Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Aeration and Overseeding

We all know what our lawns need, right? Mowing, of course, but a good mow also requires edging, trimming, and blowing. And being a plant, your grass will also need water, soil, sunlight, and nutrients. Finally, your lawn needs occasional treatments to remove weeds, plus yearly aeration and overseeding. But wait! Are you less familiar with that last bit? Aerating a lawn is essential when the seasons change in Oklahoma, and we want to take advantage of beautiful weather to entertain. But what is it, why do we need it, and how does it work? Today Fair Outdoor Services answers all those questions and more. What Is Aeration? Even if you don’t know what aeration is in the context of your lawn, you’ve probably heard the word before. That’s because aeration (adding air to something) is used in many other places, but most commonly in baking. Professional bakers and home chefs aerate flour so that their creations bake up fluffy and light. Your soil needs aeration too. But unlike flour, you can’t just run it through a sifter. So landscapers have to be a little more creative. How Do We Aerate? Since soil is in the ground, landscapers aerate it by poking holes in it. But if you only poke holes, you will make soil denser in some spots as you drive dirt further down. That’s why professional landscapers use aerators that also pull up small cores of earth. What Is Overseeding? Overseeding has an even more straightforward definition than aeration. Overseeding is adding new seeds to your lawn by spreading those seeds over your grass. Rather than planting or laying down sod, we spread the seeds. Why Is Compact Soil A Problem? You may wonder why aeration and overseeding matter. The reason is that dense, compact soil is not ideal for growing grass, or any plants for that matter. Packed-in earth does not give enough room for root systems to develop. The density of the soil also prevents water from percolating down into the grass; These dry compact conditions eventually cause soil runoff, erosion, and plant death. What Are Signs You Need to Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn? Ideally, it would be best if you didn’t wait until you see the signs that you need aeration and overseeding to do it. Like many other landscaping and life processes, prevention is always better than cure. But there are some ways to recognize that your lawn needs some help. The first sign that you have a problem is the density of the soil itself. Unfortunately, this may not be easy to notice, so often, it goes a little further before a homeowner recognizes the need for aeration. Because dense soil causes other issues, you may notice them instead. These include erosion, standing water on your lawn, and grass loss. What Causes Your Soil to Become Compact? Compact soil has two leading causes. The first is using your lawn - which is a good thing! We want you to enjoy your yard. But dense soil is also a self-perpetuating problem. When your soil gets too compact, you lose plants. When your plants die, the topsoil can wash away, causing the soil beneath to get denser, making it more challenging to grow plants! That’s why it’s vital to catch the process early or, better yet, prevent it altogether. Why Do Aeration and Overseeding Go So Well Together? Fair Outdoor Services always does aeration and overseeding together. That’s because both are great separately, but together they’re more than the sum of their parts. Overseeding replaces grass that has died. That’s critical for your lawn’s health. Aeration creates the soil conditions for your grass to grow. Loose soil is perfect for grass to grow. So what better time to plant seeds than right after you’ve created the ideal conditions for them to thrive? Freshly aerated soil already has holes (you’ve probably seen a lawn full of holes and plugs of dirt), so the seeds immediately find a home and then have the space to grow their root systems. The aerated ground also leaves room for water and nutrients to reach the new seeds. Call Fair Outdoor Services to Care for Your Lawn and Landscape Whether you’re a lawn warrior or novice, aeration, and overseeding may be new to you, and the right equipment for it is not likely to be sitting in your garage! So let Fair Outdoor Services handle your aerating and overseeding, so you’ll know that your grass is everything it needs to thrive this Spring and beyond!