# Aerate + Sand + Overseed ?



## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

I'm planning my fall overseed (TTTF) and I have compaction & leveling issues. Can I aerate, then apply sand for leveling purposes, then overseed?


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Yes for sure... that is a good way to do it.. you can also aerate, seed, spread sand and then seed some more..


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## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

I have the same project in fall I want to do. Fill in low areas, seed. Also have compacted soil. I was thinking about a 50/50 sand topsoil mix since I'll be adding several inches in some spots and then seeding on top. Doubtful the grass underneath will poke through that.


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## Pezking7p (May 23, 2020)

Sign me up for the same project as well.

I'm planning to aerate, then seed, then top dress. My assumption is that the sand will act somewhat as a mulch.

How do you guys plan to spread your sand? I've calculated 5 yds. Not really looking forward to wheel barrowing that around the yard, wondering if there are better options...?


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Lungal09 said:


> I have the same project in fall I want to do. Fill in low areas, seed. Also have compacted soil. I was thinking about a 50/50 sand topsoil mix since I'll be adding several inches in some spots and then seeding on top. Doubtful the grass underneath will poke through that.


I would avoid using top soil for leveling. To put it mildly, it's going to be a waste of time for you. With the freeze and thaw from the Winter, by next Spring, your lawn is going to be bumpy and be just as bad as what it is now, or worse. I'm speaking purely from experience as I've tried beating this dead horse several times, thinking to myself, "this time it will be different." It never is.

I'm not an expert of leveling large uneven spots of a few inches and don't know what to tell you other than completely grading your lawn. The only thing I would say is make this a multi year process, dropping some sand and building up year over year. But putting soil down will just be wasted effort on your part.

Those are my $0.02.


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## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

Harts said:


> Lungal09 said:
> 
> 
> > I have the same project in fall I want to do. Fill in low areas, seed. Also have compacted soil. I was thinking about a 50/50 sand topsoil mix since I'll be adding several inches in some spots and then seeding on top. Doubtful the grass underneath will poke through that.
> ...


Thanks, it's good to hear from someone's experience with it. I'm just wondering if I want to do an over seed and full in some areas that are a few inches low, will the seed take in pure sand?

Maybe I'll build it up and grade it to how I want with topsoil and overseed the whole yard and then work on leveling with just sand next year.


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## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Stuofsci02 said:


> Yes for sure... that is a good way to do it.. you can also aerate, seed, spread sand and then seed some more..


If I'm doing sand top dressing for leveling purposes, should I pick up my cores after aerating?


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Stuofsci02 said:
> 
> 
> > Yes for sure... that is a good way to do it.. you can also aerate, seed, spread sand and then seed some more..
> ...


If you are mowing with a rotary as I assume you will with TTTF, I would just put and old blade on my mower and mulch them up.


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## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

@Stuofsci02 do you think that will interfere with the leveling sand?


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> @Stuofsci02 do you think that will interfere with the leveling sand?


Your mower should pulverize the cores, so I think it should be fine....


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## Rule11 (May 5, 2018)

Stuofsci02 said:


> Ohio Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > @Stuofsci02 do you think that will interfere with the leveling sand?
> ...


@Stuofsci02 Just from my experience, i just do what the pros do. Golf courses in most cases blow their cores and pile them up and discard. So i cut as low as possible, punch in 2-3 directions. blow all cores into piles and shovel into wheelbarrows.

Then topdress and use whatever you have to work the sand into the core holes and crown of the turf. Push broom, drag rake, or a leveling rake. Then drop seed work that into the sand, crown and or cores, water good, the the next day work it in again. add sand where more sand is needed. i do this at least once a year, spring time. sometimes fall as well.

Just my experience. Sand is your friend for drainage, firmness and smoothness. Now, i keep a .35" HOC. That works well with low HOC. the higher the HOC this process becomes more labor intensive. I hope this helps.


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Rule11 said:


> Stuofsci02 said:
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> > Ohio Lawn said:
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For low HOC I would agree. You can use a snow shovel to remove. The OP has TTTF based on their profile which I assume they keep at 3"+... will be very hard to remove the cores imo...


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## Ohio Lawn (Mar 20, 2019)

Stuofsci02 said:


> Rule11 said:
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> 
> > Stuofsci02 said:
> ...


I'll cut it down to about 2" prior to aerating. Does that change anything?


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Ohio Lawn said:


> Stuofsci02 said:
> 
> 
> > Rule11 said:
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The issue with cleaning up cores with long grass is the how hard it is to push a shovel through the blades. Sub 1" grass makes it easier to shovel up cores. 2" and up and it's going to make for difficult work.

As Stu said, run your rotary over the lawn a bunch of times and break the cores up. Just use an old blade.


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## Hapa512 (Mar 22, 2020)

I would suggest cutting your grass as low as your mower will allow you to cut. If you don't have a reel mower, might want to find someone that has one and borrow it to cut as low as possible.

I learned this the hard way. I leveled my yard twice and was only able to cut at 1.5. had I cut it shorter like say .50 or lower. I think I would have gotten more bank for the buck on the leveling process. Oh well, live and learn.

That's my suggestion, good luck on the leveling project. I did everything you are doing right now..Aerated, leveled, over-seeded once after aeration, and another after leveling. So far I'm somewhat satisfied. I still need to level again...lol


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## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

So if your just putting down sand and then seeding, do you have any issues with it growing? I didn't think sand germinated in sand


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## Pezking7p (May 23, 2020)

Lungal09 said:


> So if your just putting down sand and then seeding, do you have any issues with it growing? I didn't think sand germinated in sand


This was my worry. If you overseed on top of sand, wouldn't you have a lot of issues keeping the sand moist enough for germination?

Alternatively, if you overseed prior to top dressing, won't the seeds in your aeration holes have zero chance of growing?

It seems like the solutions are to either top dress twice (once before seeding, try to just fill in holes), and once after seeding to cover the seed, and hopefully the seed is in contact with or close to the soil so it holds moisture.

OR

To do all overseeding after top dressing and, as was mentioned above, spend a good amount of time working the seed down into the sand with a rake, so that it is closer to the soil and retains moisture better.

???


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## DAM Lawn (Jan 6, 2020)

My 2 cents as I aerate/seed/topdress often. I also have longer cool season grass between 1.5 and 3 inches depending on time of year. Last fall I mulched the cores. Since the ground was well watered and cores were moist some didnt fully break up and I ended up with some flattened smothering small spots. This Spring I removed the cores, cut 1.5ish inch and it sucked. Shovel didn't work, blower was a useless pain. Raked into a hundred piles and then cleaned up. 5000 sq ft. 6plus hours of raking and I could have done more.

I've never done a pure levelling project, but I do like mixing a soil of choice 50/50 or 70/30 with sand. Im also topdressing to amend soil and get some fresh stuff in those holes. The sand helps with drainage/compaction and gives the soil a little bit better levelling properties, however far from perfect for pure levelling.

Seed before and after topdressing all the way!


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