Soil in a lawn gets compacted over time with foot traffic and any number of other things that get dragged or rolled over the top. Add to that the dead layers of grass and roots that build up near the soil, which is called thatch, and the ground can become deprived of air flow within a year or less. To compensate for some of this, it is general practice for most soil types to do some type of soil aeration to bring the air flow back into contact with the dirt. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Rake the lawn to remove thatch. Thatch blocks light and air from getting to the soil, and removing it greatly improves the soil exposure to air.
2. Put on spiked shoes and walk around the lawn when doing gardening work or even mowing the lawn. The spikes make tiny holes in the lawn, allowing the air to work its way down a little further into the soil. This will help in between aeration times.
3. Turn on the core aerator if it is powered, or simply push it as you walk across the grass as if operating a lawn mower. The machine pulls plugs out of the ground, leaving holes behind. The holes let large amounts of air get down into the soil. You could also use a spike drum pulled behind a riding mower to get basically the same effect. However, the spike drum punches holes in instead of pulling soil out.
4. Turn the machine around after making one pass and run it back the other way, making a second row. Repeat until the entire lawn has been done. When finished, do the entire lawn again at a perpendicular direction to the first. Aeration is best done in the fall before overseeding.
Tags: entire lawn, into soil, spike drum
