Landscaping Blog
Mark and Pat of the Custom Landscaping and Lawn Care core aeration and seeding team were spotted today in East Brunswick, NJ. They are finishing out the core aeration schedule for the season. This quick video clip demonstrates a double aeration. Many of our competitors only perform a single aeration.
Annual core aeration of your lawn reduces soil compaction and allows for the movement of air into the root zone.
Yes, I know it’s 100 degrees outside, but believe it or not Fall is just around the corner. Core Aeration involves the removal of small plugs of soil from the lawn, or “cores”, to allow for the seed, nutrients and water to penetrate the lawn. These cores are left on the lawn and break down naturally.
Autumn is the best season to aerate and seed your lawn. This is due to the cooling temperatures and the active growing of the grass. The lawn is less prone to heat and drought stress during this time.
Grass tends to grow best during the hot summer months because of the extra hours of sunlight and frequent afternoon thunder showers. That being said, spring is prime time to lay down grass seed because it gives the seeds time to germinate and sprout before the real heat begins. To ensure thick lush grass, provide your new lawn with adequate amounts of water from the time the seeds germinate until the end of the growing season (usually by October or November). Although this article is about laying seed, it is important to note that many people prefer to lay sod instead of laying seed because the seeds have already germinated and are ready to thrive during the summer months. Whether laying sod or seed, it is imperative that the soil is adequately cultivated and ready for seed to be grown.
To start off cultivating the soil, till it about 4-6 inches deep with a tiller. This can be a quite strenuous task, it it is worth the sweat. after you till the soil, you should remove rocks and chunks of clay with a rake. Once the soil is tilled, lay down a high quality fertilizer. Your best bet is to use a fertilizer that utilizes slow release granules to slowly release a consistent amount of nutrients for a month or two.
As you spread the grass seed, make sure that you follow the directions on the package and spread it VERY evenly on top of the soil. If there is too much seed in one area, the seeds will not be able to get enough nutrients to germinate. If there is too little seed in one area, the grass will come up thin and patchy. A drop spreader is the best way to ensure that the seed is evenly spread out on the soil. Although you can use a hand spreader, that throw seed out are more difficult to control the spread rate. It also helps to set the spread rate to half and go over the area twice.
After you spread the seed, go over the soil with the back side of a rake Very lightly. Your goal should be to cover the seeds with no more than 1/4 inch of loose soil.
