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It's Seedin' Time! – Core Aeration and Overseeding a Lawn in the Fall
It's Seedin' Time! – Core Aeration and Overseeding a Lawn in the Fall
For those people who live in the northern climates and grow cool-season grasses in their lawns, late summer into early fall is the best time for overseeding a lawn. The summer takes its toll on cool season grasses, such as bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescues and tall fescue, and they often become thinned out due to heat, drought, insect feeding and damage from diseases. Almost every cool-season lawn would benefit from being overseeded at this time of year.
Successful overseeding requires more than just spreading some seed across your lawn. In order for the seed to have a chance to germinate and survive, it needs to come into contact with soil and receive water on a regular basis. Core aeration is the best way of doing this. A core aerator will pull plugs of soil and thatch from your lawn and leave them back on top. This is a good thing.
First, as the soil breaks down and intermingles with the existing thatch layer, the micro-organisms in the soil will feed on the thatch to break it down.
Second, the holes left behind are a great reservoir for the seed that will be spread across the lawn. As the lawn is watered, the seed will wash down into the holes. The soil within the holes will stay moist for a longer time and provide a great place for the seed to germinate. The best part about it is that as the holes collapse, the plant will rise up to the surface with a well-established root system.
Seed germination rates vary based on the type of grass used. Ryegrass, fine fescue and tall fescue germinate within 10 days after sowing. Bluegrass takes about 3 to 4 weeks to germinate, so if you are planting bluegrass, be sure to stay on top of the watering for at least four weeks.
