Now would be a good time to think about thatching and aerating your lawn.
- Aeration prevents soil compaction
- Allows air, water, & fertilizer access to the roots
- Reduces runoff & improves drainage
- Promotes healthy, thick, green grass
Core aeration should be performed in the spring and/or fall. Aerating improves your lawn’s health and beauty, optimizes root development, and reduces thatch and associated problems. It also deepens your lawn’s root system for greater resistance to disease, insects, drought, and heat stress. Fertilizing and Over-seeding is often performed in conjunction with core aeration, allowing the fertilizer and seeds to penetrate deep into the soil.
Thatching:
- Rids your lawn of unwanted moss
- Increases the availability of nutrients
- Helps prevent fertilizer and pesticide run-off
- Enhances oxygen levels in the soil
- Increases your lawn’s resistance to disease
- Increases your lawn’s drought tolerance
- Promotes a lush green law
In Western Washington we deal with moss, which seems to grow everywhere and spread quickly. It’s time to “de-thatch” or rather “De-Moss” if you have visible moss growing in your lawn (get it out before it takes over). Also, many lawns have a layer of thatch and dead grass built into them. Your lawn needs thatching if you take your finger and point it down into your lawn and have trouble touching the dirt because of the thatch layer built up. After thatching is a great time to over-seed because there is now room for the new grass to grow and thrive.