Spring Clean Up
A spring clean up is just what lawns want after a long harsh winter. It is a key part of any long term strategy when caring for and maintaining your valuable property investment.
A spring clean up consists of :
- blowing out all beds and hedges, running the power rake over all turf areas, clean up, and haul away all debris, giving a cut & trim, and aeration if required.
Dethatching involves the removal of the matted layer of dead and decaying plant material between growing grass and the soil, know as thatch. Thatch is removed by combing the turf with a machine called a Power Rake. The power rake pulls the matted thatch up from the soil and deposits it on top of the lawn. Once the lawn is power raked, the thatch is hand raked, removed and disposed of.
- Increasing the availability of nutrients.
- Helping prevent fertilizer run-off from thatch matted areas.
- Enhancing oxygen levels in the soil, and stimulating root and rhizome growth in soil instead of thatch matte.
- Increasing your lawn’s resistance to disease and insects.
- Increasing your lawn’s drought tolerance and improving its overall health.
- Promoting a lush green lawn.
Like compacted soil, too much thatch will smother a lawn. Thatch develops naturally as lawn grasses grow and slough off roots, shoots and leaves. Excessive thatch prevents moisture, oxygen and nutrients from penetrating the soil. The turf’s tolerance to heat, cold and drought decreases with increasing thatch accumulation. Localized dry spots, scalping, disease and insect problems also increase. As thatch accumulates, there is a tendency for root and rhizome growth to occur primarily in the thatch layer rather than in the soil. This results in a weakened, poorly rooted turf that is prone to stress injury and requires frequent irrigation and intense management.
Simply run your finger down into the lawn like a small rake and pinch your fingers together. If you end up with a clamp of yellow thatch in your hand then, you need to dethatch. Or if your lawn is off-color and thinning, and you can’t see bare ground between the plants but instead see matted, fibrous material, it’s time to dethatch.
What will dethatching do for my lawn?
- Increasing the availability of nutrients.
- Helping prevent fertilizer run-off from thatch matted areas.
- Enhancing oxygen levels in the soil, and stimulating root and rhizome growth in soil instead of thatch matte.
- Increasing your lawn’s resistance to disease and insects.
- Increasing your lawn’s drought tolerance and improving its overall health.
- Promoting a lush green lawn.
What is Aeration?
Aeration is a naturally occurring process of air exchange between the soil and surrounding atmosphere. Practically speaking, aeration is the process of mechanically removing small plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn to improve natural soil aeration. It’s commonly called “core aeration” in the lawn service industry.
Immediately following aeration, your lawn will be dotted with small plugs pulled from the soil. Within a week or two, these plugs of thatch and soil break apart and disappear into the lawn.
Soon after aeration, the aeration holes will begin to fill with white, actively growing roots. This is a sign that the turf grass is responding to additional oxygen, moisture, and nutrients in the soil.
There is no question that aeration is the most beneficial thing you can do for your lawn.
Benefits of Aeration include:
- Reduced water runoff
- An Ideal Seedbed for Overseeding
- Deep root development
- Improved soil structure
- Increased air exchange between soil and atmosphere
- Reduced thatch
- Reduced soil compaction
- Increased protection against drought, insects, disease, and weeds
To schedule your spring clean up, call Five Star Landscaping today at 403-203-4058!