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3 Reasons Why Your Tree Needs Aeration

Resources: Tree Maintenance

RTEC technician performing soil aeration in a tree's critical root zone.
RTEC technician performing soil aeration in a tree’s critical root zone.

Aeration, or more commonly known as soil de-compaction via a High Velocity Air Tool, is one of the most important treatments for a healthy tree.  According to a recent Arborist survey, soil compaction is a serious issue on approximately 50% of residential properties across the DC Metro Area and contributes to 80% of urban tree decline. Don’t let your tree become a soil compaction statistic; read on to find out the 3 major reasons your tree needs Aeration to maintain its health.

1) Your Soil Has Poor Nutrients: In our urban/suburban area the soil around tree roots tends to be compacted. This means there is no room from other plants and micro-organisms to grown within it and provide nutrients to the tree.

How Aeration Can Help:  Aeration gives room for micro-organisms to develop and the soil to correct back to its natural nutrient dense state. If lack of nutrients is extreme the Arborist may even recommend you go one step further with Vertical Mulching.

2) Your Soil Is Experiencing Drought: Typically most homeowners don’t worry about drought unless there is a lack of rain; however, when soil compaction is present your tree can experience drought during normal weather conditions. In compaction cases the soil is too hard and dry to let rain past the first layer of soil. This means very little amounts of water make it to the tree’s root system.

How Aeration Can Help: Because aeration breaks up the soil there is no longer a hard top layer to stop water from penetrating the soil. The increase in pore space referenced in reason #1 also gives the water more room to pass through the soil and be absorbed by the tree’s roots.

Soil Aeration3) Your Soil Has A Lack Of Pore Space: Scientific studies show that a healthy soil in the natural forest environment has 50% pore space for oxygen and moisture. However, in our suburban and urban environment typical soil has only 10% pore space. This dramatic decrease is unnatural for your tree and is a major factor in tree mortality.

How Aeration Can Help:  Soil Aeration breaks up compaction allowing more pore space. This pore space helps give your tree the moisture and oxygen it needs and helps turn your landscape into a more natural environment.

Benefits Of AerationAeration not only remedies the issues discussed above but also provides numerous other benefits such as plant & root growth promotion, management of toxic chemical formation, and disease/insect control. The importance of aerating the soil in your tree cannot be stressed enough. It is vital for optimal tree/root health and should be performed regularly for best results.

If you would like to save your tree from years of decline and ultimately death, it is best to get ahead of soil compaction by having Aeration treatments performed one to two times a year.

To learn more about soil compaction and the benefits of aeration check out our other article Soil Compaction: Are You Smothering Your Tree?

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Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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