Learning Center / Timing and seasons
How do you get your lawn ready for aeration and seeding day?
Mark anything buried that a machine could hit, skip weed control in the weeks before, and make sure the soil isn't bone dry. Then keep the new seed moist for two to three weeks. That last part matters most.
- By David Obeid, founder
- Reviewed
- 4 min read
Before service day
What should you do before aeration and overseeding?
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Mark sprinkler heads and buried lines
A core aerator pulls plugs a couple of inches deep. Flag sprinkler heads, shallow irrigation lines and invisible dog fence wires so they can be avoided.
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Skip weed control beforehand
Crabgrass preventer and some weed treatments stop grass seed from sprouting. If you treat the lawn yourself, hold off in the weeks before seeding and tell us what you put down.
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Don't let the soil get bone dry
Aeration pulls cleaner, deeper plugs from soil that is lightly moist. If it has been dry, water lightly a day or two before, but don't soak it.
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Clear the lawn
Pick up toys, hoses, furniture and anything else on the grass, and unlock the gate or share the code.
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Keep pets inside
On service day, dogs should stay in. You don't need to be home.
Right after
What does the lawn look like after aeration and seeding?
Covered in small soil plugs, with less seed visible on top than you might expect. That is normal. Much of the seed falls into the aeration holes, where it is protected and has the best soil contact.
Leave the plugs alone. They break down on their own over the next few weeks of rain, watering and mowing.
Aftercare
How do you care for new seed after aeration?
Watering is the single biggest factor in whether new seed takes. We walk every client through it.
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Keep the seed consistently moist
Light, frequent watering, usually once or twice a day, for about two to three weeks while the seed sprouts. Seed that dries out after it starts to sprout usually dies.
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Then water deeper, less often
Once the new grass is up and growing, shift gradually toward deeper, less frequent watering.
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Keep foot traffic light
Young seedlings are tender. Keep kids, pets and heavy use off newly seeded areas where you can.
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Keep leaves off
Fall leaves left on new grass smother the seedlings. Why leaf cleanup matters.
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Skip weed control for now
Most weed treatments can harm young grass. Let the new lawn establish first.
Results
When will you see the new grass?
New grass sprouts within the first few weeks if it stays moist, fills in through the fall, and usually looks its best the following spring. Severe or large bare areas may need more than one fall to fully recover.
More on aeration timing, or see our aeration and seeding service.
Related questions
What people also ask
Do I need to be home for aeration and overseeding?
No. The service itself does not require you to be home, and many quotes can be prepared from satellite imagery. You or your irrigation system will need to handle watering the new seed afterward.
What do I do with the soil plugs after aeration?
Nothing. The plugs left on top of the lawn break down on their own.
Do I need to water after overseeding?
Yes, and it is the single biggest factor in success. New seed needs to stay consistently moist for about two to three weeks to germinate, which usually means light, frequent watering.
Keep reading
More from the Learning Center
- What should you do for your lawn each season in Northern Virginia? A season-by-season lawn calendar for tall fescue: what happens in winter, spring, summer and fall, and which season matters most. Timing and seasons · 6 min read
- Why shouldn't you leave leaves on your lawn all winter? What a wet mat of leaves does to a fescue lawn, why beds and walkways need clearing too, and why one cleanup in November is not enough here. Timing and seasons · 5 min read
- Should you mow your lawn shorter before winter? Why the last mows of the season should drop to about 3 to 3 1/2 inches: a long lawn traps leaves and debris over winter. Lower, never scalped. Timing and seasons · 4 min read
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