Aeration & Seeding Aftercare - What's next?

Just had your lawn aerated and seeded? Here are the next steps to make sure your new grass grows in full–

Once you've completed your annual aeration and seeding with us, we want to make sure that you know how to care for the seed in the proper way. If you follow the tips listed next, you are putting yourself in a great spot to have a beautiful lawn grow in.

Following your aeration and seeding–

Do not remove the soil plugs from your lawn

We understand that the soil plugs our aerator machines pull out of your lawn may not look the prettiest...

... But they do serve a purpose! It may be tempting, but please do not remove them from your lawn. We encourage you to be patient– in just a short amount of time, they will begin to break down naturally in rain, watering, and as time passes. As they do, the nutrients that they hold release back into the soil, providing more nourishment for your new grass seed.

Keep your lawn moist for the first several weeks

In order for the new seeds we laid to germinate, you need to make sure that you are keeping your soil moist. The germination period for our premium Tall Fescue seed is about 2 to 4 weeks, so be prepared to set your sprinkler system for daily watering during this period. We recommend watering new seed 3 times a day, for 5 minutes each time. An ideal schedule is–

5 minutes of watering at 6:00am, then
5 minutes of watering at 12:00pm (Noon), then
5 minutes of watering at 6:00pm

That schedule should be enough to keep your soil moist and allow your seed to germinate.

Keep in mind:You want the soil to stay moist, but you don't want to flood your lawn. Flooding can result in floating seeds and runoff, which would carry the seeds out of place so they will either germinate in the wrong spot, or not at all.

Once Grass has germinated

After you start to see grass poke out a couple of inches, then you can ease up your watering schedule. The grass has germinated, so you can return to your normal watering schedule. For more info on our regular watering recommendations, please view our watering blog post. Remember, we seed Tall Fescue grass.

Let new roots set before you mow your lawn

As stated above, the germination period for our grass seed is typically about 2 to 4 weeks. It is not healthy to mow before the seeds get a chance to establish their root systems. In fact, even too much foot traffic can compact the soil and bury the seeds to the point where they can't properly germinate.

🌱 Pro Tip: Wait until your grass grows to about 3-4 inches tall before you mow. Also, avoid mowing too short– new lawns are more susceptible to scalping and being damaged from being mowed too short. We suggest you place your mower at its highest setting.

Spot weed treatment as needed

Since you're watering your lawn so much, sometimes you can see increased weed development.  It is not uncommon when seeding that you can see a lot of new weeds because of your fertile soil.

No worries... we've got you covered!

If any weeds pop up while you are waiting for your grass to grow, they can be spot-treated. Our Fertilization & Weed Control Program takes care of that for you, if you are already signed up for that service. If not, you can get more information on that service and how to sign up here!

Need More Seeds?

It's possible that some areas around your property may need more seed. If you notice areas that need more seed after your seed has popped through the surface, we do provide you with a small bag of seed to sprinkle in these areas when we first aerated and seeded your lawn. If you find you need more seed than what was provided, we will be happy to come out and spot seed your lawn for you again. Simply give us a call to request that!

If you can reach your weeds that have popped up with a long nozzle without disturbing the grass we highly suggest you spot treat. Make sure your weed killer does not kill grass as well. A lot of weed killers also kill the grass.

You're on the way to a happy, healthy lawn!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to your local branch and contact us for more information. We'll be happy to help guide you along the process!