Why do I need to aerate my lawn?

Aeration & Overseeding: Essential Lawn Care Practices

Aeration and overseeding are two of the most effective ways to improve lawn health, combat drought stress, and ensure a lush, green yard. These techniques work together to enhance soil quality and promote strong turf growth.

Aeration is the process of perforating the soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deep into the root zone. This relieves soil compaction and enhances root development.

1. Improves water infiltration
2. Reduces soil compaction
3. Encourages deeper root growth
4. Enhances microbial activity by allowing the water and nutrients into the soil

Overseeding involves spreading new grass seed over an existing lawn. It fills in bare spots, increases turf density, and introduces drought-resistant grass varieties.

1. Time it Right: Best done in early fall for best results
2. Choose the Right Seed: Match the seed variety to your climate and soil type.- Work with a professional to ensure you are getting the right seed
3. Water Regularly: Keep soil consistently moist after seeding. New seed requires light watering at least twice a day to keep it damp
4. Combine with Fertilization: Provides essential nutrients for seed germination. After seeding the new grass will be HUNGRY! Proper fertilization ensures the seed gets the right nutrients and you don’t waste money.

Is there a wrong time to aerate and overseed?

Yes!: 

1. For best results seeding in the fall is advised. On the North Shore of Mass you want to have your seeding done by the end of the first week in Oct or sooner to ensure enough time for germination.
2. Spring aeration and overseeding is not recommended unless you have a very bad lawn that will fill in with weeds. Spring seeding means weed control for the lawn is greatly reduced and the seed will need to get established before the heat of the summer hits
3. Never aerate and seed in the summer, it is just too hot to get seed established.

By incorporating aeration and overseeding into your lawn care routine, you can revitalize your turf, improve resilience against drought stress, and maintain a beautiful, healthy lawn. Industry best practices are aerating and overseeding yearly which can get expensive so try to do it at least every other year.