Prevention is the best proactive plan. Performing an aeration every Spring or Fall will help to loosen the soils by taking out a plug and creating a hole in the ground. That plug is then pushed out of the machine by the next plug as you progress along. The plugs on top of the soil break down while the holes in the ground provide “breathing room” for those fresh ready-to-grow Spring sprouts.

As we touched on, aerating is done by a machine that has several tubes attached to a drum. These tubes dig into the ground, by the weight of the machine, about 2-3 inches as the machine moves forward. The hollow centers of the tubes collects your soil, grass and thatch leaving a hole in the ground while pushing out the soil from the previous rotation and hole.

It is also important to note that thatch is brought out with each core made. You want thatch gone, because while in place, it intercepts the delivery of water, fertilizer and other nutrients to you soils and grass roots.

Aerating is different than verticutting or dethatching and we have discussed these processes in a previous article if you would care to read. Click Here

Core aeration is great for the lawn as it breaks up compaction and helps control thatch. It is not the best practice for seeding. If your main focus is to overseed then verticut as it provides for the best and most even seed bed. Core aeration can be used but verticutting is preferred. Aeration is best done in the fall but can also be done in the spring.

- Dennis Patton
Johnson County K-State Research and Extension

We also do not suggest overseeding after aerating. You will get what we call Hair Plugs for grass. An example can be seen in this photo.

Call us for a free estimate or to ask questions. We are here to help you become the envy of the block.

We offer our lawn aerating / verticut / verticutting / overseeding services to all the cities of the Metro KC. Kansas City, Olathe, Lenexa, Overland Park, Shawnee, Prairie Village, Fairway, Gardner, Spring Hill, Merriam, Mission, Mission Hills, Leawood and more in Johnson County, Kansas.

Why do you need a sprinkler startup? I know, I know, you can turn on a valve…Well,  Old Man Winter can be hard on systems so, let me count the reasons…and our start up service includes.

Should we find anything amiss with your system, we then will continue with our $65 theme and make repairs for $65 / hr plus parts.  If we do find a problem, we can often prepare an estimate on-site and if schedule allows we can fix it at that time with approval. If not, we will reschedule.

So, save yourself the DIY philosphy with time and money by calling us at 913-256-LAWN (5296) or email us. Then you can do what you do, while we do what we do. It’s not uncommon for our activation service to pay for itself in the adjustments we make by water saved over the season.

As Kermit the Frog has always said. It’s not easy being green. Well, in Kansas, it’s not easy staying green either. Since we seem to being going through the “Winter that Wasn’t”. I thought we would mention our Annual Fertilizer Program we have to offer for fescue, bluegrass, bermuda, zoysia or whatever lawn you may have. Believe it or not, we are gaining ground on Spring and our first application is only about a month away. It’s very important to get the Step-1 Prevent down in order to stop crab grass from growing. Of course, if you have plans to overseed in the Spring, there are some alternatives you would want to use. Prevent fertilizers are not picky on what they prevent from growing. Meaning that they will also prevent grass from coming up.

For our 6-Step annual program we use all granular products. We do supplement weed control with sprays at the time of the granular applications at no additional charge. Our program is effective on two levels. Price and control. Our commercial Lesco spreaders are set to apply the correct amount of fertilizer. There is no such thing as “close enough”. Our prices are set competitive to your costs of only purchasing the fertilizer itself. Then add in your time and gas to get it each time and the time it takes to put it down. I am willing to bet too, that you either buy the bag to “make it work” or too much and have to store it… for how long and away from pets and kids etc.

Our 6-step program summary is as follows, but you can visit our Program Page for more details:

STEP 1  Late Winter / Early Spring - Professional, slow-release fertilizer plus crabgrass prevent.

STEP 2  Spring – Fertilizer, plus professional strength herbicide, for control of dandelions, clover, plantain and other broad leaf weeds.

STEP 3  Summer – A second application of professional, slow-release fertilizer plus crabgrass prevent.

STEP 4  Summer – Professional, grub control helps control grubs at the appropriate time in their life-cycle.

STEP 5  Fall – Professional, slow-release nitrogen fertilizer helps turf recover from summer stress.

STEP 6  Late Fall / Winter - Winter root builder made to move roots laterally and develop rhizomes, for fast thick spring growth. Encourages drought and traffic tolerance.

Give up the headache. Leave it to us and move on with your life. We are here to whatever level suits your needs. I used to like to just mow. Not worry about chasing sprinklers, so I got a system put it, then I hired a now competitor for fertilizer, so I have been a consumer. I know what the other guys do and how they perform and what they cost. No excuses. We are licensed, knowledgeable all while cost and performance effective. It’s a no-brainer.

Email us your address for a Free No-Obligation Estimate today.

- The Hometown Lawn Team