Lawn Maintenance at the Farm

September 28, 2017

Early fall is a great time to start those lawn maintenance chores.

Yesterday at my Bedford, New York farm, the outdoor grounds crew tended to the expansive lawn in the southeast paddock - adjacent to my allee of pin oak trees, and where my new pool and fruit orchard are located. In this space, the grass needed to be aerated, limed, and then overseeded. Aerating a lawn can be done manually with a variety of tools, but depending on the size of the yard, it can become quite time-consuming. Gas-powered aerators reduce the time it takes to do this job. We used a Ryan walk-behind core aerator - it worked really well to cover the large area of grass.

Here are some photos - enjoy.

: Aeration is an extremely vital element to a healthy lawn. It allows air and water to penetrate built-up grass.

: This is our Ryan Lawnaire IV walk-behind aerator. Because my lawn is quite large, it is much easier to use a machine specifically designed for this process.

: This core aerator is self-propelled, which makes pushing and turning much easier.

: It is also gas-powered, which means it is not limited by the length of an electrical cord – crucial in an area this large.

: Our aerator has 30 steel tines, which remove small cores of soil from the lawn. Doing this reduces soil compaction and promotes root growth.

: Here is a section of grass where the core aerator passed.

: Look closely and next to each core of soil, you can see the holes left behind.

: Dawa guides the aerator up and down the entire lawn, making sure he passes through every section of grass.

: Core aerators also help to enhance heat and drought stress tolerance, reduce runoff and puddling, and improve overall grass resiliency and cushioning.

: As Dawa moves through the space, the aerator leaves a light path behind it, so it is easier to see where he has gone and where he has to go next.

: Here’s another closer look at what the aerator picks up along the way. All the excavated plugs will be left alone to dry in the sun and crumble.

: Meanwhile, Chhiring prepares to drop a treatment of lime. Adding lime restores any depleted nutrients and helps to maintain the pH balance of the lawn.

: Here he is starting off in the areas where Dawa already aerated. A good time to lime a lawn is in the fall, before the first frost, so the soil has all winter to absorb the treatment.

: Look closely and you can see the lime pellets coming out through the bottom of the spreader. Be sure the spreader you use can accommodate the size of the pellets.

: Dawa continues to aerate at the same time. He is now in the middle of the paddock.

: Newly established sod lawns, lawns that get a lot of use, or lawns that dry out easily because of location, should all be aerated regularly.

: After several hours, this southeast paddock is completely aerated.

: Next, Chhiring prepares to overseed the entire area with Kentucky bluegrass seed. Kentucky bluegrass is by far the favorite and most widely used of all the bluegrass species. Kentucky bluegrass is a cool season lawn grass. It is known for its excellent color, density and texture.

: Overseeding is generally done to improve the existing lawn, thicken the density, and reduce or eliminate weeds or undesired grasses.

: Overseeding should be done evenly across the lawn. This takes some time – Chhiring goes up and down the entire space. Some of the grass in this area is new sod. Overseeding will help to fill in any spots, and blend the new grass with the existing grass, so it all looks uniform.

: And lastly – the lawn is given a thorough watering. It will be watered every day until the grass grows to mowing height. A good tip is to keep the top one-fourth inch of soil moist so the seed stays wet.