Aeration & Overseeding Guidelines

As your lawn and landscape provider, you can count on us to ensure the turf grass and installation methods are the highest quality you can expect. In turn, we must count on you to properly water and care for your new seed. It’s important that we function as a team to ensure long term success.

The following information is only a rough guideline. Various soil types, weather conditions, sun or shade, along with using common sense may alter water and care requirements.

Leave Core Plugs On The Lawn – They will work their way back into the soil and be less sightly in a few weeks.

Watering

Watering is the single most important part to success. Nature will typically not provide adequate moisture; watering by hand or changing your sprinkler system schedule will be needed.

• First 2-3 weeks: Water frequently and light. Our goal here is to keep the seed moist without wash-out. 10-20 minutes per zone/area 1-2 times a day (2 if possible).
• Weeks 3-5: Water Deep and less frequent. Our goal here is to allow the roots to develop and reach deeper into the soil. Increase watering time per zone to 20-30 minutes 3-4 days per week.
• Our seed can take up to 21 days to germinate, be diligent with watering and results will follow. Many grasses have a “Sprout and pout” stage where they grow to about 1″ and “pout” for a week or more, then begin growing again. Don’t stop watering!
• If you have an area that is prone to erosion, it may be a good idea to use a straw blanket on those areas until new seed is germinated. This can be picked up at Lowes or Home Depot.

Lawn Mowing

• Do not mow or get near thin/bare areas until seed is 4-5” tall, then mow tall at 3.5-4”. Mowing bare areas (that have not germinated yet) can cause the seed to blow away.

Leaf Cleanup

Please be very careful the first season for Leaf Cleanup. It is always best to continuously keep up with the leaves than waiting till they all fall. Mulch as much as possible, as often as possible, but be careful of new seed.

Seed Germination

Perennial Ryegrass will be the first the Germinate, generally within 7 days. Fine Fescue will be next at around the 10-14 day mark (this is a shady grass.) Finally, Kentucky Bluegrass will take up to 21 days to germinate, this is the the most important grass for sunny areas. This is also why it is so important to continue watering past the 3 week mark!