Lawn  Areation

The vast majority of lawns in the UK only require solid-tine aeration.

A solid tine aerator or spike aerator drives solid spikes into the surface of your lawn, punching holes into the ground without removing any soil. Punching holes into the soil allows water to penetrate deeper into the ground and offers more space for roots to expand and grow. It allows air and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the ground and feed the grassroots. This type of aeration can provide tired-looking or worn lawns the ability to flourish, improving the overall appearance. Solid tine aeration helps to rejuvenate lawns at the start of the growing season or to prepare them for the harsh months ahead in early autumn.

The best way to reduce soil compaction in the root zone of a lawn is by Hollow Tine Aeration. Lawn Care Guy uses pedestrian petrol-driven machines for this job, which entails moving thousands of cores from the lawn, each about the size of a little finger. As well as moving thousands of cores from the lawn, this process has the benefit of removing a plug of thatch with each soil core. This treatment is typically carried out in the early or late part of the year when the cores can break down naturally with minimum inconvenience. The frequency with which lawns need to be Aerated varies and depends on several factors. As a broad rule Light sandy soil needs Aeration less frequently than Loam, Clay Loam or Silt derived soils. It is of course much better to Aerate before the grass starts to suffer from the detrimental effects of soil compaction. Which is why we have yet to read any credible publication on lawn maintenance which does not recommend Aeration as valuable element of every thorough annual maintenance programme.