Core aeration is a popular lawn care service in Iowa that involves mechanically pulling up plugs of soil to loosen compaction and make it easier for nutrients and other resources to reach the roots of your grass. While this process is invasive, it's highly effective at improving the overall health of your lawn. However, it's important to perform this service at the right time, as it can stress out your lawn if done at the wrong time. Additionally, core aeration leaves behind soil cores, which some property owners don't find very appealing. However, these soil cores will decompose over time, returning beneficial nutrients to your lawn as they do. You can also break them up with a rake or go over them with a lawn mower to speed up the decomposition process.

What is core aeration?

Soil plugs from aeration on a property in Des Moines, IA.

Core aeration is a lawn care service that involves mechanically pulling up plugs of soil from your lawn. This process is typically performed using a machine called an aerator, which removes small plugs of soil from your lawn to loosen compaction and make it easier for nutrients and other resources to reach the roots of your grass. By removing these plugs of soil, you create passageways for nutrients and other resources to reach the roots of your grass, improving its overall health and vigor.

What are some pros and cons of core aeration?

Core aeration is a beneficial lawn care service that can improve the overall health and appearance of your lawn. However, there are both pros and cons to this service.

One of the biggest benefits of core aeration is that it can help to alleviate soil compaction, which can prevent nutrients and other resources from reaching the roots of your grass. By removing plugs of soil, you create passageways for nutrients and other resources to reach the roots of your grass, improving its overall health and vigor. Additionally, core aeration can help to break up the thatch layer, which is a layer of dead grass and other organic material that can build up on your lawn over time. By breaking up the thatch layer, you can improve the overall health and appearance of your lawn.

However, there are also some drawbacks to core aeration. For one, it is an invasive process that can be stressful for your lawn. Additionally, core aeration leaves behind soil cores, which some property owners don't find very appealing. However, these soil cores will decompose over time, returning beneficial nutrients to your lawn as they do. You can also break them up with a rake or go over them with a lawn mower to speed up the decomposition process.

Core aeration has to be performed at the right time for your lawn.

While core aeration is a beneficial lawn care service, it has to be performed at the right time for your lawn. If you perform this service when your lawn is not strong enough to endure it, it can actually stress out your lawn and cause more harm than good. To avoid this, you should only perform core aeration when your lawn is strong enough to endure it. This will ensure that your lawn can recover quickly from the process and reap the full benefits of this service. Here in Iowa, the ideal time to fertilize your lawn is between the end of August through October.

Core aeration is best performed between the end of August and October.

Call us today to schedule our core aeration service.

At A+ Lawn & Landscape, a core aeration service is offered that involves mechanically pulling up plugs of soil from your lawn to loosen compaction and make it easier for nutrients and other resources to reach the roots of your grass. We offer this service to property owners in Des Moines, IA, and surrounding areas like West Des Moines and Ankeny. Give us a call today at (515) 289-2020 to schedule our core aeration service and help your lawn reach its full potential!