Aeration & Overseeding FAQs

Aeration involves creating holes and removing small plugs or cores of compacted lawn soil, with a core aerator or garden fork, to improve air, water and nutrient flow to the roots.

Overseeding is the process of using a spreader to distribute a thin layer of new grass seed over existing turf to thicken your lawn and fill in bare spots. 

Performing these two practices together allows new seeds to fall into the aerated holes, ensuring good seed-to-soil contact for better germination and a denser, healthier, more resilient lawn with stronger roots.

Signs your lawn needs aeration and overseeding include thinning, discolored or patchy grass, hard or spongy soil, poor water drainage and puddling, a thatch layer over ¼ inch thick, and the presence of weeds or moss. 

Performing aeration and overseeding once a year is sufficient for most Virginia Beach lawns to prevent compaction and to keep your grass looking full. In some cases, lawns with heavy foot traffic may benefit from more frequent aeration. 

The best time to aerate and overseed your lawn will depend on the type of grass you have. Warm-season grasses should be aerated and overseeded in the late spring or early summer, while late summer and early fall are ideal for cool-season grasses. Most homes in Virginia Beach have cool-season grass, like tall fescue, because it handles the cold winters better than warm-season grasses. 

Mow your lawn shorter than usual a day or two before aeration, but still follow the one-third rule. You should also water the lawn thoroughly the day before to make aeration easier on the soil. 

Leave the soil plugs on the lawn – they will breakdown naturally and return nutrients to the soil. Stay off the newly seeded lawn for a few weeks to allow the seedlings to establish themselves, and water the new seed daily for 10-15 minutes to keep it moist, but not soggy. We also recommend waiting two weeks to mow, and when you do, use the mulch setting and leave the clippings, so you don’t accidentally pick up the seeds.

If you have the right tools and enjoy weekend warrior yard projects, you can generally learn how to aerate and overseed your lawn by following online video tutorials. However, if you don’t have the right aeration equipment or you don’t know how to use it properly, you could damage your lawn, or worse, hurt yourself or someone else.