Source (Flickr)
By Teri SIlver
Lush, green, and even — that’s the goal for homeowners who strive for a perfectly manicured lawn. But if you’re a DIYer, perfecting the sod takes more effort than merely cutting the grass and sprinkling it with fertilizer. Aeration and overseeding come into play for nurturing a healthy lawn.
What is Aeration?
Every growing season, cool-season turfgrass gets thicker with compacted soil, dead roots, and spreading rhizomes. Thickening sod chokes out grass roots, keeping them from receiving nutrients from water and air. Aeration loosens the sod by putting holes into the soil and removing plugs of dirt.
Aeration should be done once every couple of years at least. If the yard gets heavy foot traffic from children and pets, the sod is likely compacted and weakened.
Aerating machines pull small plugs out of the turf and leave the cores on the ground. As that dirt breaks down, the nutrients return to the soil. Dry dirt cores break down faster when run over by a lawn mower.
Methods
Your Colorado lawn is most likely made up of cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass (KBG), ryegrass, or fescues. Core or liquid lawn aeration will help keep the sod growing smoothly.
Core aerating is the method of pulling plugs of soil out of the lawn. While the holes — about 2 to 3 inches around — loosen the sod and allow water and sunlight to soak in, it makes the lawn look messy, with chunks of soil laying about. But the loosened soil will eventually be washed back into the turf.
Liquid aerating is an applied mixture that is spread over the entire lawn. The process allows the sod’s root system to absorb into a spongy base with thousands of tiny holes in the turf.
When to Aerate?
Deciding when to aerate your Colorado lawn depends on the weather, and whether the previous season was overly wet.
The amount of winter precipitation matters if you’re looking at aerating in spring, but if we have a few weeks of sunshine, the sod is usually ready for plucking. Otherwise, heavily soaked turf can turn into a real muddy mess — and the aeration process is much harder.
Although soil should be moist (but not drenched), aerating in September or October is best, especially after a hot, dry summer.
Topdressing
Topdressing with a thin layer of composted manure provides nutrients to the soil. Done before overseeding, topdressing allows seeds to receive direct nourishment by infusing soil with beneficial microbes and minerals. Topdressing helps prevent soil compaction and improves the soil’s ability to retain water.
Overseeding
Adding grass seed to an existing lawn enhances the turf’s thickness and color, especially over dead spots. Signs the lawn needs overseeding include dull color, brown patches, and weeds.
Before overseeding the lawn
- Test soil pH for acidity and alkalinity
- Mow grass to the lowest height possible
- Dethatch and aerate
- Spread grass seed, either by hand (for small patches) or with a broadcast spreader
The best time for overseeding a lawn is autumn, shortly after aerating but before nearby trees begin to shed their leaves. Do not overseed a lawn after applying post-emergent herbicides.
Keeping your Colorado lawn healthy and green keeps the home’s property value up. But all that mowing, weeding, fertilizing, watering, aerating, and overseeding is a lot to do, especially when you’d rather be relaxing after a long work week. If you don’t want to do it yourself, contact Ebert Lawns for a professional touch.
Teri Silver is a journalist and outdoor enthusiast. She and her husband live on 5 acres with a vast lawn, three gardens, a farm, a pond, many trees, and a lot of yard work! The best parts of the year are summer and fall when home-grown veggies are on the dinner table.
