Revitilizing our Lawn by Aerating and Top Dressing with Compost.

Everyone is talking about environmentally friendly methods of fighting weeds. It would seem as in many other fields, prevention is the best medicine. Established stands of turf that are thin or reedy are ripe for infestation by windblown weed seed and spore. Improved turf density and soil quality are the lawn’s best defense against encroachers.

So as I hear it step one is to aerate. Well, we can do that. We have a number of options for aeration from the manual aerator called the Coring Type Hand Aerator for very small areas to the motorized Lesco Split Drive Drum Type Aerator.

The next step is to over seed or top dress; mixing light soil, seed and fertilizer and spreading it over the lawn. Again we have a number of options available for this procedure. We have the people powered, push unit called the Earthway High Output Spreader that is quite capable of spreading this top dressing material, or the Self-Propelled Turf Top Dresser for those who have large lots to revitalize.

Sometimes top dressing mixes are made with compost as well as with topsoil. Turf performance can be improved with compost. It increases the efficiency of drainage in heavy clay, can make sandy soils’ hold water better, minimizing compaction and surface crusting, and promoting a rise in the level of soil fertility. These enhancements to the soil create an opportunity for better rooting and speedier turf establishment, improved stand quality, and reduced fertilizer needs.

When all that is said and done you should evenly distribute the soil and compost, working it into the lawn improving absorption. People with a small area to do may want to use the Deluxe Groundskeeper rake, which is perfect for this application. Those with larger applications, or lawn care professionals may want to consider using the Drag Mat, as it is most useful in this application.

All in all I’d say we’ve got everything we need to have a great looking lawn this year and we can do it all in an environmentally friendly way. Now all I have to do is con one of the guys into going out and doing the work….Hey Darrin!