Lawn Aeration Services In Shreveport & Bossier City, Louisiana

Lawn Care experts can provide aeration services for your yard to avoid soil compacting that damages lawns over time. We use one of two methods: core aeration (sometimes called “plug aeration”) and spike aeration. When and how you use each one depends on your yard, landscaping design, traffic and usage, watering habits, local climate, and more. How often and what times of year you should aerate are also dependent on a lot of individual factors, and our team can help you understand what will work best for your landscaping needs.

Core Aeration

Core aeration uses a tool called a plug aerator that inserts a hollow tube into the ground about 2 to 3 inches deep, and pulls up a “plug” of dirt that is around 0.5 to 0.75 inches in diameter. The plugs of dirt will remain on your lawn (and eventually be broken up by a lawn mower or other tool after a few days). The small holes they create provide the ideal space for nutrients and water to reach deep into the soil.

Core aeration opens a deeper and larger area for nutrients to soak into the soil than spike aeration, giving your lawn the specialized treatment it needs. This works especially well for extremely high-traffic areas where there is more soil compaction. It does require some extra effort and specialized tools, and is best done by someone with a lot of experience to get the right number of plugs in the soil to allow the proper amount of nutrients without overdoing it.

Spike Aeration

Spike aeration is another option for aerating lawns, but it works a little differently. Rather than pulling cylinders of soil from the ground, it simply pushes a spike into the ground to create a very small hole. It’s often done with a rotating wheel or drum that has large spikes on it. For lawns that don’t get much foot traffic and the soil isn’t very compacted, spike aeration is a quick and easy way to open up some additional space for nutrients and water to soak in. However, while this method of aeration is easier than core aeration, it’s not appropriate for all lawns. Using spike aeration when core would be better can compact the soil even more, which leads to additional problems.

Contact the lawn care experts to learn more about core and spike aeration, discover which one is best for your lawn, and get a quote today.