Fescue Lawns Love Aeration & Seeding

Does Your Fescue Lawn Need Some Love?

Those who have Fescue lawns know that it is a turf type that requires a lot of maintenance, care and love.  While it is of the more shade and cold-weather tolerant grasses, it does take a beating in the hot summers here in the south.  

Want to show your Fescue lawn a little more love?  Aerating and seeding is something you can do to help your lawn flourish year-round. Fescue lawns love it!

The aeration and seeding process promotes new growth as Fescue enters its growing season in the fall and winter.  We recommended aerating and seeding your cool-season lawn every year.

When To Aerate & Seed

Core aeration and seeding is an important service that should be completed in the fall – preferably before the first frost of the season. This allows sufficient time for seed germination which can be delayed by cool soil temperatures and/or moist conditions at planting.  By giving the new seed time to establish itself, your lawn will be better prepared for the spring and summer seasons ahead when the turf is faced with hot weather, pests and disease.

“Double Pass” Aeration

Just because the grass roots are underground doesn’t mean they don’t need attention.  Aeration is the removal of small plugs from the soil.  Our core aeration service includes our famous “double pass” aeration that results in the maximum number of holes in the lawn. The aeration holes widen the space between the grass blades.  This allows the air, light and water that are necessary for new growth to reach the roots.  Core aeration also loosens the topsoil, encourages new root development and reduces thatch.

Importance of Seeding

Fescue is a clump style grass.  This means that it grows in clumps instead of spreading horizontally by rhizomes like Bermuda and Zoysia.  Because of this, seeding your Fescue lawn after aeration is important for new grass growth and repairing areas that may be thin due to excessive traffic from people or pets, or other damage.  We broker a custom blend of Fescue seed that has superior resistance to drought, disease and heat stress.  You won’t find this seed at a big box retailer.  

Benefits

While most homeowners know they need annual core aeration and seeding, here’s a few benefits of this important service:

1. Breaks up the soil allowing oxygen, water and nutrients to get to the roots.
2. Holes created in aeration give the new seed a “home” to germinate faster.
3. Reduces thatch that has accumulated from mowing.
4. Fills in bare or thin areas in the lawn.
5. Produces a thick, healthy lawn to fight weeds.

General Fescue Care Tips

Ongoing proper care of your Fescue lawn improves the success rate of aerating and seeding.  Here’s a few general care tips:

1. Water – Proper watering is one of the most important things to do to improve your aeration and seeding service.  After the service, water your lawn 20-30 minutes per day for 3 weeks.  Then reduce to every other day, every third day, etc.
2. Fertilize – By having professional fertilization, your lawn receives the appropriate product in the correct amount at the right time.
3. Mow – The proper mowing height for Fescue is 3.5-4 inches.  (Remember to wait about 3 weeks to mow after seeding.)  Always use a sharp mower blade and don’t cut more than one-third of the grass blade off during a mowing.

If you have any questions about aeration and seeding or general questions about proper care of your Fescue lawn, we’re here to help.   Contact us if we can be of help.