Aeration & Overseeding

How Do I Know if My Lawn Needs an Aeration?

Grass roots need air, water and nutrients to grow thick, deep and strong. When soil becomes compacted, even slightly, it inhibits the flow of the essentials that support thicker, healthier turf growth. A layer of compacted soil just 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick can make a significant difference in the health and beauty of your lawn. An Aeration creates holes down into the soil to alleviate compaction so air, water and nutrients can reach grass roots.

Deprived of their basic needs by compacted soil, lawn grasses struggle in stressful situations, such as heat and low rainfall, and lose their healthy, rich color. Grasses gradually thin and eventually die out completely, for lack of the oxygen, water and nutrients available just inches away. Even a single aeration session can open the avenue for these essentials to reach their mark and put your lawn back on an upward trend.

How Do I Know if My Lawn Needs an Aeration?

Your lawn is probably a good candidate for aeration if it:

Gets heavy use, such as serving as the neighborhood playground or racetrack. Children and pets running around the yard contribute to soil compaction.
Was established as part of a newly constructed home. Often, the topsoil of newly constructed lawns is stripped or buried, and the grass established on subsoil has been compacted by construction traffic.

Dries out easily and has a spongy feel. This might mean your lawn has an excessive thatch problem. Take a shovel and remove a slice of lawn about four inches deep. If the thatch layer is greater than one-half inch, aeration is recommended.

Was established by sod, and soil layering exists. Soil layering means that soil of finer texture, which comes with imported sod, is layered over the existing coarser soil. This layering disrupts drainage, as water is held in the finer-textured soil. This leads to compacted conditions and poor root development. Aerating breaks up the layering, allowing water to flow through the soil more easily and reach the roots.

Why Should I Have My Lawn Aerated?

It's best to aerate during or right before the time your grasses reach their peak time for natural growth. Aeration is good for lawns, but it can stress grass if timed improperly. Never aerate dormant lawns. Early fall or early spring are the best times for aerating, when aeration coincides with active growth, grasses recover quickly and fill in areas where aerator equipment exposes soil.

Not every lawn requires an aeration. The frequency between aerations is determined on the condition of your lawn. Hidden Talents Lawn and landscape can help you determine if an aeration is right for you.

What is an Overseed?

Overseed is the planting of grass seed directly into existing turf, without tearing up the turf, or the soil. It’s an easy way to fill in bare spots, improve the density of turf, establish improved grass varieties and enhance your lawn’s color.

If a lawn looks old, or just “worn out,” if it needs growing amounts of water and fertilizer to thrive, or is disease or insect prone, it’s a perfect candidate for overseed.

Overseeding immediately after an aeration will greatly increase the chances of a healthier turf due to the seed getting great soil to seed contact by falling in the holes left behind from the tines of the aerator. Contact Hidden Talents lawn and Landscape today to see if and Aeration and Overseed, or just an Overseed is right for you.

Seeding services are always custom. Hidden Talents Lawn and Landscape will carefully assess your lawn, the areas needing seed and the severity of the conditions. Then, we provide several different types of seeding to suit any circumstance including slit seeding, over-seeding, and seed and soil fill ins. Bottom line: We will evaluate the area of concern and make the recommendation that will be most cost effective for you, and best for seed growth.