Aeration & Seeding

Sow the seeds of something new. Pro Grounds knows how to care for your turf grass, season after season.

Fall aeration and seeding of your turf is critical to your lawn’s continued health. Once a lawn has established turfgrass, the practice of applying additional seed on top of the turf is referred to as ‘overseeding’. Overseeding helps increase the turf’s density and is especially helpful in areas of where the turf is weak or thinned due to summer stress. This practice is a crucial step in renovating compacted soils in areas of heavy traffic and use. Fall is really the ONLY time of year to seed your lawn, and early September to late October is ideal.

Learn more about Pro Grounds’ tips for lawn aeration and overseeding as published by Angie’s List!

Major benefits of Aeration and Overseeding include:

• Reduced soil compaction and increased oxygen to the root zone
• Increased root growth
• Improved water infiltration
• Reduction in thatch accumulation
• Introduction of new turf varieties which are bred to be more drought, disease, and insect tolerant.
• Introduction of turfs that require less fertilizer, have finer textures and have a deeper green color
• Improved turf density, which improves turf appearance and reduces weeds and crabgrass naturally

Core Aeration vs. Shattertine Aeration

Site conditions and accessibility will dictate the equipment used throughout your property in order to provide the most effective aeration service. No turf site is too large or small for aerating, and we have the proper equipment for any sized property, from our 60” Tractor Mounted PTO-powered shattertine machine to our standard walk behind core aerators for small strips of grass.

Shattertine methods reduce compaction much better than any other aeration method. It is similar to what is often referred to as ‘powerseeding,’ but it is a more efficient process that provides the best site preparation. Core aeration is what you typically see done in the fall months where machines literally pull a “core” approximately ½” wide but 1” to 1.5” deep. Core aeration is typically the only aeration most landscape contractors provide, but our “shattertine” machine provides the high quality results that our customers deserve!

Seed Selection

Selecting the proper seed for your property is an essential aspect of any landscape management contract. Northern Virginia is located in the “transition zone,” which means our climate is split between zones designated for either cool season or warm season turf. We select our seed mix based on the results of annual seed trials done at Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, locally in Beltsville and Maryland, and across the country as part of the NTEP (National Turfgrass Evaluation Program).

Our recommended seed mix changes annually based on NTEP trials and is a blend of improved turf type tall fescues – chosen because they are top-rated in trials for drought tolerance, color, disease and insect resistance, growth habit and hardiness. Turf type Tall Fescue is the hardiest grass for our area, and we only used Certified “Blue Tag” Seed.

We perform overseeding using the recommended rates provided by Virginia Tech Turfgrass Department in combination with aeration services. Depending on the condition of your turfgrass, intensive turf renovation efforts may be warranted. In mid to late summer, we will assess the overall health of your turf and can provide recommendations for improvement, if needed, at that time.