Lawns don’t stay green and healthy without help. Gardeners and landscapers use different lawn care techniques to make turf thicker and more resilient, including aeration and overseeding. These treatments help to revitalize lawns and are particularly beneficial when soils have become compacted. Below is a guide to aeration and overseeding.

What Is Aeration? 

Aeration involves removing plugs of soil from the turf and scattering them across the surface. Plugs are usually cylinder-shaped and one to two inches long. Removing plugs reduces soil compaction and makes germination easier. When new seed is applied, it goes into the holes and attaches to the scattering of plugs. Because the soil is now looser, air, water, and nutrients can feed the lawn more effectively, and the root system establishes itself more quickly.

Microbes feed on the distributed plugs and help break down thatch—the spongy layer of decaying material at soil level. Decomposing thatch releases even more nutrients into the soil. Aerated soils are fertile soils.

What Is Overseeding?

Overseeding is the distribution of seed across a lawn without digging up the turf. When used in combination with aeration, overseeding has the best chance of producing desired results. It’s advisable, therefore, to overseed after aeration. Overseeding helps new grass develop and reinvigorate lawns. 

When different varieties of seed are introduced during overseeding, green and healthy lawns follow. Mixing seed varieties ensures lush results if one seed type performs more poorly than anticipated. 

Oasis Landscapes & Irrigation in Columbia, MO, provides landscaping services ranging from lawn care and state-of-the-art irrigation to imaginative landscape design. They serve commercial and residential clients and have been expertly caring for lawns and gardens since 1989. Many customers rely on their services year after year. To inquire about their services, call (573) 446-0858, or visit their website to learn more about their approach to fertilization, including core-plug aeration and overseeding.