The best time of the year in New Jersey to aerate and seed your lawn is early fall
When the weather starts to turn cooler for the fall season in Bergen County, New Jersey, people take a step back from gardening and planting. What many people don’t know is that fall is an excellent time to do certain tasks such as planting trees, planting flowering bulbs and seeding their lawns. The cool temperatures and moisture are helpful for developing roots that would otherwise be vulnerable to the hot sun and humid temperatures. Seeding your lawn is best done in the fall season, especially for cool-season grasses like rye, Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue. So, if you’re interested in getting your lawn ready for next spring, it’s not too late to seed your lawn. In fact, it’s the perfect time!
Not all lawns need to be seeded, however. If your lawn is looking thin and brown, reseeding it is the perfect solution for restoring the grasses to their lush, green form. When you take care of your lawn, you won’t have to reseed it quite as often, but even well-maintained lawns need to be reseeded from time to time. Thankfully, instead of having to rip out and replace your entire lawn, reseeding is a fast, effective and cost-efficient way to bring back your old lawn.
Aeration
Depending upon your soil and Depending upon your soil and other conditions, aeration may be recommended for your property. This is a process of mechanically removing plugs of soil (5/8″ by 2″) every 6-8 inches. This allows a number of beneficial things to happen with the turf:
- Releases gases from the soil, letting oxygen in.
- Increases the amount of water to the soil and plant.
- Stimulates new root growth.
- Helps control harmful thatch buildup.
- Allow fertilizers and nutrients to move faster to the root.
- Relieves soil compaction caused by traffic and equipment.
- Reduces water runoff on slopes and hills.
Next to fertilizing your turf on a regular basis, aeration is the most beneficial thing you can do to improve the health of your lawn.
Late summer and early fall are good times to aerate your lawn. These are optimum seasons for turf to recover and spread due to the warm soil and cooler air temperatures.
Fall a Great Time to Reseed in Northern New Jersey
Fall is the best time to reseed your lawn because the cool temperatures prevent the seeds from drying out, and there’s still enough rain and moisture to allow the seeds to germinate before going into hibernation. In fact, This Old House confirms that “fall is the perfect time to start a new lawn.” It’s best to plant the seeds during the daytime when temperatures are in the 60s and 70s. If it’s too cold, the seeds may not germinate. If it’s too warm, the seeds may dry out. Aim for temperatures that are 60 to 75 degrees for the best results.
How Do I Reseed My Lawn?
Even though fall is the best time to reseed in New Jersey, you may need to do a second seeding in the spring if there are still some patches where the grass isn’t coming in. Thankfully, the process is very simple. Remove the contents from the old lawn, turn the soil with a rotary tiller and mix in sand and compost.
Grass grows best in soil that has the right balance of alkaline and acidity, so performing a pH test can be beneficial in knowing what soil you have. Depending on the pH balance of the soil, you may have to add peat moss or lime. Next, mix in some fertilizer, rake the soil and plant grass seed using a spreader. Rake again, and water the lawn thoroughly and often to ensure optimal growth.
Let Horizon Landscape take care of your aerating and seeding this fall, call our Maintenance Department to help improve the health of your lawn.