Get a Green Lawn

We all want a lush, green lawn, but that's not so easy with Missouri's summer sun. Dry, hot summer days cause stress to your grass’s roots that are trying to preserve moisture. Proper aeration — introducing air into your grass — and over-seeding, or planting grass seed directly into turf without tearing up the turf, could be part of your lawn care solution. Not many people know what these terms mean, however, never mind the value they bring to your yard. Read on to educate yourself on how to prep your lawn for fall, caring for your grass in these final weeks of summer.

The first step in determining the proper lawn care program for your yard is figuring out what kind of grass you have. Cool season fescue lawns make up the majority of yards in this region. However, many individuals’ yards are sewn in warm season grass, like Bermuda or Zoysia.

Here, though, let's talk about cool season yards. With these types of lawns, aeration and overseeding are an integral part of developing a beautiful lawn. The best time to perform this service is in the fall. Core Aeration is the process in which our machine at Green Grass Guys pulls a core plug out of the soil in hundreds of places to help nutrients disperse and spread evenly over the entire area. In addition to allowing nutrients to spread out, this helps stimulate root growth by removing hard compaction from the soil.

Performing this service in conjunction with an overseeding machine is a good way to get your lawn the jump-start it needs to thrive and begin its process of becoming a green, healthy lawn. Depending on the soil temperatures in the region, usually the best time to perform this service is during the months of September and October. Many grass maintenance companies like ours begin booking this service months in advance, so scheduling now is important to ensure your yard gets the care it needs.

~Ryan Dillick is the operation and sales manager for Green Grass Guys.