Fall Lawn Care Begins with Aerification

A return to cooler weather offers hope for our languishing, tall fescue lawns. Some lawn care professionals have been holding off on their overseeding jobs until the Triad gets some significant rainfall.  Experts recommend that fescue lawns be seeded by late October to ensure that their roots have enough time to establish before winter weather. A beautiful lawn next spring begins this fall. 

You can begin the process by scalping the lawn with a mower set at the lowest blade setting. Remove the grass clippings, weeds, and thatch using some elbow grease or a power rake.  Clay soils are often compacted due to foot traffic and mowing equipment. When renovating an existing lawn, you should consider aerification (“plugging/ coring”) before overseeding.  The benefits of aerification include- improved water penetration into the soil, increased oxygen levels for the roots, and better root development. The best aerating equipment removes cores of soil--- increasing germination of seed while improving soil structure. Well-aerated soils help the grass roots grow deeper and better able to survive a drought.
Some people prefer to hire a professional to assist with aerification since it can be physically challenging. Do-it-yourselfers should contact a rental company for the availability of equipment in your community. (Saturday rentals are a first-come-first-serve frenzy.)
When the aerification step is complete, it is easy to remove excess thatch by raking. You will now have a good environment in which to broadcast seeds. Many of the seeds fall into the holes left behind and will sprout promptly following a couple weeks of daily irrigation. Follow these steps when broadcasting grass seed.