Spike Aeration
The goal of aeration is to poke hundreds of small holes into every square foot of the turf that comprises your lawn. These holes keep the damp surface of your lawn from baking into a mud crust during hot, dry periods of the day. They also retard the buildup of thatch. But more important than what they prevent is what these holes encourage.
- Fertilizer – seeps through these holes instead of washing away in the first rainfall
- Water – mixes with the fertilizer and spreads it across the root zone
- Oxygen – follows the water-diluted fertilizer and encourages the roots to grow more quickly
All of this means healthier grass growth, more productive roots, and a fescue lawn that feels like a soft green rug when you walk on it in bare feet.
All lawns need to be aerated in order to maintain a green, healthy, and nearly insect-free turf. Towards the end of summer in Atlanta, fescue grass begins to die out due to heat, drought, or lawn disease. Without aeration, overseeding may do more harm than good. A germination period of two to three weeks is normal for fescue seed. The fescue seeds crave water during this period.
- Spurting seeds – can choke out the existing root zone if oxygen and water cannot penetrate the caked topsoil.
- Fescue lawns — need to be re-seeded every year when average temperatures are cooler. Otherwise the fescue lawn begins to discolor and develop weak spots. Although fall brings on cooler temperatures, the air becomes drier.
- Drier air – tends to cake the topsoil, preventing oxygen and nutrients from flowing freely to the root zone.
