Our Process and Care Instructions for Aerating and Overseeding Lawns with Fescue during the Fall and Winter in Northeast Georgia
Photo Credit: Pennington Seed
The season is quickly changing to fall, and for us at Restoration Lawn Care, that means getting ready to aerate and overseed many of our shady lawns with Fescue in the Athens, Georgia area. This process allows for a quick and easy update to help your lawn look great and green for the holidays.
Here are the thoughtful steps that we have developed for our Aerating and Overseeding Process:
1. Aerate
We begin our process with core aeration. This means that if your soil is appropriately wet, our machine pulls out 3-inch plugs, allowing water, air, and nutrients to reach the roots of the grass. If the soil is dry, our machine will only pull out shorter plugs.
Before we aerate: Two or three days before we come, give your lawn two forty-five-minute waterings. For example, if we’re coming on Wednesday, then on Monday, water your lawn at 7:30 AM for 45 minutes and then again at noon for 45 minutes. This ensures that your ground will be soft enough for us to aerate thoroughly. Click here to read more about our aeration process.
Photo Credit: Lawn Starter
2. Spread High-Quality Blended Fescue
This specific blend of 4 kinds of Fescue that we used is designed to perform better in our Georgia conditions. It’s made to tolerate the heat, drought, and diseases that we typically see here. We spread it at the rate of 5 to 10 pounds per 1000 square feet, depending on how thick or thin your existing grass is. If you or your landscaper is reseeding your lawn, make sure that you or your landscaper are putting out enough. If you’re putting too much out, you’re making a happy home for disease in your yard; too thin, and it’s just not going to look great.
3. Apply Wetting Agent
A wetting agent is a product that holds consistent moisture in the top 1-2 inches of soil to help seeds germinate. This is what we like to call an “insurance policy” on your new grass seed. When the short young little roots of the seeds begin to come in, it doesn't take much wind to dry on the soil. This helps them get the moisture they need to grow deep roots and become healthy plants.
4. Apply Fescue-specific Pre-emergent
If you are familiar with the job of a pre-emergent, you might be thinking, “oh no!,” but this pre-emergent product actually allows only the Fescue to come up instead of the other weeds that are germinating right now, like Poa Annua. This product is only effective for 6 weeks after application, so if you’re using another fertilization and weed control company, you will need to let them know that (You will need another pre-emergent later for Chickweed and Henbit). If you use Restoration Lawn Care, we'll take care of the next application at the right time.
5. Apply a Complete Starter Fertilizer
This fertilizer will provide all of the nutrients that your germinating seeds will need. Our blend with organic matter will feed it for a long time.
So yay (!!), you’re on your way to a lush green lawn this fall and winter in Northeast Georgia, but after we leave, the work is not over!
Your job after we aerate and overseed is to water your lawn.
The key to a lovely Fescue yard is having the right amount of water. Here are some helpful pointers on caring for a yard that has just been aerated and overseeded:
Right after overseeding and aerating, you will be watering several times a day. You will water it 3-4 times for 10-15 minutes (for each sprinkler/zone). Here is an example: Water for 10-15 minutes at 7:30 A.M., 10-15 minutes at noon, and 10-15 minutes at 3:30 P.M. Once the seeds have grown and you have cut it once or twice, cut your waterings back to 2 times a day, then to 1 time a day, then 2-3 times a week (for longer times like 30-45 minutes for each sprinkler/zone).
Sometimes it feels unnatural to spend lots of time watering things in the fall and winter; we get it! But remember, this grass will be growing all through the winter. If we have not had rain, remember to water your grass thoroughly.
Your lawn is an investment, and with all investments, you want to make sure that they’re safe. If you have questions or hesitations, please call us at 706-395-5069 or email us at office@athensrlc.com. If you're looking for a lawn care specialist, but you're not in our area, click here to read about the questions you need to ask when finding the right lawn care company.
If you are looking for a company that overseeds in Athens, Georgia, Watkinsville, Georgia, or any of their surrounding areas, contact us or visit our website for a free estimate.