There is no better time to improve, repair, or rebuild a lawn than late August through September. While seed selection and watering are critical (seed care instructions), seed preparation is the key to maximizing germination and roots. Stated simply, the goal of soil preparation is to provide good seed to soil contact.
CORE AERATION
- Used to reduce thatch, relieve compaction, increase root depth in poor soils and to prepare a seedbed.
- Core aeration pulls cores of soil out of the lawn and lays them on top where they eventually crumble to cover thatch, and seed.
- Ideally the seed is applied before the lawn is aerated.
- Before aerating, the soil must be heavily watered. This softens the soil so the core aerator can penetrate the soil to a depth of about two inches.
- Depending of the quality of the machine, one, two or even three or more passes over the lawn will be needed to bring enough soil to the surface for a good seed to soil contact.
For healthy lawns core aeration may be sufficient, but in extreme cases verticutting is also beneficial. With a traditional verticutting, the lawn is verticut and the debris (not actually thatch) is removed from the lawn. The problem with verticutting and raking is that verticutting alone will not reduce thatch, nor will it aerate the lawn or hold the seed in place in the event of a heavy rain. The ideal seedbed preparation includes verticutting, then seeding, followed by core aeration. The ideal seed preparation for a lawn that needs an intensive seeding includes verticutting, then seeding, followed by core aeration.
VERTICUTTING: More labor intensive than core aeration but for a lawn that needs major renovation, it is an important step.
- The lawn must be well watered and mowed fairly short prior to verticutting.
- Operated properly, the verticut machine cuts narrow furrows with a spacing of 2-3 inches between rows, to a depth of 1/2 inch in the soil.
- Half of the seed is applied prior to verticutting so that some of the seed gets covered by debris and the other half is applied afterwards.
By verticutting, seeding, then core aerating, the need for raking is eliminated. Through the combined benefits of verticutting and core aeration, we are able to redistribute the debris back over the lawn. This helps to cover the seed, the cores, and core holes to improve germination and prevent the seed from washing away in the event of heavy rains.
If you have any questions about what your lawn needs, call us today for a free estimate at (913)789-9333 or ONLINE.
