What to do with cores on soil and best way to prepare soil?

16 years ago

I've read that some suggest to rake up the cores afterwards otherwise they break up and fill the holes back up which suffacates your soil and seeds. Others say just leave on top so they decompose. The reason I ask Is becuase I'm still thinking about the best way to prepare my soil. A couple people have suggested Verticutting and a couple suggested Areating and yet a couple suggested Slit Seeding...There has to be one right way, no?

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Comments (11)

lawndivot12
16 years ago
dlenart
Leave them cores alone they won't do any of the things you say in your post but they will break down and the microbes in the soil will do good things for your lawn. One thing they attack and break down any thatch in your lawn. One of the best things you can do for your lawn is lightly cover with soil to do just what the cores are doing. Couple weeks you won't see any more. The notion that the soil will fill the holes up again and suffocate the seed is ludicrous. There is a best way, aerate overseed fertilize and get out of natures way, she will do the rest.Nature has been doing this for quite a while. Oh yes, you supply the water. lawndivot12
User
16 years ago
There has to be one right way, no?

No. :-) All of them work, but it depends on what you want. I dethatched, it worked fine. Aeration or slit seeding would also have worked fine.

Aeration is great, but leave the cores. When you seed, they'll melt and cover those. If you don't seed, they provide some soil atop any thatch layer you have and help decay that.
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dlenart
Original Author
16 years ago
That leaves me with another question...If I Aerate then I am bascially getting a free layer of compost on top of my soil, no? So do I really need to bring in a yard of compost to put on top of my seed? I'm thinking if I leave a little bit of short dead grass around it will hold some moisture and the cores for the aeration will provide some good organic material...So no topdressing required?
billhill
16 years ago
Cores pulled from your turf are good organic material, but they are not compost. Topdressing, although good, is, with few exception, never required. Organic material is great for your soil, and topdressing with good compost is the best way to get it. This can be accomplished basically anytime. Another good method for getting OM into the soil is to mulch mow all your autumn leaves into your lawn, being careful not to smother it. Bill Hill
parafly9
16 years ago
I brought in 13 yards of compost for my 15000 sq feet.
dlenart
Original Author
16 years ago
Now that's a lot of compost..My front yard is only 2500 sq feet.

I'm thinking no top dressing at this time. Some dead grass + 80lbs of milogranite + some rotting cores on the surface sounds like a good environment to grow seeds in, no? Then I will hit it with some dead leave mulching and a heavy dose of nitrogen in the fall... :) I'm happy, I've got my seeds, got my lawn killed and have a plan to finish it off...I am getting excited-patience is key.
billhill
16 years ago
Parafly - Original poster asked if topdressing was "Required" Mulching seeds when planting is a good practice , but not 100 percent "required". And as I stated above "Organic material is great for your soil, and topdressing with good compost is the best way to get it " I think you are going to have a most excellent lawn next June, Parafly. By the way, You could spread half your compost (approx. 1/8 inch) before slit-seeding and the other half in the 1st week following planting. Bill Hill
parafly9
16 years ago
That my yard kind of needed it anyways. I have a new house - the loam was just spread last May. So I have about 3-4 inches of loam, but it just hardpan. Underneat that is all rock. I think the addition of the compost is going to really really help take my soil to much better place.

FYI I also sent out for test at UMASS late last week, I will hopefully have results in 2 weeks or so.
parafly9
16 years ago
Actually I was surprised the compost really doesn't look like that much. I guess it is though when you spread it out then. I did use about a yard on a new planting bed I installed in the front of the house but other than that...
lawndoc
16 years ago
Parafly, You have your work cut out for you.
How do you intend to spread all the compost?
caesar772
16 years ago
Parafly, where did you get your compost in Ma? I live in Somerset and nobody around here seems to have any.

What to do with cores on soil and best way to prepare soil?

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What to do with cores on soil and best way to prepare soil?

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