When is it Too Late to Aerate and Overseed?

Uh oh, your lawn is starting to look a little bare. You might want to do something about it before it gets worse. But you wonder:

when is it too late to aerate and overseed your lawn?

Why Aerate Your Lawn?

After a while, especially with heavy use, the soil on your lawn begins to compact, becoming hard with few air spaces. The reason you want to aerate your lawn is since removing soil plugs or inserting spikes to make holes will allow air, water and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass.

With aeration, the roots will grow deeper and you will have a healthier, lusher lawn.

The best time to aerate your lawn is during the growing season when grass roots can fully take advantage of the extra air and water.

• Aerate for cool-season grass in the early spring or fall
• Aerate for warm-season grass in late spring.

It is best to aerate the soil just after it rains or when you’ve watered. Hard, dry soil is more difficult to aerate.

Why Overseed Your Lawn?

When grass is thin or areas have been damaged by too much sun, insects or disease, you should consider overseeding the lawn. This is essentially spreading grass seed over the existing lawn.

Overseeding works best when done on an established lawn where the existing grass is thin, as opposed to bare ground or bald areas.

When is the best time to overseed?

The best time to overseed is in the fall for cool-weather grasses.

If you want to overseed in the spring, do it early so that the seeds can take root before summer’s heat arrives. Combining aeration and overseeding is the best way to enhance your lawn’s health and appearance. Overseeding is best done after aerating.

When is it Too Late to Aerate and Overseed?

Knowing when it is too late to aerate and overseed your lawn depends upon the type of grass grown there.

• For warm-season grasses it is too late to aerate once the growing season has passed in late summer into early fall.
• For cool-season grasses, late fall into early winter is too late to aerate.

New grass needs about six weeks to take hold before winter hits. In either case, it is best to wait until the next growing season to aerate.

It is too late to overseed your lawn once the growing season has passed.

For warm-season grasses, once the summer heat has arrived it is too late. The new grass will not be able to take root.

For cool-season grasses, late October on is too late to overseed. Again, wait until the next year for the best results.

Call the Experts: Hambleton Lawn & Landscape

If you have questions like “When is it too late to aerate and overseed my lawn?” contact our professional lawncare team at Hambleton Lawn & Landscape.

We can give you tips on how to care for your lawn yourself, or we can offer a number of lawncare services including,

• weekly mowing
• lawn care
• aeration and overseeding

At Hambleton Lawn & Landscape, our goal is to give you the maximum results with the least harmful effects on the environment.

That’s why we use Holganix, our 100% organic bio-nutrient that’s healthier for your lawn and your family.

Call us today for a free quote on any of our lawn care and landscaping services for homeowners in Northern Virginia.