Maintaining a beautiful lawn is not an easy task. That is of course if you’re not employing essential lawn care practices such as well-timed mowing, watering and fertilizing. But those aside, it’s also extremely important to ensure that the soil beneath your grass gets lots of nutrients. And what better way to do that than by aerating your lawn! Lawn aeration is crucial for a healthy lawn, as it allows air, water, and other nutrients to easily penetrate built-up grass and lawn thatch. So if you’re new to lawn aeration, this article is just the thing for you. Here you will find everything you need to know about lawn aeration along with some handy tips. Get rid of thatch and make way for a beautiful lawn with this quick guide to aeration. You’ll learn why, how, and when to aerate your lawn for the best results.

Maintaining a beautiful lawn is not an easy task. That is of course if you’re not employing essential lawn care practices such as well-timed mowing, watering and fertilizing. But those aside, it’s also extremely important to ensure that the soil beneath your grass gets lots of nutrients. And what better way to do that than by aerating your lawn! Lawn aeration is crucial for a healthy lawn, as it allows air, water, and other nutrients to easily penetrate built-up grass and lawn thatch. So if you’re new to lawn aeration, this article is just the thing for you. Here you will find everything you need to know about lawn aeration along with some handy tips. Get rid of thatch and make way for a beautiful lawn with this quick guide to aeration. You’ll learn why, how, and when to aerate your lawn for the best results.

As an independent provider, this is one of our main strengths, as we have a tried and tested method for rejuvenating even the most severely damaged and neglected lawns at a significantly lower cost than returfing. This process includes the following steps:

• Visit 1: An initial one-off treatment to control moss and weeds while boosting existing grass.

• Visit 2: Hollow tine aeration to reduce soil compaction, allowing the root zone to breathe.

• Scarification to remove dead moss/thatch, stimulate the soil surface, and prepare for overseeding.

• Raking and bagging of surplus green waste extracted from the lawn.

• Overseeding using seed disc drilling machines to cover bare areas and thicken the lawn sward. Any remaining problematic areas will be further hand-seeded using a mix of nutrient-rich top dressing and seed.

• Application of pre-seed fertiliser to encourage seed germination and further nourish existing healthy grass.

Seed germination is a fascinating process. To achieve results, the seed must make contact with the soil surface, making ground preparation essential. The time it takes for tender shoots to emerge varies depending on weather conditions and irrigation. Seeds may appear dormant on the surface, but germination has already occurred. Initially, a shoot emerges from the seed, rooting into the ground before surfacing as a blade of grass.

Regardless of the overseeding method used, the type of seed is paramount. It must be of high quality and suitable for the season and weather conditions. For instance, different seeds are used in spring compared to autumn. We avoid fast-germinating seed as it often results in shallow roots, causing future problems. Our independence allows us to use quality seed that roots deeply, ensuring durability and survival in adverse/dry weather conditions.

For patch repair and challenging areas, we first rake out any dead thatch/moss to expose the soil surface. Then, we carefully apply a compound of nutrient-rich top dressing and seed. Mixing seed with top dressing enhances germination chances and reduces bird loss.

At Wrights Grass, we primarily overseed lawns using seed disc drilling machines, a practice uncommon among lawn companies. These heavy-duty commercial machines cut multiple grooves into the soil surface and deposit seed, significantly enhancing germination rates and minimizing seed loss to birds. Upon encountering these machines on a golf course, imported from America, I immediately adopted them due to disappointing seeding results. Since then, I’ve never looked back.

Additionally, we employ surface application methods using spreaders or by hand for small or inaccessible lawns.

Wetting agents are designed to help fix hydrophobicity in turf, they make it easier for the soil to absorb and hold water. When applied to the whole lawn the wetting agent will allow water to move freely and quickly through the soil. Once a wetting agent starts to work on the soil, water can move more readily down and sideways in the soil profile. Run-off is reduced, water moves deeper more quickly and spreads more easily. The lawn soil can now hold more water with obvious benefits to the grass. In addition, wetting agents will help stimulate better root development.

The common misconception is that these products replace the need for watering! They don’t. Water is still required but because it is now able to penetrate the soil and be held in the soil more easily you use less water. The water that you do use is also now more easily and readily available to the grass roots.