The importance of aeration for your lawn

Aeration is an important process in encouraging the growth of strong grass as it allows air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass root, so it’s a vital part of achieving thick, lush lawns.

 

What is aeration?

The process of aeration involves piercing the soil beneath the grass with small holes so allow air, water and nutrients can penetrate it. All of these elements are vital in helping grass roots to grow deeply whilst producing strong, vigorous and sprightly grass. Aeration should be undertaken to alleviate soil compaction as even slightly compressed soil can obstruct these important elements from reaching the grass roots. This means that grass will struggle to maintain its health during hotter weather and heavy rainfall, causing a risk of deteriorating quality, and ultimately resulting in it dying.

 

How often should lawns be aerated?

Lawns and turf should be aerated at least once annually to maintain the penetration of water and fertilisers to the grass root. However, lawns that are regularly used, such as football pitches or community fields, or those that have a spongey feel should be aerated more often to help grass maintain its strength and vibrant colour. Prime growing seasons, including early spring and autumn, are the optimum times to aerate a lawn. During this period, grass can recover more quickly and are strong enough to fight off the stress of the aeration process.

 

The best aerators for a flawless finish

Billy Goat supplies a powerful and robust range of tools for commercial, outdoor and property clean-up and its range of powerful aerators can help to maintain and encourage a strong, flourishing lawn.

For the ultimate experience, Billy Goat’s Plugr 25 Hydro Drive Series aerator provides a superior performance and a combination of productivity, operator comfort, variable hole density and is remarkably low maintenance. With the best-in-class controls and in ground steering, the 25 Hydro Drive Series also offers exceptional manoeuvrability and ease in operating.

It also offers The Patent Pending EZ Drop ™ tine system which comes complete with a one-step tine engagement lever. This allows tines to quickly engage when the lever is depressed, but it is also able to rapidly disengage once the lever has been released, so it can pass over any obstacles during aeration making the process smooth and uninterrupted.

For smaller lawns, the Billy Goat 18 Series aerator offers a smaller design but supplies just as much power. The model comes equipped with reciprocating cam tines that propel the unit forward and drive cores up to 7cm deep, meaning water, air and nutrients will be able to travel a sufficient depth to the grass root. With this smaller design, it also offers a lightweight feel so it can be easily manoeuvred around lawns and can reach in smaller, more narrow spaces.

With the ability to cover up to 4 acres an hour, the Billy Goat Towable 60 Series aerator is ideal for maximising large lawn aerations – helping to save time whilst efficiently penetrating the grass root. With the addition of swivelling tine assemblies, this model operates with ease and is able to provide a quality aeration pattern of up to 4cm deep. The Towable 60 Series can also be mounted onto a standard tow bar or category 1, 3-point hitch and can run behind any type of tow vehicle, with the ability to run up to 8 km/h – offering a powerful and timely solution for aerating larger patches of lawn.

 

Billy Goat product are available nationwide through Henton & Chattell’s dealer network. For more information and to see videos demonstrating their performance visit www.billygoat.co.uk.