You might be tempted to use the $50 aeration service coming door-to-door this fall—think twice before saying yes. Services like that aim to make a quick buck without understanding the potential risks to the lawn. Their aeration machines can spread diseases and weeds from unhealthy lawns to yours. If you want to prevent lawn diseases and weeds from entering your lawn through dirty aeration machines, you need a sanitized aeration service.
Preventing Necrotic Ring Spot Disease
One major disease that aerators spread is called necrotic ring spot. Necrotic ring spot disease is a fungus that creates circles of dead grass in the lawn. It lives in the soil and stays for years. Like most funguses, necrotic ring disease needs a moist, compacted environment to survive, so overwatering makes it worse and can cause it to spread throughout the lawn.
Lawns suffering from necrotic ring benefit from aeration because it loosens the soil, relieving compaction. However, this also makes it easy for the disease to spread through aeration machines.
Aerators can even spread the disease within the same lawn—from one part of a lawn to another. So be sure to aerate spots affected with the disease last, then pressure wash and sanitize the aerator before using it on another lawn!
Preventing Grass-type Weeds
Weeds like orchard grass, foxtail, and others can also spread through aerators. Grass-type weeds are different from other types of weeds because weed control sprays designed for the lawn cannot eliminate them. For this reason, preventing them from entering your lawn in the first place is better than trying to eliminate them after they take root. When aerating, follow the same strategy as you would with a diseased section—try to avoid areas with weed grasses initially and instead aerate those spots last.
Sanitized Aeration Method
Aerators can spread diseases and weed grasses between lawns, but sanitized aeration prevents this from happening.
Follow these steps for sanitized aeration:
- Place the aerator somewhere away from the grass.
- Pressure wash all parts of the aerator that will contact the grass, especially the tines.
- Sanitize the aerator with a disinfectant spray.
- Aerate the lawn. If you have grass-type weeds or a lawn disease in a part of your lawn, make sure you aerate that portion last.
Stewarts offers a sanitized aeration service in spring and fall. Call or text our office at 801-226-2261 for a free quote and more information!