Have you taken a good look at your lawn recently? Most often, especially if you have never used lawn aerators, you can find your lawn grass slightly unhealthy with brown patches intermittently. Sometimes it could be worms or insects which are the culprits and sometimes improper watering and fertilizers can make the grass look dull and brown. Your lawn grass could even be attacked by some disease making it fragile and unhealthy. But if none of these are the reasons, then it is high time that you thought of lawn aeration.

So what exactly is aeration and how do lawn aerators improve the quality of my lawn grass? Lawn aeration is a process in which small holes are punched in the grass to aid increased absorption of water and fertilizers, allow more breathing and sunlight and also to eliminate the formation of thatch. This process is carried out by an equipment called a lawn aerator which has spikes or blades to create the holes. What usually happens with any lawn grass is that the top layers becomes hard and compact after a short while which prevents the entry of water, nutrients and sunlight from reaching the roots.

When small holes are created in the grass, the soil becomes loose and supple allowing water and nutrients to reach the roots thus enabling lush and green growth. Also, thatch that has accumulated from the mowing process tends to get dispersed instead of rotting on the surface and attracting molds, mildews and insects. The oxygen supply to the roots are increased which enables better growth. When these holes are created in the soil, rhizomes and stolons get severed along with the roots. This helps to promote new growth and thus the density of the grass also increases giving a fuller and greener look.

Lawn aerators are absolutely necessary to carry out this process. There are different types of aerators available in the market ranging from spiked shoes, hand held equipments and motor driven aerators. Spiked shoes are not very efficient for big lawns but are sufficient if you have a relatively small patch outside your home; these are also not very expensive. The manual or motor driven aerators are very efficient but are expensive; hence most people tend to hire these once or twice in a year when the grass is due for aeration.

There are a few things that must be kept in mind while doing aeration. The soil should be slightly moist and not dry or wet and it is also better to do this process when the temperatures are a little low. It is not necessary to do aeration more than once or twice a year if you are doing it for the first time. For regular use, once a year is more than sufficient to encourage good growth of the lawn grass. It is best to do aeration in the spring season when the grass is actively growing.

Using lawn aerators for regular aeration can greatly enhance the quality and appearance of the grass so that your family can enjoy the benefits of a lush, green lawn.