Lawn rejuvenation

This week we thatched, aerated, and overseeded the lawn. If you haven't done yours this year, the coming weeked would be a good time for it. You want to aerate a couple days after watering - or after rain showers.

Aerating helps with lawn compaction and provides more air to the roots. Aerate in late April or September (or both). Thatching doesn't have to be done as often, just when the layer of thatch builds up to one inch. 

We rented a thatcher and aerator at our local Ace for 4 hours, which was plenty of time. The process was:

1. Set the lawn mower to 3/4 inch and mow the lawn.
2. Run the thatcher over the lawn once in each direction.
3. Mow again at same setting.
4. Run the aerator in both directions. It was too hard to go in one direction, so we only went in one direction. Aerating is great for your lawn, so you can go over it multiple times.
5. Wait a day for the plugs to dry out somewhat, then mow to break them up. It's not perfect but it makes it look better. Leave them on the lawn - they will work into the soil in a week or two.
6. Overseed. I used the Rainier mix from Oriental Gardens nursery.
7. Water lightly and frequently if it doesn't rain/shower enough. 

I haven't seen the grass germinate yet, but hopefully in the next day or two. But the lawn looks much better! The aerating really gave it a boost.