Last Updated on August 29, 2023 by ILGM Ninjas
It is vital that air, water and nutrients have an easy path to get to the roots and that roots have an easy time moving through the soil to obtain these assets and grow. For most people this is achieved by mechanical means which is core aeration. Core aeration is based upon the premise that an extracted plug will alleviate soil compaction and allow these resources into the soil. So if aeration is that effective why must you do it every year? The answer to that lies with the use of synthetic fertilizers which have killed off the microbiology in the soil. Aeration in a natural context is achieved by the fungal populations in the soil. Fungi secrete a natural resin or glue if you will called glomalin. This natural glue creates small aggregates of soil, soil “balls” if you will. This will resemble cottage cheese or chocolate cake. This is a sure sign of a healthy soil. These small aggregates draw together particles of the soil and by doing so allow air, water and nutrients to move freely in the soil. The life cycle of the fungi and the roots create voids in the soil which naturally aerate the soil and do not disturb the soil microbiology. This is how aeration was meant to exist and this is a fundamental component of the biological system that we utilize to further the health of our lawns. Just imagine have billions of microscopic organisms in your soil working 24/7 to make your soil better. There is a better way to do things and the organic biological regenerative program is the way to go.