Your trusted experts for aerating & dethatching lawns throughout St. Charles & O’Fallon.

The soil throughout St. Charles County is predominantly clay soil, which compacts rapidly and can create multiple issues that can put your lawn’s health at risk if left untreated. Through either aeration or dethatching service you can reduce compaction, increase water retention and drive oxygen into the grassroots to allow your lawn to grow healthy and green.

What is aeration?

Aeration is the most effective way to jumpstart the recovery of a dying lawn. There are a few aeration practices used by lawn care experts around the nation, but core lawn aeration is the most effective way to deal with the clay soil in O’Fallon and St. Charles.

Core lawn aeration is the process of pulling plugs out of the lawn to create tiny holes for nutrients and air to sink into the ground. The plugs rest on the lawn’s surface and will decompose back into the soil.

Why aerate?

Compacted soil prevents grass from establishing a healthy root system and keeps vital nutrients from reaching the turf roots. Aeration helps expose the root system to additional airflow and allows water, fertilizer and other nutrients to seep deeper into the soil.

Benefits of aeration:

Core aeration can improve the health of lawns and reduce maintenance by:

Improving air exchange between soil and atmosphere
Enhancing water and fertilizer uptake
Reducing water runoff and puddling
Strengthening turfgrass roots
Reducing soil compaction
Enhancing heat and drought stress tolerance
Enhancing thatch breakdown

What is dethatching?

Thatch is a naturally occurring layer of dead and living grass stems. Thatch can keep water and air from reaching the soil, and if left untreated, can invite pests and diseases into your lawn. Lawn care professionals agree that the ideal thatch layer length is no longer than ½”, as thatch can act like mulch to provide insulation, protection, and extra water.

Dethatching removes those layers of dead grass, roots, and debris matted between the soil and the healthy grass. It helps keep the grass greener and healthier while minimizing the chance of disease.

Aerating vs Dethatching

Dethatching involves the use of a machine that mechanically extracts the thatch layer across an entire lawn, which can incidentally pull up healthy grass as collateral damage. An aerator, on the other hand, removes small cores of soil throughout the lawn.

The idea behind a dethatching machine is to remove all of the dead materials sitting in the soil, while the goal of an aerator is to loosen the soil. Both services accomplish the same goal, but a lawn aeration service offers less risk of damaging your lawn.

Should I aerate or dethatch?

Because of the risk to your lawn, detatching has become a less common practice. Greenside Lawn Care’s expert team is trained in both practices but will typically recommend aeration due to the other advantages that the practice offers. Aeration is an effective way of cleaning up the thatch layer without damaging healthy grass.

How often should I aerate?

Having your O’Fallon or St. Charles lawn aerated at least once a year is important to maintain the health of your lawn. Midwestern homeowners should consider aerating a second time after a hotter summer. September is usually the best time of the year to aerate a lawn.

Other services offered throughout St. Charles & O’Fallon:

To view all the services we offer click here and view our services page