In the Chicago area, the cold weather of the fall and winter causes lawns, trees, and other plant life to go dormant. Before your lawn goes dormant for the winter, it requires care so it can grow back healthy in the spring. The best way to prepare your lawn for the winter is with lawn aerations and overseeding in the late summer or fall. Doing lawn aerations and seeding in August or September can greatly benefit your lawn.
At Hendricksen Tree Care, we provide lawn aeration and overseeding services for residential and commercial lawns in Lake Bluff, IL. We have the proper equipment to fully aerate your lawn and we will seed the lawn to help promote general growth and thicken spots that are bare or thinning.
Lawn Aeration
Over the spring and summer, repeated use of your lawn can cause the soil to become compacted. When this happens, it is more difficult for air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots which can be detrimental to your lawn. When the soil becomes frozen with the arrival of cold temperatures, the exchange of air and nutrients is even more restricted.
Lawn aeration loosens the compacted soil by removing plugs of soil and thatch and creating holes in the surface. The removed plugs are left on the soil to decompose and the nutrients from the plugs will go back into the soil through the holes. The holes created by the aeration process also make it easier for air exchange and the absorption of water and nutrients.
Lawn aerations provide the following benefits:
- Reduced compaction: Aeration machines remove plugs of soil and thatch which breaks up compaction and loosens the soil.
- Increased nutrient availability: Aeration opens up the soil and makes it easier to absorb water and nutrients. The plugs removed by the aeration process will also return nutrients to the soil as they break down.
- Thicker lawns: Aerations stimulate root development which helps lawns grow back healthy in the spring. Overseeding after aeration also helps as the holes left by the process make it easier for the seeds to settle into the soil.
Overseeding
Overseeding is typically done after the aeration process. The lawn is seeded without turning the soil as the seeds can settle easily into the holes created by aeration. Overseeding before the winter helps the lawn grow back thick and healthy the following spring and it is an effective way to treat bare and thinning spots.
You can expect the following from our overseeding process:
- Blend of seeds that is appropriate for your type of grass
- Evenly spread seeding after the aeration process
- Special attention for bare and thinning spots
After the seeding is done, you need to water your lawn until the seeds begin to germinate. This will help ensure thicker growth the next spring.
Aeration and Overseeding from Hendricksen
If you want to ensure that your lawn grows back thick and healthy after the winter, talk to our arborists at Hendricksen Tree Care about our lawn aeration and overseeding services. Lawn aerations improve the absorption of water, air, and nutrients and overseeding promotes new growth.
Call Hendricksen Tree Care at (847) 348-8302 for more about our aeration and overseeding services in Lake Bluff, IL.
