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5 Must-Know Tips for Aerating & Overseeding Your Lawn in Memphis

Fantastic lawns don’t just happen. They are created and groomed to look their best. Most of the time, homeowners realize this, which is why they hire a lawn care service in the first place. 

But what we often find is that they don’t always realize which services are the most important.

The truth is, aeration and overseeding is a combined service that can do wonders for your lawn and it’s not one to overlook. 

That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the most important things that you’ll want to know about aerating and seeding your lawn in Memphis, TN or Northern MS.

1. Aeration is one of the Most Neglected but Most Critical Tasks

Aeration and overseeding has been called the “secret to the best lawn” for a reason—because a lot of people simply don’t realize just how important it is. 

lawn aerator being used

It’s not really a secret service by any means. It’s right on our website. But we still find that many customers believe it can be skipped. Unfortunately, you’re just not going to get the fantastic results that you might be looking for if you neglect this critical task.

What you may not realize is that regular aerating and seeding is what makes professional natural sports turf (like that sweet football stadium or golf course fairway) look so amazing. 

If you say that you want a professional-looking lawn but you do not choose this service, you simply aren’t going to get the same high-quality results.

2. Aeration Has Many Benefits

You might have heard that aeration helps your lawn “breathe.” But what exactly does all of that mean? Why is this service so important? Understanding more about this service is important. Yes, it’s definitely true that aeration helps your lawn to breathe. But there are many benefits beyond that. 

Better for Grass Root Systems

To explain in more depth, lawn aeration is the process of making small holes by pulling out small soil plugs (or cores) throughout your lawn in order to allow more oxygen, water, and nutrients to penetrate deep into the soil, down to the root zone. Allowing that to happen helps ensure a favorable environment for the root system to develop and grow. Healthier roots mean a healthier lawn.

Addresses Soil Compaction & Improves Fertilizer Treatments

Aeration also helps with reduced soil compaction. Our regional soil can become easily compacted but aeration helps to improve the overall soil structure. That’s important because compacted soil does not allow for proper circulation of oxygen, water, and nutrients. This means that you’re also have improved fertilization treatments. Because the soil is looser, the fertilization products will be able to penetrate the soil the way that they need to.

Breaks Up Thatch in Lawn

Aeration also helps to break up thatch, which is a naturally-occurring, dead organic material that may be building where grass blades emerge at the soil line. This is important as thatch build-up can be another reason why oxygen, water, and nutrients are not penetrating the soil. Thatch can also make your lawn more susceptible to pests and disease. 

Recycles Nutrients & Improves Microbial Life

It’s important to note that while you may think of this service as the one where “holes are made throughout the lawn,” which is how many homeowners describe it to us, there’s more to it than that. 

plugs in grass from lawn aeration

It’s also the cores that are pulled from the soil that matter. That’s because these lay in the yard and will breakdown over the next few weeks, recycling nutrients back into the soil. 

This also allows more beneficial microorganisms to thrive which can mean your lawn can be more resilient over time.

3. It’s Ideal to Perform Aeration and Overseeding at the Same Time in the Fall

As we mentioned, aeration and overseeding are services that go hand-in-hand. That’s because aeration provides optimal seed-to-soil contact. In other words, the seeds will fall into the holes that were created rather than just sitting atop the soil. This will help ensure that your new grass has optimal growing conditions.

The timing of the service is also important in terms of optimal results. We advise having this service performed in the fall because of the ideal weather conditions for seed growth. While the soil is still warm, the air is a bit cooler, which is perfect for new seed germination. Oftentimes, the spring is just too hot and ultimately the summer sun could fry your new and fragile grass. 

4. DIY Aeration and Overseeding is Difficult

Since homeowners are able to rent an aerator, they often assume they can just perform this service on their own. But not only is this service generally a bit more difficult to perform than people realize, it will likely also produce lackluster results. You’ll never receive the same results as hiring a professional lawn aeration service.

Lawn technician aerating lawn

For one, the equipment caliber is going to be subpar. Keep in mind that this is a machine that has been used over and over again by other renters who are not invested in properly maintaining the equipment or may have no idea how to properly utilize it. You’re just not going to get high-quality results with a piece of rental equipment.

You also have to deal with the hassles associated with a rental. You’ll need to set time aside to try and rent the equipment in the first place and then you’ll need to figure out transportation logics. If you don’t own a truck or trailer, you’ll need to figure out a way to haul the equipment home.

Finally, once at home, many people find that performing the aeration is a lot more work than they bargained for. Pushing a clunky and heavy piece of equipment around on your property is taxing on the body and could even leave you prone to injury. 

Ultimately, when homeowners start to recognize what’s involved they often decide that they’d rather just invest in professional lawn aeration service which is going to get them better results, too.

5. A Double Pass is Always Ideal

We should also mention that even the way in which professional lawn aeration services will perform this task can differ. 

One of the biggest differences is that most lawn aerating services do not perform a double pass on your property (meaning they go over it twice). And surely, if you’re taking a DIY approach, by the time you get finished a single pass, you probably don’t feel like doing it again.

But double pass aeration is going to get you the best results. It means more holes, more cores, and ultimately better results. It helps ensure that you’re getting the most for your investment. 

Choosing the Best Lawn Aeration Service

Now that you understand the value of this service, you probably don’t want to settle for anything less than the best. And you shouldn’t have to! You deserve to get the fantastic lawn that you’re looking for.

Master Lawn lawn technician aerating lawn

At Master Lawn, double pass aeration and overseeding are included in our Gold and Platinum lawn care programs. It can also be added to our Silver program or purchased as a stand-alone service. We believe it’s truly one of the most important services you can be doing for your lawn and that you’ll be thrilled with the results. 

Don’t get stuck with a lawn that falls short of your expectations. By choosing Master Lawn, you’ll be on your way to the lawn that you desire.

Ready to have a lawn that you love at your Tennessee or Northern Mississippi home? Talk to a lawn care expert, choose from 3 program options, and become the master of your lawn.

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Michael Hatcher

Michael Hatcher is Founder / Chairman of Michael Hatcher & Associates.

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