The key to a green, healthy lawn may lie underground, ground that is often hard and dry. One major obstacle that homeowners must deal with in Santa Clarita is compacted soil. During the construction phase of home building, the soil is compacted by heavy machinery. This is done intentionally, much to the chagrin of those who work in the garden. Certain building codes require the soil to be compacted to a specified depth.
Another factor limiting the success of our lawns is clay soil. Clay soils have the ability to harden like cement. Getting water, oxygen, and fertilizer to penetrate through the soil into the root zone can be very difficult. Lawns, much like humans, need food, air, and water to thrive.
Problem spots in the lawn, caused by improper water penetration, lack of fertilizer and certain fungal diseases, can by avoided by aerating. Aeration is the process of poking holes in the ground and removing plugs of soil. This process allows fertilizer, water and air to get to the root system. Aerating is best done in spring or fall, avoiding the heat of summer. This can be accomplished by the use of a hand held aerating tool or by the use of a gasoline-powered machine.
The hand held aerating tool works fine for average-size lawns or trouble spots. For a large lawn area, consider renting an aerating machine or contact a gardening service to do the job for you. Hand-held aerators might be purchased at larger, full service garden centers. The machinery can be rented from local rental yards, but is rather bulky and difficult to operate. There are a few gardeners and lawn service companies that own their own aerators and will aerate your lawn for you. After the lawn is aerated, the plugs should be raked up and added to the compost pile.
After the aeration process is completed, fertilize the lawn with a complete fertilizer. This would also be the time to apply gypsum. Gypsum aids in the breaking up of heavy clay soils. Gypsum is available in powder or pellet form. The pelletized form is much easier to work with and contains some nitrogen, iron and other nutrients. Once the fertilizer and gypsum has been applied, cover the entire area very lightly with organic lawn mulch. Then water thoroughly.
Within several weeks, a rejuvenated lawn will appear.
For additional information, consult the garden experts at Green Thumb Garden Center located at 23734 San Fernando Rd., Newhall.