Your lawn is a key part of your Northern Virginia property’s overall appearance.
It welcomes you outdoors. It greets you when you come home. A thick, green, healthy lawn says so much without saying much at all.
To maintain this look and feel, a lawn needs some care to ensure it thrives.
One of the services many people forget to embrace that can do so much for their lawns is aeration. In fact, you could consider it one of the most important services you need.
Lawn aeration boosts soil health like nothing else. And it keeps your lawn in a state of health that ensures it can absorb the water, oxygen, and nutrients it needs.
As you search lawn aeration service in Northern Virginia, you likely come across a number of companies that perform the service, as well as some DIY options. This could lead to quite a few questions about lawn aeration, why it’s important, how it works, and whether you can really do this on your own or need a professional’s help.
Let’s review all of these questions, giving you some education and answers so you can make a well-informed decision for your beloved home lawn.
First, Let’s Talk About Aeration
The initial step in understanding lawn aeration service is knowing what it is and what it does.
Lawn aeration is a process by which a machine called an aerator pulls small plugs of soil from your lawn and deposits them on its surface.
Your Northern Virginia soil has a lot of clay to it and, as such, it naturally becomes more compacted over time from regular foot traffic and even rainfall. The process of aeration breaks up that compaction, allowing your lawn to breath and take in important elements like water, oxygen, and nutrients. It basically lets your lawn breathe again.
This entire process ensures your lawn’s roots can grow deeper. And deeper roots mean a thicker, healthier lawn.
All About DIY Lawn Aeration
Lawn aerator rentals make DIY lawn aeration possible. It might make you consider doing this service yourself.
Sure, you might think taking a weekend to learn about the service and attempt to perform it might seem like it could save you some money.
But we find that this particular service is a tougher one to tackle without solid equipment and a lot of experience.
Here’s what makes this service a challenging one to take care of yourself.
Equipment Challenges
First of all, a lawn aerator is an important machine when it comes to proper and precise aeration.
When you rent an aerator for DIY lawn aeration, you are borrowing a machine that has been used hundreds of times by many people – most of whom have had no experience using an aerator.
This means the machine has received some rough use and potentially little maintenance to ensure it’s working its best.
The result is a clunky operation and less-than-ideal results.
Machine Availability and Transportation
So, you have a free weekend and want to try DIY lawn aeration, but the lawn aerator isn’t available at the rental facility. Other people may have thought about trying this service at home, too.
And when the machine finally is available … you forgot that you don’t have a way to get it home. Now you have to rent a trailer, too.
All of a sudden, what seemed like it would be a simple chore is now a hassle.
Timing & Weather Issues
Aeration is best performed during the fall months. This is the best time for your lawn to receive the service, particularly when it comes with overseeding since seed germination is best in fall.
You also want to pay attention to weather and soil conditions when you’re performing DIY lawn aeration. Soggy soil is not something you can move a heavy aerator over without damaging your lawn. This could cause more trouble than the positive lawn transformation you were seeking.
Risky Business
When you operate heavy machinery like a lawn aerator, there are always some risks that come with it.
These include damages to vehicles, landscaping, hardscaping, or even yourself. Learning how to operate an aerator properly during DIY lawn aeration is a must to get great results and do the job safely and securely.
DIY Lawn Aeration or Hire a Professional?
If you are wondering about the differences between DIY lawn aeration or hiring a professional, you might want to know what professional aeration services can get you in Northern Virginia so you can make a fair comparison.
You probably considered DIY lawn aeration first because you thought about potential cost savings. But once you look at rental costs and risks, this might show you that there aren’t a lot of overall savings – and this is before you factored in the cost of your time.
With all the potential complications that could crop up, professional lawn aeration services could start to look pretty attractive.
Here are some of the reasons a pro service in Northern Virginia could be worthwhile.
Premium Results
When you hire a professional lawn aeration service in Northern Virginia, you aren’t struggling with an old machine that’s seen better days. An experienced lawn care expert is using a high-end piece of equipment that is regularly maintained to perform aeration on your lawn.
These commercial-grade machines also ensure great soil plug depth. This is what gives you the best results. Rental aerators don’t always ensure great soil plug depth, and that’s what can lead to mediocre results. Greater depth leads to better movement of oxygen, water, and nutrients into your soil.
Trained technicians also know what they are doing, meaning fewer mistakes are made, and the job is done correctly and swiftly. They can answer all of your questions to ensure a successful outcome.
Convenient and Stress-Free Service
There is no greater joy of hiring someone eliminating the inconvenience of taking all the pain-staking steps of performing DIY lawn aeration yourself.
You don’t have to worry about rental times for pickup and drop off or having the right trailer. You don’t have to constantly watch the weather or check your soil conditions. You don’t have to worry about working with a machine that is tough to handle or hasn’t been well-maintained over the years.
You don’t have to be anxious about running over your hardscape or damaging your irrigation system or electric dog fence. You don’t have to worry about running over your toes. The safety factor is automatically in place when you hire a pro to take care of lawn aeration for you.
Comprehensive Service Packaging
Another benefit to hiring lawn aeration service in Northern Virginia is you can get recommendations or service packages that include optimal pairings with lawn aeration.
For instance, Turf’s up offers overseeding as part of its aeration services since this is the ideal time for seed germination – when you have natural pockets in your soil for the seed to settle into and grow. It also helps you obtain a thicker lawn.
Professional aeration companies use push spreaders properly calibrated to seed your lawn at 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet. We use clean, quality seed – something that not many home improvement stores sell for DIY lawn seeding. This ensures fewer weeds and a better grass stand.
We also offer topdressing services at this time to help improve your soil health, giving your lawn another important boost. Topdressing is a method of adding compost to the holes made during aeration. The compost mixes with the clay, creating a better topsoil layer.
Topdressing is something you might consider trying yourself, but spreading the material evenly is important and with just a wheelbarrow you may find you’re adding it in clumps that smother your grass versus in a light, even path over your grass soil.
You Deserve Professional Lawn Aeration Service in Northern Virginia
Now that you understand the advantages and disadvantages of DIY lawn aeration or hiring a professional, you are primed to make a more confident choice – one that is best for your home lawn.
Embracing professional lawn aeration service means you are all-in for a proactive approach to caring for your lawn – one that includes high-end equipment, top-quality seed, and premium results. And you don’t have to deal with the stress, muddy shoes, callused hands, and subpar results. You can sit back, relax, and reap the rewards.
Still wondering what to do when it comes to aerating your lawn? Give Turf’s Up a call. We want to help you make the most informed and best decision for you. We are happy to take the time to help you compare programs and costs so you know what a professional lawn aeration program includes.
Ready to learn why Turf’s Up could be your totally awesome choice for professional lawn aeration services in Northern Virginia? We’re stoked to learn more about you and help you have the best lawn in the neighborhood. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we can prepare a customized plan that is perfect for you and your lawn.
