It’s September, so one of the things on the mind of lawn care and landscape companies is fall aeration. When it comes to aeration best practices and pitfalls to avoid, George Kinkead, president of Turfco; Steve Nichols, executive vice president at Soil Tech Corp., and Brandon King, product manager at Billy Goat Industries, are happy to discuss.
Why aerate?
Aeration involves creating small holes throughout a lawn. Soils can become compacted and compressed during the hot summer months. Compacted soil can make it difficultfor the turf’s roots to absorb water and nutrients.
The aeration process helps improve a property’s turf by putting all the nutrients on top, says Kinkead. To him, it is about enhancing the growth of the lawn.
“The roots of a plant go deep and have a phenomenal impact on the health of the lawn,” Kinkead says. “By punching a hole 2 ¾ (of an inch) down into the soil, you are making room for growth.”
According to Nichols, the ultimate goal of aeration is to open up soils that might be too hard or tight.
Start of aeration
When should companies start their fall aeration services?
“I think that early to midfall is the ideal time to start aerating,” Nichols says. “The heat of the summer has dissipated. People like to try to get aeration done about the same time or slightly before seeding.”
Kinkead and King say the start of fall aeration ultimately depends on where someone lives.
“If you are in the Midwest or north of the (Transition Zone), the ground and soil will need cooling off,” Kinkead says. “In the Midwest, a good starting point may be Labor Day. Places still hot in September, such as the Carolinas and Georgia, may be happening later, like October or November.”
But for contractors wanting to maximize their services, King advises adding seeding and fertilization and doing it all during a single job, packaging the whole deal to sell to either the homeowner or property manager.
“This gets you more value out of your time,” King says. “‘I offer the aeration. I can do fertilization. I can do it all at once and have a larger charge.’ Do more work and end up with a better service for your client.”
Avoid these mistakes
Aeration experts recommend doing a little preparation before conducting aeration services. King recommends contractors be sure to flag any valve body, sprinkler head and any other obstructions on clients’ properties.
Also, he adds it is a mistake to start scheduling services before making sure the machines are in good working order.
“The aerators will run for maybe six to 10 weeks out of the year and then they’re going to sit in storage the rest of the time,” King says. “They get neglected. Maintenance is something that may get overlooked. You don’t want to lose all that time if something breaks and you have jobs scheduled.”
Meanwhile, Kinkead recommends irrigating the property prior to aeration. The drier the yard, the harder it will be for the aerators to reach a good depth. He says it’s vital to have a consistent depth.
“If you’re not able to get the 2-inch plug-in, you can’t bill a service for that customer,” Kinkead says.
That watering process should continue post-aeration, especially if contractors plan to do seeding and fertilization at the same time.
“You want water to protect your investment and get the best benefit from it,” King says. “Water will help to get everything germinated to run through the seasons.”
