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Aerate, Don't Power Rake to Remove Lawn Thatch
By Carl Wilson, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Agent, Horticulture, Denver County ...

 


aerate
To supply or impregnate with air.
GardenWeb Glossary of Botanical Terms
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Why Aerate
Over time the soil under your lawn becomes compacted. Soil compaction makes it harder for the grass roots to grow and reduces the absorption of water. Both of these problems cause a lawn to become stressed.

How Do I Aerate?
by Dawn West, All About Lawns Columnist
Aerating is usually either done with a Power Aerator (or Coring Machine) or a Manual (foot-pressed) Aerator.

To supply with air or expose to the circulation of air; for example, to aerate soil
Definition as written by Floridian:
To loosen or puncture the soil by mechanical means to increase water penetration and air permeability.

Aerate your lawn every month. Aerate your lawn by puncturing small holes through the lawn using a metal rake or a specialized aeration tool.

Aerate Loosening or puncturing the soil to increase water penetration.
Aerial roots Roots produced above ground, often used for climbing.
Aggregated Joined together, confluent, as applied to bundle traces.

Aerate the pond. Aeration adds oxygen, which helps support healthy bacteria and keeps the pond from becoming stagnant. A fountain aerates the pond and provides a pleasant backdrop for your garden.

Aerate the lawn to keep it well drained and breathing - a fork will do or a powered roller spike for the lazy gardener.
Feed with nitrogen based fertilisers to keep up the green - especially in very wet areas where the nutrients can leech away.

Aerate the soil at least once every three years, especially in September when the soil is moist. Do this by making holes in the soil, either with a fork or a hollow-tined fork, which removes a plug of soil.

Aerate ponds and stock with mosquito-eating fish such as Gambusia affinis ("mosquito fish"), minnows and goldfish. Keep your lawn mowed regularly and fencerows trimmed; tall grass and weeds are great daytime hiding places for adult mosquitoes.

Aerate the lawn in at least two different directions to insure good coverage. Be careful on slopes, especially steep ones, as well as near buildings and landscape beds.
What else do I need to know?
Aeration helps to control thatch.

c. aerated, with sides and a top but no protection against small varmints? (3)
d. topless, more aerated than a wind tunnel, a haven for critters? (4)
3. When making a compost pile, do you: ...

Aerate
Your grass wants to grow in light, airy soil. (Worms like this too.) In spring, jab a pitchfork into the ground and wiggle it, making as many holes as you like. (For big lawns, there are specialized tools for this that are more efficient.) ...

Well-aerated soil has plenty of pore space between the soil particles or crumbs. Fine soil particles (clay or silt) have tiny spaces between them - in some cases too small for air to penetrate.

Step Four: Aerate your lawn as needed.
This procedure removes small cores or plugs of soil from your lawn. It should be done if soil is compacted or to break through thatch that's deeper than a 1/2 inch.

Worm tunnels aerate the soil, improve drainage and bring up minerals from the subsoil. Earthworm activity contributes to good soil structure.
Compost is a soil conditioner.

Turn the pile to aerate.
Add carbon materials and turn the pile to aerate.
Pile not heating up.

Control weeds and aerate the soil by cultivating between the rows of plants.
April is a great time to select and plant fruit trees and berry plants. Fruits and berries do best when planted in full sun.

* Aerate. Heavy use throughout the year can cause soil to become compacted. Removing plugs of sod in the spring -- aerating -- loosens the soil and lets water, air and fertilizer get down to the grass plant's root structure.

The purely organic soil supports a host of important micro and macro-organisms such as worms that are all doing their bit to aerate, condition and fertilise. Good soil is balanced and seething with life, but how do you fertilise organic plants?

Aerate lawn with core aerator.
Apply pre-emergent herbicide for late-germinating annual weeds, like spurge. Reapply for chickweed, foxtail, and crabgrass.

Worms and ants help to slowly till and aerate that top layer, speeding decomposition and creating aerated habitat for mycorhizii. Chemical fertilizers kill worms as well as mycorhizii so we eliminate yet another part of the chain.

Gas-powered pumps can also aerate water to help improve pond water quality. These types of pumps are convenient and versatile and many times are used for emergency aeration.

Earthworm tunnels help to aerate and loosen the soil. This allows more oxygen in, which not only helps the plant directly, but also improves conditions for certain beneficial soil bacteria.

Remove any tree roots or rocks, then aerate and amend the soil with plenty of organic matter (e.g., compost, shred­­ded leaves or composted manure) to a depth of 30 to 45 centimetres.

If the area is small you can aerate by hand with a garden fork. The prongs should be inserted every four to six inches. The fork can be rocked back and forth to increase the hole size.

Organic matter and mulch is critical for their growth; it helps hold moisture, keeps the soil cool, and helps the soil stay loose and well aerated. Incorporate liberal amounts (3- to 5-inch layer) of organic matterleaf compost is ideal.

MOLES: Moles live in tunnels that while helping to aerate soil, also provide passageways for other animals and may cause excessive soil disturbance and plant upheaval.

A compost heap needs to be aerated to promote decomposition. Check that the layers are not too thick. Grass clippings tend to form an airless mass and turn into slim due to anaerobic bacteria.

For compacted or thatch-choked areas, or possibly under the canopy of trees and shrubs, the best treatment is to aerate the soil by removing plugs.

Continuing to turn and aerate the soil and being diligent about weed control up until planting time.
Introduce a new tribe of earthworms to your garden soil to help the enrichment process.
Add perlite if the soil is excessively wet to help lighten it.

7 sandy, well-drained, aerated, organic. Mound soil around stem as plant grows or use mulch
Water - not too dry
Succession - none
Pests - potato beetle, red slugs, blister beetle. Hand pick.
Light - full sun
Medium season - 90-120 days
Warm season ...

Not only do earthworms aerate the soil, but their casts infuse the soil with enzymes, bacteria, organic matter, and plant nutrients. They also increase water infiltration and secrete compounds that bind soil particles together for better tilth.

By giving the bin a spin to aerate and mix the pile, you can significantly speed up the composting process.

Turning units are designed so that they may be aerated. Turning units produce compost faster because they supply oxygen to the bacteria in the pile. These units may also have less odor problems, which are associated with poor aeration.

Lawn Care Calendar
When should I fertilize? Reseed? Aerate? An interactive guide to lawn care throughout the year.
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Read about best practices for mowing, fertilizing, watering, troubleshooting, and more...

catawbiense Michx, and their hybrids, are listed as being particularly susceptible, as are the Indica azalea group. Susceptible plants growing in poorly aerated soils are more subject to infection by the fungus than those growing in well-aerated ...

To rejuvenate your existing lawn, you should aerate to open the soil so that water and nutrients can penetrate to the roots. De-thatch often...
A Gardener's Love Affair With A Rose [article] ...

Second: it reduces soil compaction. The result can be a healthier and more vigorous lawn. A power aerator is the fastest and most efficient way to aerate your lawn. Slightly overlap each pass until the entire lawn has been aerated.

The more worms in your garden, the more they can break up, fertilize, and aerate the soil. Beneficial insects are also attracted by cover crops; alfalfa can attract parasitic wasps, lady beetles, damsel bugs, big-eyed bugs and assassin bugs.

Try to keep the leaves dry and not too shaded and keep plants well spaced and well aerated. Make sure all dead and dying plant material is removed to prevent the disease carrying over from one year to the next.

Soggy, poorly aerated soils also inhibit iron release. In iron-deficient soil, the early leaves of a plant get whatever is available.

Sulfur must be mixed with the soil to provide contact.
The soil must be moist
The soil must be aerated (bacteria need oxygen).
The soil must be warm for rapid bacterial growth.
Time is required for the reaction to go to completion.

Soil dwelling insects. As mentioned earlier, insects moving about in the soil help to aerate the soil and they add small amounts of organic matter, the second structure improver.

If you find that water pools on the surface when you try to do this, what it means is that your soil has compacted and needs to be 'relieved' and aerated.
Mowing
The most common mistake made by most home gardeners is mowing their lawn too low.

They said we had to aerate it in the spring. It blades look thin right now. We bought a mulching mower. The neighbors didn't and their grass looks better. Is a mulcher okay? I don't want to do anything to loose it.

Rake the soil until it is airy and level. Loose, well-aerated soil allows oxygen to reach the plants' roots more readily and warms up more quickly. If your soil is poor, consider building raised beds.

Leaving grass clippings on the lawn will also release nutrients back into the soil. If your soil is heavy with clay or compressed from high traffic you may want to aerate the soil a couple times a year.

See also: Plant, Soil, Water, Grass, Lawn