It may not be pretty for a week or so but it is a key step in natural lawn care: Plug or aerate your lawn every fall. What is it?…It is one of the best methods to create a healthy lawn. It creates looser or less compacted soil conditions where the root systems of grass seed can expand grow.
Healthy soil conditions are the best booster to your lawn – it allows your lawn to fight of weeds and allows you to sharply reduce chemical weed prevention treatments.
Here are the three simple steps
(1) A machine literally pulls out dirt to make openings in the lawn (see photo). Why? So that air gets to the grass roots stimulating them to grow into the open spaces.
(2) Dust over lawn lime to balance the ph in your lawn, and
(3) Overseed the lawn so that the grass receives new growth
In bare areas, i.e. areas of plain soil it helps to top off the seed with sterilized straw or mulch to keep moisture in. This helps to germinate the new seed. Once the seed has germinated apply fall fertilizer and you are done for the year.
It’s pretty easy and straight forward. Discuss it with your landscaper or lawn care service. A tip you should know all about.