When Is It Too Late To Aerate? - Lawn Care Forum

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gcbailey

I think I know the answer but I'm throwing this out anyway... We have a client that called yesterday telling me they want to push back their aeration/overseeding by about 2, 3 weeks. They are supposed to have a company come in today and fell about 6 large pines, grind the stumps and put top soil in. He wants us to wait so we can aerate and see the section that they are going to be covering. I let him know if he waits till the temps cool down much the germination rate won't be as much. Our temps are supposed to drop into the low 30s over the weekend but rise back up into the 60's/40's for the next couple of weeks. I know location/climate affect the time window, but toward the end of Oct, is that pushing it too late to overseed? #1 · Oct 3, 2014 I think I know the answer but I'm throwing this out anyway... We have a client that called yesterday telling me they want to push back their aeration/overseeding by about 2, 3 weeks. They are supposed to have a company come in today and fell about 6 large pines, grind the stumps and put top soil in. He wants us to wait so we can aerate and see the section that they are going to be covering. I let him know if he waits till the temps cool down much the germination rate won't be as much. Our temps are supposed to drop into the low 30s over the weekend but rise back up into the 60's/40's for the next couple of weeks. I know location/climate affect the time window, but toward the end of Oct, is that pushing it too late to overseed? Sort by Oldest first Oldest first Newest first Most reactions #2 · Oct 3, 2014 the overseeding will be less effective. the aeration wont really be effected though. as long as they know that ahead of time id go ahead and just do it. #3 · Oct 3, 2014 Fall aerations with machines that pull much more than an average tepid amount of plugs [rolling tine drum] can be a bad thing if there is not some plan of action to break up the plugs. It is best to get at least 3 mowings in after the aeration to break them up. For this reason I avoid double passes late in the season with my Plugr 850's. Even with a single pass with the Plugr I have had a few people complain the plugs linger much longer than when others have performed the service. And the reason is there are more plugs...and this is a good thing. They just need to be broken up. Again this is not a problem in the Spring due to growth. Posted via Mobile Device #4 · Oct 3, 2014

Exact Rototilling said: Fall aerations with machines that pull much more than an average tepid amount of plugs [rolling tine drum] can be a bad thing if there is not some plan of action to break up the plugs. It is best to get at least 3 mowings in after the aeration to break them up. For this reason I avoid double passes late in the season with my Plugr 850's. Even with a single pass with the Plugr I have had a few people complain the plugs linger much longer than when others have performed the service. And the reason is there are more plugs...and this is a good thing. They just need to be broken up. Again this is not a problem in the Spring due to growth. Posted via Mobile Device Click to expand...

I'll be using a Classan 60T 3point. Around here we normally are getting leaves up until late November, so a ZTR be continue to be used for at least a few weeks after aeration. The property is surrounded by Red/White Oak, Chestnut, Sassafras... So there's plenty of leaves to get up. The customer is fully aware that he's missing out on the best time for the overseeding. This will be the first time that this property has been overseeded too, at least since he's lived on it (3 years). #5 · Oct 4, 2014 Dormant seeding would be the next best thing IMO depending on your weather conditions. Posted via Mobile Device #6 · Oct 4, 2014 I'm not sure what type of soil you have there but down here in the Charlotte, NC Area, we have a whole lot of densely compacted red clay along with some orange colored clay mixed with sand. I've aerated many yards over the years here and I see zero benefit from it other than creating pockets where the seed can gather and grow in clumps after heavy rain. I think the best you can expect is for the seed to remain dormant in the aeration holes for germination in the spring. The only benefit I've seen from "Aeration" is when I transplanted plugs of Zoysia from a densely compacted clay side yard to a backyard by hand using a ProPlugger at 4" deep. The 2,500 holes were then filled by hand with a Peat Moss, Compost, pine bark fines mixture. This was done several years ago and to this day, the area where the plugs were taken stays thick and dark all summer long while the area around it heat stresses within a late summer week of no rain. #7 · Oct 4, 2014 Our soil around here can be somewhat of an anomaly. Where this guy lives is in an "old money" section of a city where you see more estate type settings. In the past, 1920's, 30's they trucked load after load of "river soil" (sandy loam) and mixed it in with the clay and shale. I've done soil samples on a few properties there and the pH levels are always crazy across the board, even on houses next door to each other. I know I'm over thinking this, it's just where we are still pretty "new" to lawn maintenance (fert, herbicide, aerate, etc...) I only have a one year track record to go on. Last year we started overseeding properties in mid September and we got over 2' of snow on Oct 24th from hurricane Sandy. It did warm back up somewhat for a few weeks afterwards and I would say we say probably a 70% rate on areas that were overseeded. This guy has a pretty good lawn as is, he's been on a fert plan for a year now his only issue is the lawn as a whole isn't as "thick" as he or I would like it. That's why I was going to overseed the entire lawn after aeration. So basically any results will be good results, I was just hoping to see some results before the year ends and get that root structure established prior to putting out pre-emergents and such next spring. #8 · Oct 4, 2014 If aeration isn't NEEDED then just focus on over seeding what is there to thicken it up... The stump grinding spots will be an issue unto itself... #9 · Oct 4, 2014 The most important thing is going to be soil temperature and the type of seed you are using. I would keep an eye on soil temperature. Here is a resource: http://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soiltempmaps.aspx #10 · Oct 4, 2014

Smallaxe said: If aeration isn't NEEDED then just focus on over seeding what is there to thicken it up... The stump grinding spots will be an issue unto itself... Click to expand...

To my knowledge and his it has never been aerated. There is some thatch issues in some parts of the lawn mostly on the front street side of the property. The pines are being removed where the circle is, You can't really tell the lawn on that side of the property due to the tree line. The tree company felling the trees/grinding are also doing the top soil and grading, they are from out of town, so I don't have a clue to their quality of work.... it may be the grind the stumps 8" below the soil or maybe 2".... Property Ecoregion Green Map Nature

#11 · Oct 4, 2014

gcbailey said: To my knowledge and his it has never been aerated. There is some thatch issues in some parts of the lawn mostly on the front street side of the property. The pines are being removed where the circle is, You can't really tell the lawn on that side of the property due to the tree line. The tree company felling the trees/grinding are also doing the top soil and grading, they are from out of town, so I don't have a clue to their quality of work.... it may be the grind the stumps 8" below the soil or maybe 2".... Click to expand...

Then it wouldn't hurt to do a good aeration now on the lawn on the house side of the street where the thatch issues exist and not aerate the other side at all this year... JMHO...

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