Within 48 hours after you aerate you should over seed, fertilize, and water your lawn. The seed, fertilizer, and water will have the best chance to get down into the holes made by the aerator if applied soon after aeration. If the fertilizer contains weed control, your grass seed won’t germinate properly.
Also know, should I aerate before or after fertilizing?
Timing. One of the main benefits of lawn aeration is that it creates pores that allow water, oxygen and fertilizer to penetrate the lawn’s surface and reach the grass’ roots. The best time to fertilize your lawn is immediately after aeration — core removal — when the holes are clean cut and unobstructed.
Likewise, what fertilizer should I use after aeration? After Aeration: Overseed and Fertilize Immediately following 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.
Herein, can you fertilize before aerating?
AERATING TIPS FOR SUCCESS: Fertilize and/or reseed prior to aerating because the openings allow nutrients and seeds to penetrate soil better (fertilize or reseed immediately after aerating). Wait one year before aerating new lawns in order to give it the chance to establish a root system.
Can you walk on lawn after aeration?
Don’t mow the lawn for at least a week after aerating it. It’s a good idea to water the lawn before aerating it because aeration is most effective when the soil is slightly moist. Aerate high traffic areas (where people frequently walk or children play) more thoroughly than other areas.
17 Related Question Answers Found
How long after fertilizing can you overseed?
about six weeks
Does Spike aeration work?
Spike aerators work best when the soil is not extremely compacted. Because they don’t remove any material, they’re less effective at loosening the soil, and because they’re pushing soil out of the way to make their holes, they can make compaction worse.
What is the best time to aerate your lawn?
The best time for aeration is during the growing season, when the grass can heal and fill in any open areas after soil plugs are removed. Ideally, aerate the lawn with cool season grass in the early spring or fall and those with warm season grass in the late spring.
Is a spike or plug aerator better?
Spike and plug aerators are used to alleviate the negative affects of compacted soil on your lawn. Plug aerators are usually more effective at relieving compaction in lawns with a heavy clay soil since the solid tines used on spike aerators compact the clay soil further when they push into the ground.
Can I seed and fertilize at the same time?
Applying a starter fertilizer the same time as seeding a new lawn will ensure the emerging grass stalks have the nutrients they need to jump-start their growth. When seeding a lawn, you should never apply the fertilizer and seed together.
How much should you water after aeration?
Recommendations for Watering After Aeration and Seeding In order to keep the seed moist, but not soaked, you may need to water in short bursts. This may mean watering two to three times per day but doing so for a shorter period of time (15-20 minutes) in each location.
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.
Do you rake After aerating lawn?
Coupled with foot traffic and rainfall, the soil below the thatch slowly becomes more compact — a dense soil structure hinders water and air pocket retention while causing stress to the grass itself. You should not rake the lawn after aeration unless you are breaking down the removed cores.
Should I overseed and fertilize at the same time?
You can fertilize either immediately before or after you broadcast the grass seed. Keep the area moist until the grass sprouts, and then slowly reduce the watering frequency.
What is liquid aeration?
Liquid aeration is an organic treatment that is used by the Heritage lawn coaches to increase water penetration and decrease thatch on your lawn that involves no aeration machine or plugs of dirt being pulled out.
Should I roll my lawn before aerating?
If you wait until the lawn is too dry, you compact the lawn by squishing the air pockets out of the lawn and this can damage roots of the grass. Rolling the lawn makes it so much easier to cut the grass during the summer. The wheels of the lawn mower roll so much better. Aerating is useful as well.
Can I mow right after aerating?
You mow too soon. They’ll need to acclimate and set roots before the first mow, so during the first two to four weeks post aerating and overseeding, don’t mow. Once the grass reaches about three to three and half inches, you can fire up the mower for a fresh cut.
What comes first fertilizer or grass seed?
Initial Application. When you start your lawn, spread a starter fertilizer over the ground with your grass seed. You can broadcast the seed and fertilizer separately, one immediately following the next, and it does not matter which order you spread it in.
How do you split aeration cores?
The best thing to do with the cores is to aerate, give 2-3 hours for them to dry, then break them up using dedicated machine like a dethatcher or drag something to break them up. When I do my lawn, in Louisville, KY, it takes 2-3 months for the cores to break down on their own due to the high clay content.
Should I fertilize before seeding?
It is important to fertilize the soil before adding grass seed for the grass to grow properly. In the absence of a soil test, use a starter fertilizer formulated for new lawns. Seed warm season grasses in late spring; cool season grasses in late summer or early fall.
How deep does a lawn aerator go?
1-6 inches
Can you aerate after seeding?
The purpose of aerating during an overseeding is to open up the soil for good SEED TO SOIL contact. The seeds will drop into the aeration holes and grow out them. If you aerate after spreading seed you will get no seed into the holes and have no better seed to soil contact than not aerating at all.