Tired of having a weak, brittle lawn? Exhausted from battling persistent brown patches to no avail? Or are you just plain unhappy with the state of your lawn? If you’re tired of battling your lawn, try helping it.
Lawn aeration and overseeding are two lawn care methods that aid your weak and struggling lawn. Stop battling your lawn and give it the care it needs. Aerating and overseeding give your Nashville lawn the space, nutrients, and time it needs to grow strong and beautiful.
What is Aeration?
Lawn aeration is a simple process lawn experts use to encourage lawn growth and strengthen roots. Lawn care experts will typically use one of two aeration options: plug aeration and liquid aeration.
Plug aeration punctures holes in your lawn to break up the hardened topsoil and loosen the thatch. This method leaves behind plugs, small cylinders of dirt, in your yard. They eventually break down, but it can take a few weeks for them to disappear. Plug aeration is a completely manual procedure. Lawn crew teams spend a couple hours moving a core aerator over your lawn to ensure it is properly aerated. Pulling plugs allow for air, water, and nutrients to sink into the soil and reach the roots. Aeration breaks up the compact soil and gives grass the space it needs to grow deeper roots and mature.
Although plug aeration takes more time and leaves behind plugs, we find it to be the most consistent and effective option for proper aeration. Aeration is to grass what pruning is to a bush—you remove a little here and there to give room for healthier growth.
Liquid aeration, on the other hand, is liquid mix that lawn care experts spray on your yard. The work is typically completed in a fraction of the time a plug aeration crew completes the work, and it doesn’t leave plugs behind. Liquid aerators come in a variety of styles: organic, hybrid, and chemically based. We use a hybrid liquid aerator to break down thatch, loosen soil, and send nutrients to the roots. Homeowners and lawn experts alike have found liquid aeration to have varying results. Some lawns do well with it while others don’t change much.
You can aerate your lawn 1-3 times a year, depending on your grass. Most homes in Tennessee have fescue grass, which is a cool weather grass. You only need to aerate this type of grass once a year. If your yard has warm weather grasses, like Bermuda and Zoysia, you should aerate your lawn multiple times a year, especially during the warmer months.
At the minimum, we recommend aerating your lawn once a year in the fall in Middle Tennessee. You don’t want to wait too long to aerate your lawn—the temperature drops can kill your grass with easy access to the roots if you opt for plug aeration. Nor do you want to aerate too early into the summer—you can scorch your lawn in the heat, unless it’s Bermuda or Zoysia. An early fall aeration gives your lawn plenty of time to grow and expand the roots while preparing for the colder months ahead. And once you’ve aerated your lawn, we strongly recommend overseeding!
What is Overseeding?
Overseeding is a strategic lawn care procedure to thicken your lawn. It’s when you plant grass seed on your current lawn to fill in the bare patches or to thicken the lawn for the following spring.
We recommend using different grasses to overseed so that your lawn is completely covered. Varying your grasses is especially helpful if your lawn has sun and shade scattered throughout. Not all grasses grow well in the shade. Planting clover or other shade-loving ground cover can help your lawn look pristine and minimize manual labor.
Overseeding in the late summer to early fall is critical for a luscious lawn in the spring. The grass seeds will spend the fall and winter germinating and rooting. Come springtime, they’ll sprout and cover your lawn in beautiful shades of green.
How Do Aeration and Overseeding Work Together for a Healthier Lawn?
Lawn aeration and overseeding work exceptionally well in tandem. When aerating first, you not only give the remaining grass plenty of space to grow roots, but the overseed now has room to germinate. Pairing these two methods often leads to a luscious, green lawn in the spring.
We strongly recommend every homeowner aerates and overseeds at the same time. It’s the best way to get the lawn of your dreams.
But, if for some reason you can’t do both, never overseed without aerating. You can aerate your lawn without overseeding, and your lawn will grow and fill the space. However, overseeding without aerating creates crowding problems and can stunt growth. If your lawn has a thick layer of thatch, the new seed won’t reach the soil, so it won’t germinate, root, and sprout. In short, it is a waste of your time and money to overseed without aerating first.
Should You Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn?
Yes, every homeowner should aerate and overseed their lawn. Whether you choose to do it yourself or hire a lawn care expert to assist you, aeration and overseeding are important action steps in lawn care.
Aerating and overseeding your lawn at the same time gives your lawn the best chance to grow strong and green. If you need help caring for your lawn or just have a few questions, reach out to us for a free custom quote.