Aeration & Seeding

Most of us only think about the lawn in the summer, while we are out mowing it every week in the hot sun. But the truth is a lawn comes back far more lush and healthy if it gets a little extra care at the right times of the year, and the most important of those times is the fall. Once the temperatures turn milder, the rain picks up, the soil is still holding some warmth and the weeds have quit competing, your lawn starts to heal from the long hot summer, and that makes it the best window to give it the attention it needs to show off come next spring.

Why Aeration Matters

One of the real detriments to a healthy lawn is compacted soil, and that happens from all the foot traffic over the course of the summer. To rectify it the soil needs to be aerated, to open it back up so it can take in water, air and fertilizer down where the roots are living. There are machines you can rent and tackle it yourself, but it tends to be a good deal easier to have Nature’s Friends handle the fall lawn chores for you. Left packed down like that, the ground keeps the roots from growing deep and strong, and you end up with a thin, stressed lawn that struggles against drought, disease and weeds.

Fertilizing and Dethatching

After the lawn is aerated it wants some fertilizer to help along the root growth that happens through the autumn. There are all kinds of opinions about how much to use with which grass and in which conditions, so that is another good reason to give us a call. We can also take care of removing the thatch in the lawn, which is done with a power rake and gets rid of that layer of dead grass that packs down around the roots. It may not need doing every single year, but it is worth having a look at each fall.

Overseeding

After the aerating and the dethatching, the bare spots can be seeded to fill them back in, or if the whole lawn has gone a bit thin, it can be over seeded all over. The little holes the aeration opens up turn out to be just about the perfect spot for the seed to settle into and make good contact with the soil. Either way, you will want to keep the water steady, light and frequent if the rain is not doing it for you.

The Right Time in Maryland

Around Maryland the sweet spot for all of this is late summer on into the early fall, more often than not somewhere around September. The soil is still warm enough for the seed to germinate, but the air has cooled off enough to go easy on the young grass. We usually suggest putting down some lime at the same time as well, since the acid rain we get around here has a way of pulling the soil pH down over the years. Do all of these chores and you will have yourself a beautiful, healthy, green lawn.

Contact us to get your yearly aeration and seeding put on the schedule.