Over time, lawns can become compacted, which limits the amount of water, oxygen, and nutrition grass can absorb through the roots. When this happens, turf may start to look unhealthy, water runs off or pools on the surface instead of being absorbed, and fertilizers cannot infiltrate the soil and feed the plants.
Aeration not only helps the roots, it helps the earthworms and bugs (microorganisms) that live in the top layers of soil and naturally keep your lawn in shape. Keeping the "good" bugs happy means that your lawn is less likely to be attacked by "bad" bugs, which means you will not have to buy bags of pesticide (which kills both bad and good bugs).
There are several ways to go about aerating your lawn, but the results are generally the same. Most aeration machines (manual or power-driven) will roll over the grass and either punch 3-to-4-inch holes in the turf with spikes, or pull plugs of soil about a quarter-inch in diameter with small pipes.
You can hire a professional service for the task, or rent a unit from your local home care mega-center. For an extra-green approach, strap on a pair of lawn aeration shoes. These tools have 2-inch spikes on the bottom and are ideal for wearing when raking thatch or walking behind the push mower.
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