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Lawn aerating and fertilizing questions

15 years ago

I just aerated my lawn today (and the neighbors, and neighbors, and neighbors....) and was wondering the best next step.

I have heard some people say they rake up the plugs, and even spread playground sand on the lawm. I guess the reasoning being the sand finds its way into the plug holes, allowing better drainage.

I am wondering if I should rake up the plugs or not, and if sand is a good idea?

My lawn in the back is sod that was laid in the fall. The front yard hasn't been cared for in years, so there is a fair bit of moss growing in patches (I have been raking and thatching and its helping for sure) and it is a bit yellow.

What sort of fertilizer do you recommend?

Are there any lawn lovers on here that can help me with this quandary?

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Comments (5)

wrager
15 years ago
Need to tell where you are locate, what type of grass you have and soil conditions. I have always let the plugs just decompose on the lawn. If you sodded in the fall it sounds like you have cool season turf. I'm not sure about sand for that type of grass, but compost is always helpful.
metal
15 years ago
Leave them lay.
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Yes. When you apply a pre-M it is essentially creating a soil barrier where any seed is either already coated or will come in contact with soil that has been coated (say if blown in from a neighbor's yard). Think of it like a blanket. Now when you go and pop holes in that blanket you potentially expose new weed seeds that were dormant under the soil (and not in contact with the pre-M), and more importantly you now leave pockets in the lawn that weed seeds could enter from the air. Basically you're partially negating the purpose of the pre-M. I think not doing a pre-M would be a very bad idea. Thin areas WITH poa already present (ie producing seed shortly or already) are just asking to be completely taken over. Remember that compost IS a fertilizer (in a sense). While not a large dose of nitrogen like a chemical fertilizer, it does provide benefits to the soil through the biological organisms it houses (break down of thatch if present, better environment for the grass by reducing moisture loss, etc.). So no I would not fertilize until 5/12 to attempt to reduce the propagation of poa. But we're seriously talking 2 weeks here. Split the difference and do it next week (5th)! As mentioned before seed is not for you so the idea of planting plugs (sprigs) is exactly what you should do, after you aerate the compacted areas, plant the plugs (look up the proper way to prep the ground for plugs), and then apply a thin layer of compost. Then keep those newly planted areas from drying out.
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Ok so we had rain Thursday last week... by aerating time on Sunday.... things were REALLY dry. I did it anyway and was not happy with the depth. So I went back and watered some areas in the time I had, but mother nature helped out! :) I got rain Sunday night and Monday a very hard rain... and a bit Yesterday. So I drug the aerator back out last night and had another go at it. AWWWW... so much better depth. I had already threw out 10 bags of Lowe's topsoil... so i went back for 18 more bags at Home Depot. Threw them out on the ground last night. So I have 28.... 40LB bags of soil tossed out on an aprox 15,000-20,000 sq foot yard. Whew! Now I had some 28-0-4... because of the rain it says i have to hold off for 1-2 days and not have it rain for another 1-2 days.... UGH! So I'm thinking can just a straight fertilizer go down w/o the water restrictions. What about a straight preemergence? I could take back the 28-0-4 and get the other stuff??? Whew it better green up after all this work! Thanks!
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Compost should be added during cooler parts of the year this is a good time to fertilze also. In fall do a winterizer type fert. So it stores up those nutrients over winter and gets a better start in spring. Art
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>>On July 29 he applied 25-0-6 and on August 23rd 24-0-12. The grub prevention and fertilization was done early June. Bingo. The August 23rd was close enough, but the July 29th one probably did the damage by burning the root systems. On the up side, the feeder roots weren't up at the time, so structural damage to the above-ground plant wasn't fatal. I'd water regularly. We're actually also in the correct time period for feeding, so plan to feed at bag rate again on October first or so with something gentle, like Milorganite. In this case, it'll also act as an iron addition (which I don't think will help, but won't hurt either). This doesn't look like a fungal infection because it's too even and too limited to your lawn only. Bacterial problem and insect infestation, ditto. In the future, the correct times to fertilize a northern lawn are Memorial Day, Labor Day, October 1 (optional), and when it stops growing but is still green. That last date varies by year and by location.
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eriocaulon
15 years ago
As above. The cores are loaded with soil microbes. They will help to eat up any thatch you may have. In two weeks, you won't even see them.
troyfrazier
15 years ago
I pull a drag behind my aerator to help break them up faster. On sports fields the plugs can impact play. I wouldn't worry about it on a lawn.

If you have clay soil topdressing with sand does wonders for the turf. If you've got the budget for it soil amendments like calcined clay, or expanded shale are even better than sand for holding moisture.

A soil test helps with the fert decision. With out a soil test I recommend a slow release fert.
dchall_san_antonio
15 years ago
I read recently where the professionals like to break up the plugs and, essentially, use the plugs as top dressing without adding any more bulk to the soil. Adding sand brings the surface level up. Add 1/4 inch every year for a few years and pretty soon the soil is up above the curb and it looks ugly. I just posted pictures to another forum of soil that is up to 6 inches above the level of the surrounding concrete.

Since you asked what fertilizer "I" recommend, I'll say ordinary corn meal applied at a rate of 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. If you can't get that then alfalfa pellets (rabbit food) or soybean meal are both good. Usually you can get two of those three at your local feed store in 50-pound bags for under $10.

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