Remember the three biggies in lawn renovation: aeration, overseeding, and applying gypsum to your soil
It’s finally fall in Rockland, Westchester, Bergen, and Orange Counties, New York, and it’s time to start thinking about renovating your lawn. There are three jobs that you must do in order to successfully renovate your lawn and prepare it for winter: aeration, reseeding, and applying gypsum to your soil.
- Aeration, also known as core aeration, loosens up soil and dethatches your lawn. Thatch is the layer between the soil and grass that contains decaying grass and roots, as well as new shoots of grass. While some thatch is good for your lawn, too much thatch can destroy your lawn. Autumn, with its longer nights and cooler temperatures, presents a perfect time to loosen up the soil and get rid of some of that overgrown thatch.Mechanical aeration removes plugs, also known as cores, of soil from your yard. This process allows your soil to loosen up so fertilizer and water can penetrate deep down into the grass plants’ roots. Additionally, core aeration prepares your lawn for fall overseeding.
- Overseeding, also known as reseeding, allows you to thicken up a thin lawn or to add a hardier species of grass to your yard. Overseeding goes hand-in-hand with core aeration because grass seed is spread on your lawn after the aeration step is completed. The aerated holes catch some of these seeds, allowing for new grass to develop deeper roots for optimum grass health into the next growing season. Remember to keep your newly seeded lawn properly irrigated so that the new grass can establish itself.Here are some other reasons to consider aerating and overseeding your lawn this fall:
- When it comes to reseeding your lawn, core aeration is perfect because the cores or holes from the aeration provide a better seed to soil ratio
- Aeration creates growth zones to encourage existing turf to develop deeper root formation
- Aeration helps keep thatch under control. Some thatch is normal for a healthy lawn. But thatch that is a half inch thick opens up your yard for fungi and diseases to take root in your grass system
- The holes, created by soil plugs, allow more water, air, and nutrients to penetrate the soil, which means an overall healthier lawn
- These plugs will dissolve back into the ground during rainfall or irrigation
- Regularly core aerating your turf to reduce thatch on your property will save you from having to continually renovate your lawn every spring and fall. Additionally, this preventative practice, done on a consistent basis, may save you money in the long run.
- Gypsum Application: Gypsum, also known as calcium sulfate dehydrate, is a soil amendment. While core aeration is the mechanical method to loosening up your soil, a gypsum application acts as a compliment to core aeration by further loosening and softening your soil. Gypsum provides the following benefits:
- It loosens and softens hard, clay soils
- It helps release trapped nutrients from soil
- It improves soil drainage which allows fertilizers and water to better absorb into the soil—which will save you money on your monthly water bill and prevent you from buying too much fertilizer
- Softer soil and better drainage means that your grass roots grow deeper and that you will produce greener grass, as well as a more drought-resistant lawn.
If you want a professional lawn care service to properly aerate, seed and apply gypsum on your Rockland, Westchester, Bergen, or Orange County lawn, call Majestic Lawn Care and Landscape, today, for an appointment at 845-708-2988.
