Clearing the Air About Core Aeration

Clearing the Air About Core Aeration

Hello everybody.  We have a treat for you today.  Recently we got together with a super cool and groovy dude, AJ from Hippie Fertilizing.  AJ is a passionate, intelligent person who is totally connected to supporting soil biology and lawn care.  His company, Hippie Fertilizing, has a mission to “provide the best lawn treatments while protecting the environment”.  He even has something called Hippie Juice!  You should check him out.

One thing we talked with AJ about was core aeration.  We thought we would let you know about it because healthy lawns are important and healthy lawns can promote healthy trees.

Core aeration is a process done in the fall that involves multiple steps and is used to help fix a lawn that is not doing well.  Basically it involves using a large machine that pulls plugs from the soil that are left on the ground.  The idea is to create a place for amendments and seed to go.  After the aeration, a top dressing like compost is spread over the lawn.  Then a fertilizer would be added.  After this, seed would be spread if needed and the lawn would be watered well until the seeds were established.  Under this process, the lawn would ideally improve by spring.

Although there are benefits to core aeration, we learned from AJ that it might not be the best solution in all areas and for all conditions.  We totally dug what he was saying (that’s hippie/arborist humor) and thought we would share some of his advice with you.  You can also check out his YouTube video that covers core aeration and top dressing.

Basically, core aeration does have benefits.  It can improve your lawn.  One thing you might keep in mind though is that the level of benefit depends on where you live, your soil type, your lawn type, and other conditions.  If, for example, you live in the north, or if you have Bermuda grass and sandy soil, then core aeration can have positive benefits.  If you live in the southern gulf coast though, with clay soil, in an area with recent development, and not the best watering practices, then core aeration might not provide all the benefits you’re looking for.

According to AJ, in an area like the southern gulf coast, top dressing alone can be as effective as top dressing combined with core aeration, and more effective than core aeration alone at improving a lawn.  He found that top dressing has more initial and more long-term benefits than core aeration alone under the right circumstances.

AJ has found that although top dressing and core aeration can both be a lot of work, you can get more for your effort from top dressing than you do from core aeration.  Top dressing can add nutrients and organic matter to soil, improve soil structure, and support soil biology.  AJ, in fact, has a process for top dressing that involves his hippie juice and fertilizer that is meant to support soil biology.  Core aeration though, if not done properly or done in the wrong situations, can cause damage to your soil structure and can have an impact on fungus and soil microbes.  This can actually have the opposite effect from what you’re looking for.

Core aeration can have benefits.  It just isn’t right for all situations and it’s not necessarily as beneficial as it’s sometimes perceived.  If you’re thinking about it, consider talking to a professional who is focused on the health of lawns and soil (like AJ) to find out what is right for your situation.

Peace, harmony, and hippie juice!