Core Aeration & Seeding

Green Horizon’s core aeration improves the environment for soil microbial populations that play a critical role in nutrient uptake and provides an excellent means of correcting or alleviating soil compaction.  It is also essential for managing thatch levels that can harbor insect and disease pests.  Compaction occurs primarily in the surface area of the lawn and increase over time from normal use by your family as well as from heavy mowing equipment during weekly maintenance visits. A compacted layer as thin as ¼ inch to 1/2 inch can greatly impede water infiltration, nutrient penetration, and gaseous exchange between the soil and the atmosphere. Compaction of this type in the surface layer of soil can be corrected or reduced by the use of suitable aerating equipment.

Aerating machines remove plugs of soil from the turf area, thereby creating an artificial system of large or non-capillary pores by which moisture and plant nutrients can be taken into the soil. They also provide a breathing system through which carbon dioxide can escape from the soil and oxygen can enter the soil. A rapid intake in movement of water and air is recognized as a prime necessity in correcting damages to the turf caused by compacted soils.

Spring and early fall are the best times to aerate. Summer aeration of cool-season grasses, such as bluegrass, bentgrass, and fescue, is not generally recommended because these grasses are in a semi-dormant condition, whereas crabgrass is quite active.

Equipment having solid tines or spikes should not be mistaken for aerating equipment.  Aerators always remove a soil core whereas solid tine spikers do not. Spikers can actually increase soil compaction as the movement of the soil to all sides by the penetration of the solid tine forces the soil into a denser mass.

If you are considering aeration for your lawn, please contact our office @ 973.515.0691 for a FREE comprehensive lawn analysis and proposal.