Thing you should know about Aerating your Lawn

The Best Type of Lawn Aerator

There is a bit of mystery surrounding the lawn aerator.
What does it do?
Which type is best?
When do you use it?
A lawn plug aerator is actually one of the most important tools to keeping your grass healthy. This is a specific type of aerator. Not just any will do. Here are the reasons why:

1. Lawn plug aerators actually remove plugs of soil from the lawn, which opens up spaces for air and water to penetrate.
2. These lawn plug aerators are vastly superior to a punch aerator or aerating shoes because they actually remove the soil, rather than pushing it down further.
3. The purpose of aerating is to alleviate compaction, so removal of soil is more likely to do that than pushing soil further down.
4. Some lawns need more organic matter added to the soil and removing plugs of soil creates space for the top-dressing organic matter to incorporate into the soil.
5. Most often, lawn plug aerators work with hydraulic systems, giving them the power to reach a much deeper soil layer than an aerator/roller combination.

When To Use a Lawn Aerator

If you can find an aerator to rent, all the better. Most of the time, though, if you want the benefit of a lawn plug aerator, you will have to hire a professional lawn care service to aerate your lawn for you. They are more likely to have the equipment, or have access to it. The best time to aerate your lawn is in the spring or fall. Doing so in the fall will help the lawn if you overseed it. It will also relieve compaction from heavy use during the summer season. During the fall, roots of grass grow quickly, so the extra space, air and water will aid good root growth before the grass goes dormant or slows growth for the winter. The spring is a good time to aerate to incorporate organic matter into the soil, and to aid with lawn renovation.

Lawn Care Before and After Aerating

Before you deploy the lawn aerator, mow your grass slightly lower than normal and water it well for two to three days before aerating. Next, use the lawn plug aerator to aerate the lawn. You will want to break up the clods, and help the lawn recover from the stress of aerating, so you need to water the lawn again immediately after you are finished aerating. To improve your soil structure, a couple of days after aerating, top-dress with a compost/topsoil blend and rake it into the holes. Earthworms and soil insects will work in the new addition, improving the soil quickly. Using a lawn aerator the right way will improve the health of your lawn, thus reducing the amount of time you will need to spend caring for it.

The importance of “Curb Appeal.”

If you’ve ever tried to sell your home, you know how realtor’s emphasize the importance of “Curb Appeal.” Curb appeal, however, isn’t just for those who are trying to sell their home. A home with curb appeal can help beautify your neighborhood, make a great first impression on visitors, and quite simply make your house and front yard a more appealing and attractive environment to live in. Here are four simple ways you can boost your home’s curb appeal whether you’re planning on selling or just want a beautiful view to come home to every day. 

Trim and Prune Hedges and Shrubs

 

Scraggly, overgrown Shrubs can give your yard an untidy, unkempt appearance that can make your yard appear unmaintained. They can also hide or distract from other attractive elements of your landscaping and yard design. Pruning and trimming trees and shrubs can make a drastic improvement in your yard’s appearance. Homeowners who are aiming for a more natural aesthetic don’t necessarily need to have their trees and shrubs meticulously manicured and shaped if that’s not the look they want, but regular pruning and maintenance allow visitors to observe a yard that is artistically landscaped with balance and proportion in mind, and also removes dead limbs or branches to keep your foliage healthy.

Add a Walkway

Whether you choose gravel, flagstone or pavers, a walkway that complements your overall landscape design can add both a practical and visually appealing element to your yard. Take care to choose a design and width that works with the proportions of your yard; a straight line of small pavers may get lost in a large yard, while a meandering curved path of large flagstone might overwhelm a smaller yard . By choosing various shapes, material and borders, you can create a walkway that’s compatible with the style of your house, your existing landscape, and, of course, your personal style.

Install Lighting

The right outdoor lighting solutions can offer a number of benefits to your yard. From a safety standpoint, a well-lit yard can add an extra element of security. However, landscape lighting is about more than just utility; incorporating lighting into your landscape design can subtly draw attention to features or design elements of your landscaping that you want to highlight, or can stand on its own as an artistic design element in itself. Use simple path lights to line a walkway or front porch steps, spotlights to accent a tree, or lampposts and other ornate lighting fixtures to add artistic and attractive illumination.

Create Planting Beds

Beds with flowers or other ornamental plants and shrubberies can add a great deal of visual interest to the front of your yard. While flowerbeds around the front of the house are a traditional and popular option, they’re not your only choice. Beds surrounding trees can be wonderful areas to grow shade-lovers, and narrow beds lining fences or driveways can add extra brightness and design. For a planting bed that truly shines, use stone borders to create an edging that both makes a cleaner visual transition and allows you to add even more visual interest by creating different heights and levels. If your landscape design already incorporates planting beds, renewing or refreshing them with new plants or borders can completely overhaul and update their look.
Are you ready to give your home’s curb appeal a boost?




Contact Ducke’s Lawn Care Services and  learn how we can help your yard make the stunning first impression you want.