Lawn Care: Fall Aeration + Overseeding

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JY07

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2009
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DSM
Does anyone have any recommendations for companies in the DSM area that aerate/overseed?

I'd like to start transitioning the lawn over to something a little more drought tolerant.. Whatever variety we have now is super dramatic: it'll immediately hibernate/die out in weather like we've been having (it probably doesn't help it gets full sun and we don't have an irrigation system).
 

scottie33

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Nov 25, 2006
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Ames, Iowa
I have the same issue in our back yard, but we have irrigation and it just can't handle the heat no matter how much I water it. I do have a large area that I placed compost and "Northern Lawn" blend grass seed from Fleet Farm and it has been exceptional in this hot weather.

I did buy a truck bed full of 'turf gold compost' from Waste Management's facility on 14th Street South of East High School and spread that on the front yard 3 weeks ago and the grass in that area is much more bold of a green color and grows much better than the area where I stopped as I ran out of compost.
 

nocsious3

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Aug 23, 2013
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There isn't a magic bullet during hot and dry conditions beyond extra irrigation. Some varieties of Turf-type Tall Fescue do slightly better than others. You can encourage fescue to root deeper by infrequent but deep watering practices, a higher cut, and encouraging a lighter soil texture. The last is harder and takes more time, but generally higher organic matter content and a healthy soil eco-system will promote loose soils.
 

mj4cy

Asst. Regional Manager
Staff member
Mar 28, 2006
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Iowa
piggybacking on a lawn thread - I need to apply my summer application. Does it need to go on wet grass? It says on the bag it doesn't necessarily have to be watered in, but doesn't say if it should go on wet or dry.
 

nocsious3

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Aug 23, 2013
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what are you applying? Other than a possible fungicide treatment, there isn't a lot of good that can come from mid-summer applications.
 
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DSMCy

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Feb 1, 2013
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West Des Moines
I know this is a little off topic since the OP is asking for companies in Des Moines, but I'm planning to overseed my lawn this fall. I think I have a lot of rye grass that's starting to die/thin out.

I found some good information on ISU's Extension website.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/smallfarms/tall-fescue-alternative-kentucky-bluegrass
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/turfgrass/selecting-grass-species-iowa-lawns

Its got me talked into turff-type tall fescue rather than bluegrass.

Anyone else have fescue in their lawn? Thoughts?
 

nocsious3

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Aug 23, 2013
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Starting bluegrass from seed is much more difficult than fescue. The newest varieties of turf- type tall fescue have thinner blades and darker color than the old pasture grass K-31 varieties of the past. Most of the grass seed you'll find in the big box store is a fescue blend. Bluegrass is beautiful, but most can't tell it apart from a nice fescue yard. Modern varieties are much more disease resistant too. Fescue generally does better in the heat and better in shady conditions than bluegrass. If you want a very nice yard it really does start with high quality grass seed of a suitable variety/cultivar. Seed rated for sod farms is totally worth it if you want to not fight the weeds.
 
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twojman

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Jun 1, 2006
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Clive
We've been in our house (new construction) for about 2.5 years and our lawn is not great. We did not like how the black dirt was scraped off and the sod laid on top of the clay.

Essentially what I am trying to do now is build up organic material as much as possible. I've never bagged the grass clippings at our house. This fall I think a couple of other guys in the neighborhood are going aerate, overseed and compost our yards. Our lot is 1/2 acre so I think the cost is going to be terrible.

I've done this twice and hope to do it two more times this year and that is put some gypsum down. Supposedly this helps to breakdown the clay which 'should' allow water to actual penetrate soil/clay rather than runoff and hopefully allow the grass to take root better.

I'll take suggestions on companies too and if there is something else I should do.
 

JY07

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Aug 20, 2009
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DSM
Menards has bags of seed that are 90%+ bluegrass, and that's what I've been using to repair some rough parts of the yard so far. I'd be interested in the fescue but I think it would depend on how much the variety clumps up.

I'm in the same boat as twojman where our yard has basically no top soil: I think around september we'll probably aerate/overseed/put down compost as well