By this time of year, your lawn’s turf often looks a bit worse for wear. Heat, drought, and excessive traffic can all wear down your lawn and leave you wondering what can be done.
Fortunately, the natural cycle of the seasons takes care of much of this. The cooler temperatures and increasing rainfall of autumn help your lawn rebound visibly in a relatively short period of time. These favorable conditions also mean that if grass seed is put down, germination and seedling development will be optimal. New grass plants will be able to start developing a root system over the next couple of months. Next spring, your lawn will green up promptly and be off and growing.
Core aeration is another simple way to rejuvenate your turf this fall. During the process, an aerator punches out plugs of soil across your lawn. This creates pathways through which air, water and fertilizer can more easily travel to your turf’s roots. As a result, roots are able to grow stronger and deeper.
After the plugs are removed, they are left to dissolve on your lawn during rainfall and watering. Eventually, they mix with the thatch layer to help it decompose and break down. This makes it even easier for moisture, oxygen and nutrients to reach your turf’s roots, and it helps discourage harmful insects which tend to make their homes among thick thatch layers.
Summer can take a lot out of your turf, but with fall comes needed relief. Seeding and aerating at this time greatly repairs your lawn from the tolls of summer and sets it up for a healthy spring.
