When your yard and lawn get so compacted that it feels like concrete, watering just creates rivers of runoff, and the thin grass and bare spots make your lawn look like a dog park, you’re going to want to get your yard aerated and seeded! There’s no better way to revitalize an older and neglected lawn than an aeration and overseeding service. Let’s get into why these are important jobs for getting your yard back up to snuff and how important the timing is for getting your turf taken care of. These are both part of our lawn care and maintenance services, so give us a call or check our contact page for more options.
What is Aeration and Why is it Important?
Lawn aeration is a process of poking 2-3 inches deep holes in the lawn and pulling out the small cores of soil. These plugs are dropped on the surface and quickly break down into dirt over a few weeks, especially if you are watering and seeding. The resulting holes that are left in the soil help to soften up hard and compacted turf as well as create access to the root area for watering, fertilizing, and even sunlight. With Victoria’s rather clay-heavy soils, aeration is an excellent way to loosen up the dirt and allow moisture deeper into the soil layer.
Over time, lawns get compacted through foot traffic, vehicles, or just gravity and time. Your yard can develop bare spots around areas of heavy traffic or where over-compaction has made it difficult for water to penetrate the surface. One or two aeration passes will restore the grass surface and allow deep watering to the sod roots and quickly restore compaction over the fall and winter.
In summary, lawn aeration can:
- Reduce hard and compacted turf
- Reduce water runoff
- Improve water and nutrient absorption
- Improve response to fertilization
- Improve the look and feel
- Increase root health and root depth
What is Overseeding and How Does it Work
Overseeding is the process of spreading a healthy amount of fresh grass seed on the surface of the lawn and is most effective when applied at the same time as the aeration process. The freshly aerated lawn provides recesses where seed can drop down and propagate in the soil, as well as recover areas of bare dirt or thin turf.
Lawns that are already thick and healthy-looking might not need an overseed, so speak to your landscaper about what is necessary for your particular situation. However, grass that is patchy and you can see the dirt through the turf will definitely benefit from an overseed along with the aeration process.
It’s also important to have the right expectations, in that it could take a couple of seedings to get the lawn back up to 100% coverage and health. Overseeding just spreads the seed on the turf surface during aeration and can have good germination. However, a more intense process such as power-seeding might be a better alternative for very compact and patchy lawns. That’s why overseeding should always accompany the aeration process, since there’s a much better chance of germination of the top-dressed seed.
You want to overseed if:
- Your lawn has patchy areas of bare dirt
- Your lawn looks thin, and you can see dirt through the grass
- You want to thicken your turf
- You want to add some hardy grass varieties to your lawn
When Should You Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn?
In the Pacific Northwest region, lawn aeration and overseeding should always take place in the fall or early spring when temperatures drop, and there’s a little more moisture in the air. The cooler temps will give the seed a much better chance at germination and survival. Sometimes the early spring is a better time, as there’s generally good moisture content in the lawn already, which can also help with germination and early seed growth.
There are often watering restrictions in the summer as well, so the new seed won’t get enough watering to properly germinate and grow in those very important first few weeks. Also, the plugs that are pulled up during the aeration create excellent watering surfaces and help to retain moisture on the surface to help the new seed germinate.
The timing of aeration and overseeding is very important, so if you’re at all unsure, contact True Earth Landscapes, and we’d be happy to provide a quote on a complete aeration and overseeding service to get your lawn looking amazing. A thick, healthy lawn takes perfect timing and professional attention. Call us today!
