“The back yard is red clay and it had gone bald under the swing set. Owen made two passes with the aerator and by the first week of November there was green where the bare spots had been.”
Dayo C.Homeowner, North Raleigh
Aeration and overseeding in Raleigh, NC
Core it. Seed it. Beat the frost.
A fescue lawn gets one good window a year. Count back 45 days from the first frost and that's when the seed should be in the ground. We aerate and overseed inside it.
Late Oct
Raleigh's usual first frostMid-Sep
45 days earlier: seed down
Frost dates move. We watch the forecast and tell you if the window shifts.
Sandra PalmerOwner and lead on the aerator
Frost minus
- 75 days out: book your slot
- 60 days: mow high, test the soil
- 45 days: seed goes down
- 30 days: last easy week
- 14 days: late seed, we'll say so
- Frost: window closed
The countdown
Count back from the first frost
Tall fescue needs about 45 days to root before the cold stops it. The dates below follow a usual Raleigh year, and they move with the weather. The countdown doesn't.
- 75 days out
Step 1: Mid-August: book your slot
Send the address. We probe the soil and measure the lawn, then write the estimate before any date is set.
- 60 days out
Step 2: Late August: mow high, get a soil test
Let the grass grow taller than usual and stop bagging clippings. A soil test says whether the lime or the seed blend needs to change.
- 45 days out
Step 3: Mid-September: the seed goes down
Aerator first, so the cores open the clay. Seed and starter fertilizer go into the same visit while the soil is still warm.
- 30 days out
Step 4: Late September: water, don't mow
Short, frequent watering keeps the top inch damp. Mow only when the new blades stand tall, and keep the deck high.
- 14 days out
Step 5: Mid-October: late seed, honestly
Seed this late roots slowly. We tell you whether it's worth doing now or better left for next September.
- First frost
Step 6: Late October: frost, window closed
Seedlings slow and the lawn rests. Keep the leaves off it and let it rest. Spring brings a mow and a walk, and nothing more from us.
What we do
Six jobs for one lawn
Everything here is for fescue. If your yard is bermuda or zoysia, we'll say so at the visit and point you elsewhere.
Core aeration
A machine pulls plugs of soil out of the lawn so water, air and roots can get in. The plugs stay on top and break down.
Overseeding
A blend of tall fescue seed goes down with the lawn already opened up, so it meets soil and not a thatch mat.
Aerate and overseed
Both in one visit, which is how most Raleigh lawns get done: cores first, then seed into the holes.
Dethatching
A power rake pulls the dead mat out when it's thick enough to hold seed off the soil. Not every lawn needs it.
Starter fertilizer
A fertilizer made for new seed goes down with it, in an amount your soil test supports.
A watering plan
A one-page schedule for the first month, with times, minutes and when to stop. It goes on your fridge.
Why holes first
Seed likes dirt, not thatch
Raleigh's clay packs down hard and a mat of old grass sits on top of it. Seed thrown over that mat dries out before it roots.
Core aeration opens the clay. The seed drops into the holes and touches soil, which is what it has been waiting for. Fall is when fescue grows roots, so September work pays back in November.
Plugs stay on the lawn and break down in a few weeks
Seed lands in the holes, not on the mat
Short, frequent watering for the first month
No mowing until the new blades stand tall
How pricing works
The price comes after the visit
What decides the price
Raleigh lawns run from a quarter acre of Knightdale clay to a Holly Springs cul-de-sac. Size, soil and how thin the grass is move the number more than anything else.
Square feet of lawn
Slopes, fences and gates the aerator has to get past
How hard the soil is: red clay can need an extra pass
How thin the lawn is, which sets how much seed goes down
Whether a thatch mat has to be pulled first
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
The written estimate names each pass, the seed blend, the pounds per 1,000 square feet, the starter fertilizer and a watering plan for the first month.
Left out: sprinkler repair
Left out: grading low spots
Left out: sod, and any weed or crabgrass spraying
What happens at the visit
Sandra or Owen walks the lawn, pushes a probe into the soil, measures the beds and the slope, and checks what grass you have. It takes about twenty minutes and you do not need to be home.
When you get the number
In writing, before a date is set. If the lawn turns out different from what we saw, we stop and call before anything is added.
How and when you pay
You pay when the seed is down and we have walked the lawn together. The owner fills in the payment methods here.
If the job changes
More thatch or harder clay than we saw at the visit means another pass or another bag of seed. Nothing is added to the number without your yes first.
Specials
Coupons for the seed window
When a special is running, its coupon shows up here. Show it when you book and we apply it to the written estimate.
End date goes here 
End date goes here
After the seed went down
What the first November looked like
“The estimate listed the seed blend and how many pounds would go down. I have never gotten that in writing from a lawn company, and it made the invoice easy to check.”
Hina B.Homeowner, Holly Springs
“Sandra told me to water in short rounds three times a day and not to mow until the new blades stood about four inches. I wrote it on the garage wall and followed it.”
Katalin A.Homeowner, Wendell
Sample reviews.
Where the aerator goes
Raleigh and the towns east and south of it
Look for your town. If it isn't on the list, send your address and we will say yes or no.
Wake County
- Raleigh
- Knightdale
- Rolesville
- Wendell
- Zebulon
- Holly Springs
- Fuquay-Varina
- Willow Spring
Franklin County
- Youngsville
We don't go to Durham or Chapel Hill, or past Zebulon, and we don't do lawns over an acre or commercial grounds.
ZIP codes: 27526, 27540, 27545, 27571, 27591, 27592, 27596, 27597, 27603, 27604, 27606, 27608, 27609, 27610, 27612, 27614, 27615, 27616, 27617
Before the aerator comes
When should I book?
Book in August. Visits are scheduled in order and the seed window runs from early September to mid-October, so the sooner we have your address, the closer to the front of it you are.
Do I need to be home?
Not for the visit or the work. Leave gates unlocked, pets inside and sprinkler heads flagged if you know where they are.
Will it look worse before it looks better?
A little. The cores sit on the lawn for a couple of weeks, and the seedlings take two to three weeks to show. That's normal.
Is my lawn fescue?
Most Raleigh lawns that stay green in winter are. Bermuda and zoysia go tan after the first frost. If you aren't sure, send a photo and we'll tell you.
Book a visit
Tell us where the lawn is
Send the address and what the grass looks like. We book visits in order, and the visit comes before the date.
Phone(919) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- SundayToday
- Closed