Landworks Lawn Care Company Explains Core Aeration and Seeding

Landworks is your expert full service lawn care company specializing in all aspects of lawn care services for commercial and residential properties. Among the many services we offer are core aeration and seeding. Core aeration enables better air, water, and nutrient exchange in soil, which produces a deeper root system and thicker turf. Following aeration with seeding keeps your turf dense and lush.

Aeration involves making holes in the lawn by either pushing a rod into it or extracting a plug of soil. This process breaks up thatch, a spongy layer of light-brown matter between the soil and grass that resembles peat moss, and relieves soil compaction. A build-up of lawn thatch or heavily compacted soil makes it difficult for your lawn to breathe. Aeration service from a trusted lawn care company like Landworks improves water, nutrient and oxygen movement to the root system.

Signs of thatch build-up include a lawn that feels spongy or seems to dry out quickly. Water pooling up on your lawn after a heavy rain indicates that the soil is too compacted for the water to effectively penetrate. A lawn that looks brown and dehydrated is another telltale sign that it is in need of aeration. 

The best time to aerate is during the growing season, when the grass can heal and fill in open areas. Ideally, lawns with cool season grasses like fescue and bluegrass (which are the most common in Kansas City, Overland Park, and Shawnee) should be aerated in the early spring or fall. Warm season grasses like zoysia and Bermuda are not typical for our region, but should be aerated in late spring if you have them.

A knowledgeable lawn care company typically prefers core aeration to merely puncturing the soil with a rod, which can actually cause additional compaction. A core aeration machine extracts “cores” of soil, leaving pockets for air and water to penetrate, and room for roots to grow. When left to decompose, the extracted plugs of soil and thatch provide additional nutrients for the lawn.

Landworks lawn care company recommends following aeration with overseeding, which is the practice of applying grass seed over the top of your existing lawn. Overseeding after aeration allows more of the new seed to reach the soil and receive the air and water it needs to grow. This results in denser, thicker turf. Both processes should be used to get the lushest lawn possible.

When you need a trusted lawn care company for core aeration and overseeding or any other lawn service in Overland Park, Shawnee, or anywhere in the Kansas City metro area, the certified professionals at Landworks are here to help. Call (913) 422-9300 or click here to contact us for more information.