Air is the Answer...

This is it, the time to rectify the damage we all experienced from this past summer and drought conditions. The window to repair turf is a small one. You will find articles that express that fertilizer, proper mowing, and weed control are the secrets to good turf, but I claim aeration is the best thing you can do for your yard, and its green!

Turf + Aeration happening at Fine Arts Building as we speak...

Aeration is the process of punching holes or taking out plugs in the soil. This allows for better drainage in the area, improves air and nutrients in their ability to reach the root system, and fights soil compaction, a problem many yards face.

There are two types of aeration that can be done, spike and plug. I prefer the plug, because it removes a portion of the soil as opposed to just pushing the soil outward with a spike. This plug then sits on top of the soil and acts as a top dressing that washes back on top of seed, as we will discuss next, and also breaks down into organic material, which means free fertilizer!

Soil Plug @ Fine Arts Building

Immediately after aerating is the best time to put down seed. The seed washes into these holes and provides optimum conditions for seed germination and survival. If your using a fescue, seed germination can take up to two weeks to germinate and needs a few weeks beyond that before a frost. So the time to over seed is, generally speaking, now! For other seeds, such as bluegrass, it may already be too late.

If you do nothing with your yard for the rest of the year, this would be the one thing I wouldn't skip! Thanks for reading and I'll see you outside!