Your Personal Gardener ®

Crab Grass ControlWhile the long days of the summer heat are here to stay for a few more months, we often start to wonder if our lawns are going to survive and what next steps we need to take to prepare for the upcoming seasons, as well as next year.

Now is the time to start planning and prepping, looking at aeration and over seeding. If you are asking yourself what aeration or over seeding are and what they can particularly can accomplish, here is a nice breakdown for you.

Tim Simounet, owner and horticulturist of Englewood Lawn & Landscapes says, “Core Aeration and over seed for lawns in late summer and early fall is a smart way to thicken lawns naturally for less weeds and a healthier yard. Now is the best and really only time to restore lawns and sow grass seed. 3 key things needed for success are Soil seed contact, temps regularly over 60 and 14 days of moisture”

What is Aeration?
Aeration involves perforating the soil with small holes to allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots. This helps roots grow deeply and produce a stronger, more vibrant lawn. The main reason for this is to alleviate soil compaction. Compacted soils have too many solid particles in a certain volume or space, and this can prevent proper circulation of air, water and the nutrients.

“Forty years in the green industry and it still bothers me to see people seeding in spring wasting time and money. According to all Horticulture experts including UT and VT, late summer and early fall is the absolute best time to sow grass seed in Mountain Empire area,” Simounet says.

What is over seeding?
Sowing cool season grass seed in late summer, early fall allows for three cool growing seasons for root development, as well as strengthening roots in preparation for the following summers heat and hard clay.