Core Lawn Aeration & Overseeding
Healthy soil is a key component of growing a healthy, lush lawn, and when soil becomes too compacted, it can lead to thin patches of dying grass. Aerating your lawn will help relieve soil compaction and contribute to healthier grass. And if you are noticing thin areas or patches of dead grass in your yard, you may want to consider lawn seeding (also referred to as grass overseeding) in addition to aeration.
Why Is It Important to Aerate Lawns?
Over time, soil becomes compacted naturally from activities like mowing the lawn and even walking on it. When soil gets compacted, it can impact the health and appearance of your lawn. Too much soil compaction can actually create thinned out lawns and can even kill grass.
You may want to consider mitigating soil compaction with lawn aeration to ensure healthier grass come springtime. When you aerate your lawn, you’re loosening up the soil to bring in oxygen, nutrients, and water to the root systems of the grass.
The best time to aerate your lawn is in the fall so it can be combined with overseeding. Spring is another good time for aeration if you didn’t quite get to it in autumn.
Types of Aeration
Essentially, there are two types of grass aerating: mechanical and chemical. Chemical aeration, as the name implies, involves aerating your lawn by applying chemical products. Mechanical aeration involves pulling small, round cores of soil from your lawn.
At Yard Smart, we use specialized machines for mechanical aeration that only dig about three inches deep. The cores are then deposited back onto the soil so they can break down over a period of just a few days. Each option has its advantages, and if you’re not sure what works best for you, just give us a call to talk through it.
Grass Overseeding or Lawn Seeding
Another way to achieve a full, healthy lawn at home or at your business is grass overseeding. This simply means applying new grass seed to replace older, dying grass and to fill in any thinning areas. Lawns naturally age and thin out, so overseeding or lawn seeding is an efficient way to replenish grass.
We typically recommend aerating your lawn prior to overseeding. This sequence keeps the lawn clear of debris and loosens the soil so it can better accept the new grass seed.
Once the lawn is overseeded, it’s important to water your lawn once or twice per day until you see new grass start to sprout. This could take between two and three weeks. Be sure to water for about 20 minutes at a time to keep the grass seed moist without the risk of washing it all away.
Get Help With Core Lawn Aeration & Grass Overseeding
At Yard Smart, we only use high quality, native seeds from local nurseries that thrive within our climate. Give us a call if you’d like us to help you with core lawn aeration and grass overseeding.