Kids - Large and Small
Agronomy students testing grass durability!
*The above Lawn Aeration Equipment products are available in the Lawnsmith Shop and discussed below:
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What a great use for a lawn; a place to play outside in the fresh air and when the kids fall down they invariably bounce! Fantastic!
The problems arise if the lawn is small or the kids bring friends or they have one preferred place for the goal! The result is concentrated wear resulting in compacted hard bald patches.
Unfortunately there is not a lot you can do to prevent this if yours is the favourite lawn on the block. Moving the goal posts is obvious but if that means a broken window rather than a damaged lawn then best leave the goal where it is! All you can do is help the lawn recover as follows:
Relieve Compaction
Relieving compaction around the play areas by spiking with a garden fork or aerator sandals* is not that difficult. The secret is to do it frequently preferably every month. Alternating the aeration with a hollow tine aerator or fork* will considerably relieve the compaction. Afterwards, put the sprinkler on the area for 30 minutes and stay off it for a day or two.
If the lawn gets worn out as well as compacted put a little grass seed in every time you aerate. Most will not take but as long as a few seeds germinate you’ll keep it looking reasonably green and a lot softer for the goalie to land on.
The Air Lift
An alternative to just spiking with a fork is to ‘lift’ the turf. This is where the fork, once inserted, is levered backwards quite often using your foot of a board behind the fork as a fulcrum. As the fork is pulled backwards the pointy end moves forwards and upwards inside the turf slightly lifting it.
This is very slow and hard work but is very useful for heavily trod areas or where slight depressions have developed and you need to bring the surface level back up to match the surrounding turf.
