Aerating, Overseeding, and Fertilizing - The Other Side Lawn Care (2024)

FAQs

Is it OK to fertilize after aeration and overseeding? ›

It's best to fertilize right after aerating and seeding, allowing the fertilizer to sink into the aeration holes ensuring deeper soil penetration. Proper fertilization encourages a lush, green, healthy lawn that stands out and offers a beautiful outdoor space for relaxation and play.

However, it's generally best to fertilize separately from overseeding. Applying fertilizer and new grass seeds at the same time can lead to problems such as: Competition for nutrients: When seeding and fertilizing simultaneously, the existing grass will compete with the seeds for the available nutrients.

Aeration and Overseeding: Better Together

But, to get the most impact out of each, you really need to do them together. Why? Well, when you aerate your lawn, the loosened soil provides the perfect situation for new grass seeds to germinate in the deeper parts of your soil—as well as weed seeds.

Believe it or not, you can actually see core aeration and overseeding results on your commercial property in as little as 7 to 10 days. This is when the soil plugs will break down and the seeds will begin germinating and you'll start to see healthier, thicker grass develop.

As we've established, don't remove aeration plugs. It takes approximately one to two weeks for the plugs to break down on their own, but there are some things you can do to help the plugs break down faster to tidy up the lawn. You can hope for rainfall, but you can also water the lawn to help the plugs break down.

For best results, water all newly-seeded areas twice daily, beginning the day of seeding. The goal is to keep the seed moist, but to avoid standing water. Too much water will kill the seed. If you are not able to water twice a day, thoroughly water once daily for a longer duration.

Fertilizing Your New Grass

Apply starter fertilizer only once you've lightly raked your soil and before you sow your grass seed. Once your grass has seeded, the next round should be a regular fertilizer application – this round should only occur four to eight weeks after the first, starter application.

Fertilize Overseeded Areas

Avoid weed & feed products; the pre-emergent herbicides inhibit seed germination. Starter fertilizer, such as Pennington Ultragreen Starter Fertilizer 12-22-8, delivers essential nutrients for new grass. Phosphorus supports vigorous root growth, while nitrogen fuels top growth and greening.

You want to aerate the lawn when your grass is in its peak growing period so it can recover quickly—think early spring or fall for cool-season grasses, and late spring through early summer for warm-season grasses. If you have high-traffic areas or heavy clay soil, you will want to aerate every year.

What is the next step after aerating your lawn? ›

After Aeration Overseed and Fertilize

Immediately after aeration, your lawn is ripe for overseeding and fertilizing. The holes provide excellent soil exposure for seeds and deliver fertilizer directly to the roots of your grass. For best results, use high-quality seed and fertilize with Milorganite®.

Aerating is easiest on you (or your equipment operator) and your lawn when your soil is moist from irrigation or rainfall the day before. Overly dry soil can be tough to aerate, so moisture eases the process. Never aerate overly wet lawns; wait a few days instead.

You can over-aerate. Over-aerating your lawn can stress out your lawn and leave you with uneven soil. Even though it can be damaging to over aerate your lawn, it is actually quite difficult to aerate too much. It is recommended to have your lawn aerated once or twice a year.

Does it Help to Roll a Lawn after Seeding? Again, it seems to make sense that rolling your lawn after seeding would help the seed-soil contact (which is important). However, it would be better to take a leaf-rake and lightly rake over the seed to incorporate it into the soil.

Generally, the golden rule is to wait until your new grass blades have reached a height of about 3 to 4 inches before you bring out the mower. This usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks, but factors such as seed variety, soil conditions, and weather can affect this timeline.

I typically go the foliar route with Calcium Nitrate after aeration, but the 46-0-0 should get that top growth going after sanding. Depending on your soils needs, Sulfate of Potash is very helpful in recovery also depending if you aerated or even used a heavy duty drag to smooth out the sand.

Immediately following an aeration service, begin watering the new grass seed. The seedbed must be kept damp for a continuous period of 28 days (the time it takes for the seed to germinate fully). Do not drown the seed when watering, but moderately dampen the first several inches of the soil.

Apply the fertilizer before seeding. When is the best time to plant a new lawn? Spring and fall are the best times to plant a new lawn.

Don't Mow Too Soon

Seeds need time to acclimate and set roots before the first mow. During the first two to four weeks post aerating and overseeding, don't mow your lawn.