If your lawn browns out every July no matter how much you water, there's a good chance the problem isn't on top of the soil — it's in it.
Why Treasure Valley lawns get compacted
In a lot of the subdivisions built here in the last twenty years, the topsoil was scraped off during grading and sod was laid on compacted subsoil. Mowers, foot traffic and kids playing pack it down further every year.
Compacted soil does three things:
- Water runs off instead of soaking in, especially on slopes.
- Roots stay shallow, because they can't push down.
- Fertilizer sits on top and washes away instead of reaching the roots.
Core aeration fixes that. The machine pulls finger-sized plugs of soil out of the lawn, leaving holes that let water, air and nutrients reach the root zone.
The best time to aerate
For the bluegrass and fescue lawns that most of the valley has, early fall is best — September into mid-October. The grass is putting its energy into roots then, the heat has broken, and there's still enough growing season left for it to recover.
Spring, from April into May, is the second-best window. Avoid July and August: aerating a lawn that's already heat-stressed stresses it more.
Aerate, then overseed
Right after aerating is the best time to overseed. Seed that falls into the holes sits in contact with the soil and stays moist, which is exactly what it needs to germinate. Thin areas fill in far better than seed scattered on a hard surface.
What to do before we come
- Water the day before. Moist soil lets the tines pull clean plugs. Bone-dry soil barely gets punctured.
- Flag your sprinkler heads, or tell us where they are. We flag them anyway — most aerator damage to sprinklers comes from skipping this step.
- Leave the plugs. They look messy for a week or two, then break down and return the soil to the lawn.
How often?
Once a year suits most lawns. Heavily used lawns or ones on very hard soil can benefit from twice — spring and fall.
See our aeration and fertilizing service, or price your yard in two minutes.