When to Expect Results from Aeration and Overseeding in Northeast OH

Have you been staring at your grass and wondering why it still looks like it could use a little TLC? You fertilize at the right times, water appropriately, and keep it maintained and mowed, and it’s still not responding as you think it should. You’re sick of doing all the right things and not reaping the benefits of a lush, green lawn.

That’s where aeration and overseeding services can help.

Let’s take a look at why aeration and overseeding will help give your grass a healthy glow up, making all of your neighbors green with envy.

The Importance Of Aeration And Overseeding

Aeration and overseeding are a few of the most beneficial things you can do for your lawn.

But what do these services entail?

Aeration is the process of creating small holes 3 to 4 inches deep in the soil and pulling out the plugs from within a lawn. By pulling thousands of cores, aeration reduces compaction and thatch buildup in your yard.

Overseeding, on the other hand, entails spreading grass seed over an existing lawn to thicken up turf, fill in bare spots, and introduce new varieties of grass.

Because we believe in getting more bang for your buck, our technicians perform both of these services at one time. While our ride-on machine pulls plugs from the lawn, it’s also simultaneously dropping seed directly into those little holes.

We do this so that the seed is dropped directly where it needs to go, we’re not wasting a ton of grass seed on the surface of your yard, and the seedlings can latch on immediately to the soil and start taking root once they’re regularly watered in.

Pro tip: Flag sprinkler systems and invisible fences before your scheduled service. This will help technicians avoid these areas and keep everything underground intact.

Now that you know what aeration and overseeding do, let’s take a look at the benefits of aeration.

Top 7 Benefits Of Aeration

1. Reduce Compaction

It may not look like your yard is compacted, but think of how many people, animals, and machines trample through your yard every season. Aeration can help with that.

2. Manage Thatch Buildup

In addition to reducing your yard’s overall compaction, aeration also prevents too much thatch from building up.

Comprised of grass clippings, plant material, and other organic debris, thatch is the layer that builds up between the green vegetation and the soil surface of a lawn. While a thatch layer that’s about a half-inch thick is beneficial, anything thicker can prevent air, nutrients, and water from getting to the root system, weakening your grass.

3. Boost Nutrient Absorption

By thinning out the thatch layer and opening up space in your lawn, you’re allowing nutrients to get down to the root system faster and easier.

4. Increase Water Uptake

We get it—watering your lawn every day can be expensive, not to mention tedious, especially if you don’t feel like you’re gaining anything from it. Aeration services improve your lawn’s ability to take in water, and it also decreases runoff because it allows water to more easily travel down to the root system.

5. Enhance Lawn Density

The holes in your yard created by aeration enable existing grass roots to spread, which will increase your lawn’s overall density and help eliminate thin or bare spots.

Because the roots are also receiving the air, nutrients, and water they need to thrive, they can grow deeper and stronger. Finally, when aeration is paired with overseeding, you increase the soil-to-seed contact, putting you on the right track for a lush, green yard.

6. Maximize Resiliency

Think about it. If your grass is getting the nutrients it needs and given the proper room to grow, it will become stronger and healthier and able to fend off disease and pest infestations.

7. Smooth The Lawn

Not only will your lawn look lusher and more vibrant, but it will also feel smoother as aeration can help level out any bumps and uneven spots in your yard.

Best Time For Aeration In Northeast OH

Early fall in Northeast OH is considered the best time to take care of aeration and overseeding rather than summertime.

In Northeast Ohio, summer conditions like heat and drought can stress out the grass. Fall, on the other hand, brings cooler temperatures and increased rainfall, providing the best conditions for your grass to recover and grow. This also enables the grass to repair itself and create a stronger root system before the harsh Northeast Ohio winter hits.

Plus, fall typically means that weeds are less active, so the new grass seedlings put down through overseeding won’t have as much competition for resources.

Finally, aerating and overseeding in the fall can improve the effectiveness of fertilization, which will lead to a healthier lawn for next spring.

At Turf Pride, we schedule these services between Aug. 15 and Oct. 15. We typically recommend that homeowners schedule this service at least once a year or once every other year for optimal results.

When To Expect Greener Grass

So, how long does it take to see aeration results, and how long does it take for the grass to grow after overseeding?

If you’re not seeing the results immediately, don’t fret. It’s normal for it to take weeks and sometimes even months for the effects to be visible and for greener grass to emerge.

At Turf Pride, we use a seed mixture of three different grass types:

• 10% perennial ryegrass
• 10% Kentucky bluegrass
• 80% tall fescue

While perennial ryegrass may start to emerge within a two-week period—as long as it is property watered in—Kentucky Bluegrass and tall fescue may take anywhere from two to three weeks just to start germinating.

Keep in mind that you may not even see these grasses coming up before wintertime, but you can expect to see the full results of aeration and overseeding services by the following April or May, when lawns are coming out of dormancy and you’re cutting regularly.

The success of the services may also depend on the initial condition of your yard, the weather for the remainder of the season, and the steps you take following aeration.

For example, if the weather stays hot and dry throughout the remainder of the season, you may need to do a little extra work to water in the seedlings.

Similarly, if your yard exhibited a lot of bald or rocky spots beforehand, aeration and overseeding will certainly improve the overall condition, but it’s not an instant one-step cure-all.

If your lawn includes rocky, compacted, or bare areas that are 5 feet or in diameter, a lawn renovation program may be recommended. For this service, our technicians use a ride-on machine to perform slice seeding, where they cut through soil with multiple blades to plant grass in rows, similar to what a farmer does when sowing a field. This leads to a greater germination rate and will help fill in bare areas faster than just aerating and overseeding alone.

Below, we get into a few things you can do to ensure aeration and overseeding services are successful for your yard.

How To Maximize Aeration and Overseeding Results

Like many things in life, aeration and overseeding aren’t something you can just “set and forget.”
There are a few things you as the homeowner should do after our technicians pay you a visit. Here are a few steps to take after aeration and overseeding to achieve the best results.

1. Water Your Lawn

Following aeration and overseeding services, it’s crucial to water your lawn with about a quarter-inch of water every single day for two weeks. This will keep the seeds damp and help them to germinate properly.

Failing to do so could cause the seed to dry up, and you won’t see the germination you were hoping for.

Pro Tip: Because different sprinkler systems vary in water pressure, it may be difficult to tell how much you are watering your lawn. To get a more exact measurement, place a watering can within your sprinkler’s reach (not against the sprinkler head) and keep track of how long it takes for it to reach the one-fourth-inch mark. Once an area has enough water, you can move on to the next area.

2. Leave The Plugs

While the soil plugs may be unsightly at first, they will eventually decompose, providing additional nutrients to your grass.

3. Minimize Foot Traffic

With cooler temperatures, it shouldn’t be too difficult to keep a lot of people or machines off your lawn. This will further alleviate compaction and help the new seedlings settle.

4. Keep Turf Maintained

After our aeration and overseeding services, you can continue to mow and care for your lawn as usual.

5. Fertilize Your Lawn

For the best results, consider applying a fertilizer treatment to your lawn. This is the best time to allow the nutrients from the fertilizer to reach the roots.

Invest In Your Lawn Today

If you’re doing all the right things for your lawn and still aren’t seeing the results you desire, consider giving us a call at Turf Pride.

Our technicians adhere to the best lawn care practices for Mentor, OH and surrounding areas, and know exactly what your lawn needs to boost it to the next level. Call today or request your free quote online to schedule your services and make your lawn as green as can be.