especially during the winter months. Before transitioning to spring, it’s important that your lawn receives enough nutrients to grow into a lush, vibrant garden. Make sure to conduct soil aeration for optimal growth of your grass roots.