Question
QUESTION: HI,

I live in Raleigh, NC. A rather warm climate in the summer. When should I aerate my lawn? In the spring or fall? How many times a year should I aerate?

Thanks,

Sean

ANSWER: I usually prefer to aerate in the Fall, just as the temperatures start to cool off from the summer heat. If you do it thoroughly, once per season is usually good.

Thanks for writing!

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your answer. Since I'm not going to aerate till the fall now, is it even worth seeding the lawn? Or should I just wait till Fall? I'm still going to fertalize, but I'm curious if I should seed now too.

Thanks,

Sean

Answer
Hi Sean,

Seeding without aerating seems pointless to me, since the seed wouldn't be getting down to the soil. Seed sitting on top of grass or thatch won't do much. If you have some bare patches, then go spot seed those, but don't plan to do any significant seeding if you aren't going to aerate.

Good luck.

-C.J. Brown
www.Teedandbrown.com