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When Should You Aerate Your Lawn In Georgia

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Dealing With Turf Plugs

Why Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

After aerating, you can leave the plugs on your lawn or break them up. Professionals use a drag mat to do that. Some companies like to leave them so the homeowner can see the plugs. We prefer to break them up. Most plugs break up on their own within a week, but we have seen some hard clay ones that stick around much longer than that. Its not the prettiest sight in the world.

Atlanta Lawn Maintenance Guide

Warm-season grasses are native to tropical regions and do their best work in the scorching Southern sun. Warm-season grasses grow best in temperatures between 75 90 degrees fahrenheit and have the highest growth rates during the summer season. They experience winter dormancy for 3 5 months, depending on type and location, and usually green back up when spring rolls around.

Compared to their cool-season counterparts, warm-season grasses require less maintenance and are generally less susceptible to pest invasions.

Hire Professional Core Aeration Service Near Peachtree City Ga

If youve tried fertilizer or watering and your lawn still isnt green, an aeration and overseeding application from Duncans Green Team can help. We are here to assist customers with lawn maintenance in south metro Atlanta. Were experienced with the needs of both warm and cool-season grasses in Georgias lawns. To learn more about what we can do for your yard, or schedule an appointment, give us a call today at; or leave us a message online.

If you enjoyed this blog, you can check out other lawn care, landscaping, and pest control topics on our blog page.

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When Is The Best Time To Aerate

Aeration is best performed just before or during periods of high growth. However, not immediately preceding or during periods of stress to the lawn. For example, heat or drought. The type of grasses that make up your lawn will determine the best time of year to aerate.

When to Aerate if You Have Cool-Season Grasses: If youre working with cool-season grasses, including bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass, aerating during the growth periods in the spring and fall is best.

When to Aerate if You Have Warm-Season Grasses: For warm-season grasses such as Bermudagrass, buffalograss, St. Augustine and zoysiagrass, aerate during warm times of the year, between late-spring and early-autumn.

Considerations for Aerating in the Spring: In the spring, wait until youve mowed the lawn a few times before aerating. Doing so ensures the lawn will grow fast enough to recover and take advantage of the increased pore space and air exchange at the root zone that aeration creates.

One caveat, says Friell, is that any disturbance of the root zone in the spring can increase weed competition by bringing buried seeds to the surface. Applying fertilizer and a pre-emergent weed killer following aeration can reduce the potential for weed competition and increase the hardiness of the grasses. But dont apply a weed killer if you plan to overseed following aeration. It will prevent germination of the seed you put down.

How To Aerate Your Lawn

Why Should I Aerate My Lawn?  Augusta Aeration Services

Aerating equipment comes in three main types, from small manual versions to larger tractor-like or pull-behind machinery:

  • Spike aerators simply poke a hole down into the soil with a solid, spike-like tine. Some homeowners wear spiked aerator sandals” strapped to their shoes to aerate as they do yard work. While these can help on a small scale, spike machines can make compaction worse by pressing soil together around the holes.1
  • Slicing aerators have rotating blades that cut or slice through grass and thatch and down into soil. Like spike aerators, slicing aerators leave soil in the ground, but they create pathways for air, water and nutrients without causing more compaction.
  • Core or plug aerators, typically preferred by lawn professionals, use rows of hollow tines that remove plugs of soil from your lawn and deposit them on top, where they break down. The size of the plugs and the holes they create vary in width and depth, depending on the machine used.

You can hire a lawn service to aerate for you or do it yourself like a pro. Equipment rental companies and lawn and garden stores often rent aerator machines and provide basic operating instructions for the model you choose. Aerating is a lot like mowing as you work back and forth across your lawn. Concentrate on any known problem areas, like pet runs or backyard baseball diamonds. Make several passes in different directions to help ensure optimal coverage and benefits.

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How Do You Aerate My Lawn

We use a machine called a core aerator . ;A core aerator removes plugs of soil and organic matter from the lawn and deposits them on the surface where they are left to dissolve and decompose over time. This decomposition or breaking down of organic matter feeds the soil and all of the beneficial microorganisms in the soil. This ecosystem that exists in the soil is an important part of having and maintaining a healthy lawn.

Which Type Of Aerator

Dr. Robert Carrow who is a turf expert at the University of Georgia, compare two types of aerator: the core aerator and a spike operator. He said that the core aerator pulled up a large plug of the earth as the hollow tines or spoons plunge deep into the earth.

The spikes, on the other hand, has narrow solid rods which pull out the soil surface. The core aerator he concluded encourage water extraction by almost 25% and deep rooting. However, he claimed that the spike aerator showed no effect on the grass.

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Why Fall Is The Best Time To Aerate

Fall has ideal conditions for your grass to grow. When you aerate your cool-season turf in fall, it will help the grass return stronger and healthier than if aeration had been done during the spring or summer. Similarly, warm-season turf should be aerated in the spring. Aerating your lawn in the fall helps prepare your yard to recover quicker and flourish come spring. The ideal time to aerate your Georgia lawn this fall starts at the end of September up to a couple of weeks before the first frost.

What Is Double Aeration

Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

Double aeration consists of cross-directional penetration holes across the turf surface. This will increase the amount of area through which the soil receives extra seed, water, air and nutrients. After a period of heavy drought or turf disease problems, this process may be required to sustain more uniform seed germination rates or be recommended to loosen up compacted soil.

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Why Should New Seed Be Planted

Unlike warm season turf grasses, fescue does not spread or reproduce naturally. New growth only occurs around the crown of the plant and not in the root system. Lawn core aeration and overseeding methods are important because seed-to-soil contact is vital to growing this cool season turf. The holes left behind after core aeration provide a place for seeds to settle into the soil and begin to grow. These holes allow air, water, and nutrients to combine, help young plants mature and also allow young roots to penetrate hard soils. In Georgia, clay soils become very compact and harden with each passing year. This inhibits the ability of both newly seeded lawns and established lawns to develop strong and deep root systems. Core aeration is crucial to healthy lawn maintenance and is recommended for all cool season and warm season grass types and varieties each year.

What Should You Do After Aerating Your Lawn

Whenever possible, combine lawn aeration with other lawn care maintenance, such as fertilizing, adding soil amendments or overseeding. Water, fertilizer and grass seed all need to get through the lawn surface and into the soil to do their job. Creating a path for them to get there can be accomplished by core aerating. An application of fertilizer immediately after core aeration will also help restore your lawn.

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Enjoy An Amazing Lawn Without Lifting A Finger

Your lawn gives you so much from perfect sunrises withcoffee to memories of your kids laughing and playing. Make sure it always looksgorgeous by performing regular aeration and overseeding. Contact ourprofessionals at Lush Lawn for expert advice and assistance in keeping yourlawn healthy all year long. We take care of everything so you only have toworry about relaxing and enjoying the view.

Topics:

When Should I Overseed My Lawn In Ct

What Does Aerate Lawn Mean

The best time to overseed your lawn in Connecticut is in late summer/early fall .

You may ask, Does aerating lawn make a difference?

Why Aerating Helps Lawns A layer of compacted soil just 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick can make a significant difference in the health and beauty of your lawn. 1 Aeration creates holes down into the soil to alleviate compaction so air, water and nutrients can reach grass roots.

Read Also: When Should Lawn Aeration Be Done

Why You Should Aerate

Aeration is the antidote to the heavily compacted soil, which may be present on a lawn that gets very heavy foot traffic, or which is planted on a soil base that is heavy in clay content. It rarely is necessary where soils are on the sandy side. Core aeration is sometimes advertised as a solution to problems with thatch; however, it does not do much to relieve that problem if thatch is already present. Where thatch is a genuine problem, a true dethatching operation is a better solution. However, dethatching is a fairly violent action to a lawn, and an annual core aeration may well prevent thatch problems in the first place.;

If you have the;type of soil and conditions that require lawn aeration, you can do it once each year. It does not hurt your lawn, and in fact, will make it healthier and more attractive. Some people dislike the look of the small plugs of soil and turf that are pulled up and scattered over the lawn, and if so, you can rake them up. Left on the lawn, though, they will quickly break up and decompose.;

Causes Of Soil Compaction

  • Heavy traffic across the lawn. This includes foot traffic, animal traffic, lawnmower or car traffic, and any heavy thing moving across your lawn. Heavy traffic is terrible when your lawn is wet.
  • Leaving heavy objects out on your lawn.
  • Having clay-heavy soil.

Lawn problems caused by compacted soil are very similar to the lawn problems caused by thatch. Air, water, and nutrients will have a tough time getting down to your grass root system. This can cause your grass to turn brown or yellow and eventually die.

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When Should The Lawn Be Over

Fescue is a cool season variety grass. It grows best during the fall, winter, and spring seasons when temperatures are more moderate and rainfall is generally more abundant. During the warm summer months, fescue will become dormant until temperatures return to moderate levels. As a result, many fescue lawns will discolor and brown out during periods of high temperature and drought stress. Fescue is also susceptible to diseases like brown patch during the summer and inevitably this will require that some of the grass be replaced. To prevent this, fescue requires lawn aeration and overseeding in the fall to increase lawn density. Creating a strong seed foundation will increase the chances of surviving the summer heat and many fungus problems. The best time to rejuvenate your fescue lawn in Georgia is during September and October. This is when both soil and air temperatures are at the optimal level for seed germination and it allows plenty of time for the young grass to mature before colder temperatures slows down plant growth.

Commercial Lawn Care: When Should You Aerate Your Lawn In Atlanta

Should You Dethatch, Aerate, & Overseed Your Lawn // Cool Season vs. Warm Season Grass Lawn Care

To achieve and maintain one of those amazing expanses of lawn your commercial property neighbors are jealous of, you need to take care of it.

This means proper and regular mowing, consistent fertilization, persistent weed control, correct and adequate watering and scouting for any problems, such as insects and drought or traffic stress.

But you also have to make sure the nutrients youre giving the turf are actually making it to where they need to go, which is the soil beneath your grass.

Enter aeration. Aeration can be an important element for a healthy lawn because the process actually allows air and water to penetrate built-up grass or lawn thatch.

But when is the best time to perform aeration based on your lawn type? This can get a bit tricky. Lets review the process of aeration, its benefits, why it helps enhance commercial turfgrass and also provide an answer to when should you aerate your lawn.

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Anything Else I Should Know

It is important to remember that for a plant to use fertilizer efficiently, it must have a well-developed root system. Poor growth of lawns is quite often due to factors other than soil fertility. No amount of soil testing or fertilizer applications will overcome physical problems related to the plant root system. This includes low areas in the lawn where there is excess soil moisture or compacted areas that do not allow adequate water and air movement into the soil. Soil testing and fertilizer application also cannot overcome problems associated with excess shade, thatch, or improper management.

Why Is Fall The Best Time For Lawn Aeration And When Should It Be Done

October 1, 2018 By Tim Boyd

If you have a cool season lawn like fescue or bentgrass, then the best time for lawn aeration is the fall preferably at least one month before the threat of frost arrives. If your soil is particularly clay-heavy, your grass could benefit from more frequent aeration regardless of turf type. Aeration assists the grass in absorbing water and nutrients, and it can prevent water runoff waste. Dense soil compacts more easily and should be aerated more frequently to keep the grass roots healthy.

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Aerating Your Lawn In Georgia

Aerating your lawn once a year is incredibly beneficial in the south, where the temperatures can get unbelievably high. As temperatures begin to increase, you need to be sure your warm-season grass will have all of the needed nutrients throughout the year. The only way to do this is aeration.

Aeration is the process of poking large enough holes in your grass to improve the quality that water and nutrients pass through, into the soil. Aeration is necessary for proper growth and complete health of your yard while building a strong foundation for the entirety of it.

Your grass begins to grow at the very beginning of spring, therefore you want to aerate before it hits the peak of its growth. You also want to aerate before the warmer temperatures hit because if not, it is hard for the nutrients to travel deep enough to make a difference in the growth. Aeration allows your lawn time to fill in all of the holes you punctured earlier in the season.

Encouraging deeper roots, aeration is essential to keep your yard green and healthy year-round. How often should I aerate? It all depends on how hard your soil is. You can get an idea by doing this: Wait five days after a rain and try to poke a Phillips head screwdriver into the soil. If it only penetrates easily an inch, its time to aerate. A lot of folks aerate once each year and say it does their lawn a great deal of good.

Avoid Sprinkler System Damage

Best Time To Aerate Yard

The other thing youll need to think about if you have an irrigation system installed is your sprinkler heads. An aerator that is good enough to do the job will also damage your sprinkler heads.

Same goes for anything else that is installed within the top 2-3 inches of soil on your lawn, such as cable TV wires and invisible pet fence. If you aerate your lawn yourself you will need to locate and avoid these things. A pro will do it for you.

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What Does Aeration Do

As we know, core aeration is the act of perforating the lawn with a machine that pulls small plugs from the soil onto the lawn. These holes better allow nutrients, water, and oxygen to reach the root systems. As a result, it can improve density, growth, thickness and the overall health of your lawn. Plus, a dense lawn means a thicker barrier for weeds to breakthrough!;

Establishing A New Lawn

The best time to establish a warm-season lawn is in the early spring. Some experts suggest that you can do so at any time during the growing season, however we would disagree assuming that youre reading this because youre looking for optimal results.

There are three different ways to establish a new lawn:

  • Sodding: This is the quickest, most expensive way to establish your new lawn. Water regularly and dont set a mower on the sod until the roots have penetrated your pre-existing soil. This usually takes 3 4 weeks to happen.
  • Overseeding: You can either overseed your existing lawn with a grass type that blends well or simply start over completely. Be warned though, starting a new lawn by seed takes a lot of patience and care.
  • Plugging: This is more for fixing areas where the grass is sparse. Adding plugs in a cross pattern about six inches away from each other should do the trick. Make sure to water!

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