A Little Lesson in Aerating & Overseeding

So, many of us know that the Fall is the perfect time to aerate and overseed Fescue lawns, but not many of us know why.


Basically, all cool season grass should be overseeded each Fall to keep it thick and lush. Unlike warm season grass, Fescue, Rye and Bluegrass don’t spread. Seeding it each Fall ensures that your shade grass stays nice and thick.


THE OVERSEEDING PROCESS


Water heavily a day or two before we come out, in the absence of rainfall. This will allow the aeration machine to work more smoothly.


After we have aerated and overseeded we can work together to accomplish the following:


WATER - Please keep your newly-seeded areas moist for 3 weeks. Water lightly (5-10 minutes) at least once per day, up to 3 times per day. If it’s windy and/or still warm, it will dry out more quickly. If the seed dries out, it will not germinate. If newly-germinated seedlings don’t get water, they will die quickly. After we mow for the first time, you may return to a normal watering schedule.


GERMINATION - Seed should begin to germinate in about 7-10 days. All of the seed will not germinate at once. Maximum germination will not occur until mid-February of next year.


KEEP LEAVES OFF – Fescue must have sunlight to do well next year. When the leaves are off the trees in the winter, fescue is busy using sunlight to build carbohydrate reserves (by photosynthesis) to get through the hot summer coming up. We will need to keep leaves off of the seeded areas, before germination and after. A blower is best for this until the seed is up and it’s been mowed. Please do not use a rake on the seed or new seedlings.


KEEP TRAFFIC OFF – Please keep heavy traffic off your newly seeded areas. If dogs or children are present, you may want to rope off the area until it is established.


MOWING – When your new grass is about 2-2 ½” tall, it’s okay to mow, but we will forego scheduled mowing until proper growth is shown.


If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to call us or email us at info@teamturflandscapes.com.

Remember -- now is the time to get on the schedule!