Our gardening club is like a mini version of the country in many ways, but while that philosophical statement is broad, I am focusing more narrowly. I am talking about grass here. Most people typically live in homes, rented or owned and these homes have yards. Sometimes large yards; but me, I just have a couple of grass paths. Like the big lawns, the grass paths require care and attention. They require containing and guidance as I have shown in another posting featuring edging. Today I went a step further with the grass path care—I aerated them. Aerating my grass paths is something that I time. I wait for a moment where rain is forecast in the early spring. I first edge the paths and then the next day, I aerate the paths followed by a feeding of blood meal. My paths are looking sort of sorry at the minute. These paths make me think of the Scottish shortbread that I make with their little prik holes. You know, this aeration really is important for our grassy areas. The main reason to do it is to alleviate the compacting that occurs over the course of time. So, what’s the big deal— so my soil’s compacted. So what. Well it’s the nature of compacting— when the soil becomes compressed there is too little space between the particles underground. The result is that the air flow (oxygenation) is diminished, the water doesn’t soak down properly and there is a less than optimal uptake of nutrients. So then, the key word here is alleviation. The pressure of the compacting is alleviated, not removed. Like letting off steam as it were. To totally get rid of the compacting one would have to actually plough up the ground. The alleviation allows the three points above to be improved. That is my goal. While in the lottie, I checked in on the sugar snap peas that I planted a few days ago and one is coming up already. Woo-hoo ! One small step, but it is a beginning. It is exciting for me.
My husband used to golf, and had the old-fashioned spiked shoes. Those shoes are great for aerating! He just walks around with his spikes on and oxygenation is improved. Make friends with a golfer!
Those little prik holes remind me of my golfing days and I hated them. The golf greens are normally aerated once in a year and those prik holes really make putting crazy. Congratulation on your sugar snap peas.
PEAS!!!!! peas peas peas peas peas. Or is it a lone....pea. Sad to pea alone. I'm sure everyone will be apeasing the others soon. So exciting! I'm very happy for you Sjoerd. I appreciate the explanation of aerating. It is something I've thought of often in certain hard clay patches that are compacted and always burn early in the summer. There are aerator shoe attachments that I've looked at for those spots. I'm not certain it would help...but it sure can not not help. Clay is a funny thing - but your explanation makes so much sense . The grass wants to grow there and does, but is very compacted.
Melody, for the compacted clay areas, after aeration sprinkle some sand on the spots and then water it in. It will, after a few pokes and more sand, loosen up the clay.
I gave up doing aeration years ago. We get so much acid rain . The mower /tractor and horses packs the soil down. Instead I sprinkle with lime to balance the PH. I think that over time the moles and gophers have done their job churning up the soil and enough weed seeds to fill a dump truck. It’s a lot of effort to rent a whats a jigger to do as much as 3 acres. Then all those plugs just makes the landscape uneven and to bumpy for this ol gal. For small lawns aeration totally makes sense . Wearing golf shoes might work on paths but also check the soil PH.
Thanks Pac. Of the 8 acres we mow, we have three patches that are about 10 x 14 feet that burn and are more clay. I wondered about the lime, I'll check the PH. We work hard to keep the green space green for fire mitigation and those darn hard pan patches like to burn from the sun even if I pour water on them. I don't have a tool to aerate, but for patches the size I have I may try a pitch fork and work out some frustration one day.
Oh Mel— peas don’t make fun of them, they’re only small yet. You are good at this, BTW. I am pretty excited as well. I hope the voles do not find them. If they do and I get hold of ‘em, they’ll pea history.
