Faq – About Soil Aerator
David asks…
aerating and topdressing lawn in the fall..advice?
I live in Southern MN and have a new lawn planted last fall (2007). The grass came up well for the first year, but there are still some thin and patchy areas where there is no grass. The soil has a good amount of clay right below the surface, so I am planning on renting an aerator to pull plugs out of the lawn. Once that is done my next step would be to top dress with a black soil/compost mixture, spread additional sead, and then rake sead into mix.
For you experts out there, does this sound like a good plan? Is there any suggestions, advice, or warnings I should know of prior to going this route? Any suggestions would be appreciated!! 
Staff answers:
I’m in zone 5 (Western New York State–think Buffalo weather) with clay soil. You can aerate if you like and add compost mix. For our area, August 15-September 15 is ideal for planting grass seed as Cornell finds it is most successful for germination at this time. Check with the local County Extension Office for your area. I would not rake the seed. Instead, I would either cover it with a light cover of more compost, or with straw to prevent the birdies from eating it.
Nancy asks…
What kind of grass seed is this, and is it best for my lawn?
I was hoping I could attach a picture of my grass- but can’t figure out how. From what I have read, it looks like a Kentucky Bluegrass- beautiful thin dark green uniform blades. I have a daycare in my home and my yard gets a TON of foot traffic. I live in Vermont, so it gets very cold in the winter, and can get very hot in the summer. I need to reseed my lawn as the seeding we did last spring was not done with a seed with a lot of clover. Live and learn. Now after we got rid of the clover we have a ton (and I mean a ton) of empty spots. My yard has full fun for a good portion of the mid-day and all afternoon. I have fenced off 1/2 of the yard so I can keep it untouched by kids while the grass really establishes itself. I was thinking of renting a aerator to loosen up the top of the soil. The yard is too big for me to rake on my own.
Questions:
1. I love the look of the KBG. Is this an appropriate durable and resilient seed for my yard? From what I have read, KBG will spread, which is a good thing in a yard like mine.
2. Will the aerator help, or is there an easy way to loosen up the top of the yard?
Thanks for your advice!!
See my profile picture for a pic of the grass…
Thanks for the answer. Do you think renting an aerator will roughen up the surface enough for the seed to take hold? I am trying to avoid having to rough rake the whole lawn…
Staff answers:
Sorry – you will really need to aerate for it to take hold and survive your summer heat. Simply throwing out the seed will lead to poor soil contact for germination and also a shallow root system – this will lead to excessive water usage and high soil temps will take out more by next fall.
Yes KBG is a tough grass and will do in your zone .
You also probably have more clover in your future so keep an eye out or better yet apply a preemergant specifically for the clover after your KBG has germinated.
Chris asks…
Bringing Lawn Back From The Dead?
Hi all … I’ve decided that this is the year I’m going to bring my back yard back from the dead. Last year weed killers will banned in my city and it wasn’t long before things got out of control. I hate to admit it, but I gave up. This spring/summer I’m committed to bringing it back … but I need help.
I have a combination of sandy and normal soil and some areas where there are quite a few rocks (I intend on taking them out or turning them in. We get only morning sun in the back and usually by 11 pm the back yard is in the shade.
I have weeded the back and got most of it out … I’ll do the rest over the next couple of days (there’s a lot! Mostly dandelions and broad grass … and that nasty spiny stuff.).
I bought:
An aerator
grass seed
fertilizer
Any ideas on how to use the above most effectively? All answers are appreciated.
Staff answers:
The pesticide ban started this year where I live. I, too, wanted to get an early handle on the weed situation. I spent most of last fall picking the weeds. One month ago I had my lawn aerated. I waited for a week and overseeded all over. In some areas I put the seed down heavily. Shortly afterwards I put on fertilizer. In the last 10 days or so I have noticed that the grass is much thicker — a thicker lawn means that the weeds won’t come back. There are still some bare spots and I plan to seed them this weekend. But now I will put down some top soil, then seed and sprinkle some more top soil.
I hope this helps
Courtesy of Y!Answers