Every property owner's dream lawn is thick and dense with green grass and is the picture of health. Fortunately, you can bring your dream lawn to fruition with core aeration and overseeding services! Core aeration will give the roots of your grass better access to nutrients, while overseeding will fill in any patchy areas with healthy, durable new grass growth. If your property in Tennessee has cool-season grass, you should combine these two services for the best results. After all, aeration creates optimal conditions for the seeds to have direct contact with the soil, which leads to faster, more successful germination. When you combine aeration and overseeding for your cool-season grass, you'll have your dream lawn that makes your neighbors jealous in no time!

What is core aeration?

Core aerator machine pulling cores out of lawn in Arlington, TN.

Core aeration is the process of pulling up plugs, or "cores," of soil from your turf, which are about 2-3 inches long. This process leaves tiny holes in your lawn to create passageways for essential resources, like sunlight, water, oxygen, and nutrients, to easily reach the roots of your grass. Aeration will also loosen up compacted soil, which happens over time from frequent foot traffic. For your cool-season grass, it's best to perform core aeration in the fall. As the name suggests, your grass thrives during the cooler months and will be strong enough to endure this process and will be able to recover before winter sets in.

It's recommended to core aerate your lawn annually to prevent soil compaction!

What is overseeding?

Seeds being poured over aerated lawn in Germantown, TN.

Overseeding involves spreading cool-season grass seeds across your lawn to fill bare and patchy areas with new, healthy grass growth. Overseeding is a great way to thicken your turf, which will not only make it more aesthetically appealing but stronger too. Think of grass as the shield for your turf - when the shield/grass is denser, your lawn has a better defense against stressors like lawn diseases, insect infestations, and even weeds! It's best to overseed your lawn in the fall since cool-season seeds have a better chance of successfully germinating during the cooler weather.

You Should Combine Core Aeration & Overseeding to Yield the Best Results for Your Cool-Season Grass

Fall is the optimal time to both core aerate and overseed your cool-season grass, so why not combine them to yield the best results? When you overseed right after aeration, the seeds can fall into the holes for direct seed-to-soil contact, giving them a better chance of successful germination. However, that's not all! The holes act as a protective barrier for the seeds, making it less likely for them to get blown away or eaten by animals. If you were to overseed without aeration, they'd fall onto the surface of your lawn where they'd be exposed, leading to a lesser amount successfully germinating. On the other hand, if you were to aerate without overseeding, the roots of your grass will have better access to nutrients, but it won't help to fill in any bare or patchy areas. When you combine them, your lawn will get the best of both worlds!

Call us to sign up for our overseeding and core aeration services!

If you want to combine overseeding and core aeration for your cool-season grass, we're here to help! At Picture Perfect Landscapes, we'll core aerate your lawn around September - October before we overseed directly after. We can overseed your lawn with either tall-fescue or perennial rye, both of which are cool-season seeds. Your dream lawn is within reach - with our overseeding and core aeration services!

Since 2002, we've been offering our overseeding and core aeration services to residential, commercial, and HOA properties in Memphis, Midtown Memphis, East Memphis, and other nearby areas in Tennessee. Call us at (901) 246-7656 to sign up for our services today!