Core Aeration & Overseeding
The single most important service for a thick, healthy lawn. Done right, it adds years to the turf.
Core aeration pulls plugs of soil from the root zone and opens up air, water, and nutrient channels. Paired with overseeding, it thickens the canopy, crowds out weeds, and restarts tired turf. We run our aerator on a tight pattern, drop premium seed, and water it in.
If you’re only going to book one service a year beyond the mowing, this is the one. Core aeration plus overseeding does more for long-term turf health than any other single treatment. It’s boring, it’s mechanical, and it works.
What happens on the visit
We run a commercial walk-behind core aerator across the property in two perpendicular passes — north-south and east-west — with the tines set to pull 2-3 inch plugs every 4-6 inches. Immediately after, we broadcast a premium cool-season seed blend matched to your sun exposure, followed by a light starter fertilizer. The plugs are left on the surface to break down over about ten days.
Timing matters
September is the single best month in the Northeast to aerate and overseed. Soil is still warm enough to germinate seed in 7-10 days, the heat of summer has passed, and autumn rains do most of the watering for us. April is the second-best window. Summer aeration stresses the turf and is not recommended except for emergency repairs.
Watering plan
After overseeding, the top half-inch of soil needs to stay consistently moist for about two weeks. We leave a simple water schedule taped to your door — short cycles three or four times a day until you see green, then taper back to normal.