Our goal is to exceed your expectations.

Comments are off

When is the Best Time to Aerate and Seed Your Lawn?

Grass roots need an adequate supply of air, nutrients, and water to remain healthy. That is a requirement for maintaining a lush lawn. Achieving this calls for perforation of small holes in the soil, every few inches to alleviate soil compaction. This is called aeration. Compact soils have a huge concentration of solid roots in a particular space or volume, which inhibits the circulation of nutrients, air, and water.

Why you should aerate your lawn?

Aerating and seeding yards with fescue grass should happen every year because compact soils are not good for the health of your grass and the root zone. When the roots get too compacted, it can create a breeding ground for weeds. Core aeration is advisable once per year. This allows the grass in your yard to breathe and the roots to get water and nutrients. We reseed after aeration to promote new growth and a lush lawn.

When To Aerate Your Lawn

There are factors to consider when determining the time to aerate your lawn.

  • The amount of moisture your lawn has received.
  • The type of grass you have.
  • Weather conditions in your area.

We can’t stress enough that it’s important to aerate and plant fescue grass seed in the Fall because it is a cool season variety of grass. Doing so will ensure that the roots go as deep as possible before the hot summer season sets in. If you wait to plant during the summer, you will find that the roots burn before they can get buried deep enough. You will need to provide shade in addition to watering the grass on a regular basis. Aerating in the Spring opens up your yard to increasing amounts of weeds. Since the roots are so fragile at this point, if they do burn in the sun, you will need to start over again in the Fall.

For warm season grasses, such as Zoysia, application of a pre-emergent will be necessary either in a single or split approach, to get rid of weeds for the winter and the coming year. You should opt to put out the pre-emergent in September or October.

What Does Our Aeration Process Entail?

  • If your yard is covered with weeds, we will need to apply herbicide to first eliminate the weeds. Aeration and seeding will follow after that. We use chemicals that will not hurt the grass, but if we need to spray first, it will delay germination of the seed we put down. Our choice of chemical is yard specific and we do our best to choose based on the job we are hired for.
  • After aerating and seeding, keep foot traffic and animals off your lawn for 14-21 days to allow germination.
  • When the young grass starts to show, give it a few weeks before mowing to allow it to become a bit hardier. The blades you use to mow should be sharp to avoid tearing the grass instead of cutting it. If you don’t use sharp blades, the tearing effect on your grass makes it susceptible to diseases.
  • Once the yard is ready to be mowed, keep an eye out for weeds. If you are still seeing them, we will spray after about your third mow and follow with a liquid fertilizer.
  • Water your newly aerated and seeded yard sufficiently and consistently. Irrigation is preferable. We shared some great smart irrigation systems a few months back. Click here to read about them. A temporary irrigation system is advisable for those who do not have an established one. Watering your lawn should be done on a daily basis until the grass starts coming up. At that point, we will be able to advise you on the quantity of water needed for the type of grass you chose.

Your lawn can be happy and lush if you choose the right times to water, aerate and seed!

If you’re interested in scheduling a time for us to come out* and aerate and seed your lawn, give us a call at 704-860-1660 before September 25th so we can be sure to schedule you before the Fall busy season hits.


* Hourly fees will apply