Liquid Aeration - Ask Extension
Please recommend a liquid aeration DIY product for my St. Augustine lawn that has never been aerated.
Knowledgebase
Liquid Aeration #786642
Asked April 12, 2022, 6:22 PM EDT
Please recommend a liquid aeration DIY product for my St. Augustine lawn that has never been aerated.
Travis County Texas
Expert Response
Margaret,
Policy does not allow us to recommend specific products. Please see the attached Grow Green fact sheets with information on Lawn Care and Lawn Problems. I hope you find them useful.
Thanks!
Cindy
Policy does not allow us to recommend specific products. Please see the attached Grow Green fact sheets with information on Lawn Care and Lawn Problems. I hope you find them useful.
Thanks!
Cindy
I live in Austin and our St. Augustine lawn has never been aerated so the top soil is rock solid. I am curious about applying a liquid aeration treatment since the core method could damage the irrigation system. Does organic liquid aeration or soil conditioners work? I know you cannot recommend products but can you advise on the chemicals and balance to look for.
Margaret,
Liquid aeration involves spraying a mixture containing soap-like materials (such as sodium lauryl sulfate), humates (organic matter like seaweed), and bio-stimulants like molasses onto the lawn to break down dense particles in the soil and loosen it up. There may be other ingredients such as food for soil microbes; each company has a proprietary formula. Liquid soil conditioners are similar; they can contain fertilizer, plant growth hormones, and bio-stimulants. Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that liquid lawn aeration or soil conditioners will reduce soil compaction. These extension articles go into more detail:
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/lawns/1545-liquid-lawn-aeration/
https://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/aerate
The best way to improve compacted soil is with core aeration. The tines on most core aerators are about 3 inches. Water your lawn a few days beforehand and mark the sprinkler heads with flags. After core aeration, top dress your lawn with compost. You may want to consider this an annual chore (at least the compost) until you start to see improvement. The different types of compost are explained here - https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/horticulture/soils-and-composting-for-austin/compost-brings-life/.
Hope this helps!
Cindy
Liquid aeration involves spraying a mixture containing soap-like materials (such as sodium lauryl sulfate), humates (organic matter like seaweed), and bio-stimulants like molasses onto the lawn to break down dense particles in the soil and loosen it up. There may be other ingredients such as food for soil microbes; each company has a proprietary formula. Liquid soil conditioners are similar; they can contain fertilizer, plant growth hormones, and bio-stimulants. Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that liquid lawn aeration or soil conditioners will reduce soil compaction. These extension articles go into more detail:
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/lawns/1545-liquid-lawn-aeration/
https://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/aerate
The best way to improve compacted soil is with core aeration. The tines on most core aerators are about 3 inches. Water your lawn a few days beforehand and mark the sprinkler heads with flags. After core aeration, top dress your lawn with compost. You may want to consider this an annual chore (at least the compost) until you start to see improvement. The different types of compost are explained here - https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/horticulture/soils-and-composting-for-austin/compost-brings-life/.
Hope this helps!
Cindy
