Aerating & Dethatching

Aeration

A healthy North Shore lawn starts at the roots. Grass roots, though underground, require a certain amount of oxygen in order for the blades above to flourish. Over time, soil compaction (a naturally occurring process oftentimes accelerated by heavy foot traffic and lawn rolling) literally squeezes the oxygen out of the ground. Not only does this deprive roots of oxygen, but it also makes it difficult for water and other nutrients to penetrate the Essex County areas soil.

Core aeration relieves soil compaction, allowing oxygen, water, and fertilizers easier access to the grass roots. A core aerator is a piece of equipment which ‘pokes’ thousands of finger-sized holes into the lawn, removing small plugs of soil in the process. These plugs are dispersed throughout the lawn and disappear naturally in a few days. Best results are attained when the soil is soft from either snow melt, or heavy rain. Core aeration can be performed any time during the lawn care season, though Spring is the best time, followed by Fall.

Dethatching

Thatch is the accumulation of decomposing organic debris embedded within your North Shore turfgrass (ie. grass clippings, leaf fragments, small sticks, etc). A small amount of thatch to 1/2 inch is generally acceptable. Thatch layers in excess of this range have the potential to cause serious turfgrass problems, such as:

• reduction in the effectiveness of fertilizers & pesticides
• creation of ideal conditions for turf disease and insect infestation

Dethatching (sometimes called “power-raking”) is the process of removing thatch from your Merrimack Valley area lawn, thus reducing the amount to an acceptable level. The service is performed by Belko Landscaping via a de-thatching unit, which when pulled across the grass, lifts the thatch to the surface. Once the entire yard is dethatched, the debris is collected via a grass sweep, bagged, and removed for proper disposal.

Dethatching is generally one of our Spring services, performed from early April through early May, when ground conditions are suitable.

Massachusetts and New Hampshire Service Areas

Belko Landscaping provides Aeration and Dethatching service to: Southern New Hampshire, Salem New Hampshire, Massachusetts Merrimack Valley, Essex County Massachusetts,  North Shore of Boston, Andover, North Andover, Methuen, Haverhill, Boxford, Georgetown, Rowley, Lowell, Methuen, Lawrence, Lynnfield, Peabody, West Peabody, Wakefield, Topsfield, Danvers, Ipswich and surrounding Eastern Massachusetts communities.