The Benefits of Aeration

Aeration and top dressing are an essential part of a healthy lawn and is best when performed on a yearly basis. It is normally scheduled during the growing season which is March – October here in the Austin area.

Core Aeration is a mechanical practice of punching holes into the soil and removing plugs. There are four key benefits to performing this:

  • Relieves compaction from the construction of your home or pool, from mowers and foot traffic over time.
  • Allows water and nutrients to move through the soil more easily.
  • Provides a denser root system on the turf which will make for a healthier lawn.
  • The open holes will help incorporate the top dressing material in the soil profile. The cores are left on the lawn to break down with regular mowing and waterin

The Benefits of Top Dressing

Top Dressing involves a material being evenly spread across the lawn and the type of material will vary depending on the type of soil and if the lawn needs have uneven areas leveled out. We normally recommend a mix of 33% Dairy Cow compost, 33% Turkey Compost, and 33% Granite sand. This mix gives a great combination of clean compost and sand which will provide a great top dressing material for the type of lawns in Central Texas. The sand will work its way into the lower areas helping to level the lawn and the compost will amend the soil and provide the nutrients needed.

There are 3 key benefits to top dressing the lawn:

  • After the application the microbes in the soil will start to break down the organic matter in the compost and in return provide your lawn with organic fertilizer.
  • The compost will retain more water than what is typically in the soil. When the compost works its way into the aeration holes you will be able to reduce the amount of irrigation that is required.
  • The material will help level out the lawn. Typically, with newer lawns there are many uneven areas, and this will settle to the lower areas level out the uneven spots. This may take several applications to completely level out the lawn.

This process is highly recommended at least once per year and will provide a healthy lawn that will reduce weed pressure, reduce water usage, and really stand out from your neighbors.