Taking advantage of a predicted rainstorm, I hurriedly overseeded my back yard last weekend. The ‘soil’ in my area has a very high clay content, and growing a decent lawn is difficult. Yesterday, my neighbor mentioned that he was going to rent a power aerator next weekend before overseeding his own yard, and asked if I wanted to use it. I’m sure it would be helpful in general, but I don’t want to ruin any work I’ve already done. Having already put down the seed, is it too late for me to use the aerator myself? Should I aerate and then overseed again? Any advice?
An aerator makes half-inch holes spaced 5 inches apart. Therfore 10% of your seeding job would be ruined. Seedlings where you walk and in the wheel tracks may or may not survive.
Not too late at all. I aerate 2-3 times a year. It makes for a healthier lawn. When it comes to nice green well maintained lawns…excess is only a factor when it comes to watering and fertilizing. Otherwise…have at it!
BTW, I baby my lawn. I take it’s care very seriously, aeration can make or break a good season. What geographic region do you live in?
It’s been many years since I studied maths, and I might well be getting confused here, so please feel free to correct me:
Surely it would be a lot less than 10% loss? Your figures work for a one-dimensional lawn, but I’d have thought that in two dimensions, when you’re working with squares, you’d be looking at less than 1% of the total area of the lawn. If they were 0.5"x0.5"square holes in a 5"x5" grid, that would be 1%. Since you’re presumably talking about round holes, it’ll be even less, since a circle of diameter 0.5" has a lower area than a 0.5"x0.5" square.
Or did I go wrong somewhere in there?
You loose some seed, but it’s not going to be sprouted yet. You need to consider that the removed plugs are where the seeds will drop if a rain moves them. You may lose much of the seed down the removed plug holes. I would say absolutely no if the seed has sprouted.
I would think that the seeds have most likely not sprouted and an aerator could still make fine holes for the seeds to drop in. I would go for it.
I would think that such cultivation practices right now would be equivalent to you begging for a lawn full of weeds. And I mean a lawnful, to the point they overrun you.
Aeration is best in fall, but ‘ok’ in Spring.
If you choose to aerate and seed in spring, please get a special pre-emergent treatment that can block weeds but allow your seeds to germinate. Otherwise, you’ll be in here crying over the mess you have on your hands.
Around here, they really push spring aeration, with fall aeration seen as an optional bonus.
Yes, after going thru winter with no income, or reduced income, I’d push spring aeration, too. Then you get to sell seed and extra chemicals, too.
It is a bad practice. Seed when nature seeds: in the fall.
Aerate when weeds are at a disadvantage: in the fall.
This extension is in a zone comparable to the OP’s, and the blend of grass referenced is typical, too. This advice is consistent with what other extensions recommend.