How To Prepare For Lawn Aeration

Here’s what you should do before we arrive on the scheduled date. Please call or email if you have any questions.

Required: Flag your sprinkler heads, invisible fence . . . and other hard-to-see objects

  • Flag hidden objects in your lawn, such as sprinkler heads, in-ground lights, invisible fences, valve box covers, etc. NTT is not responsible for accidental damage to hard-to-see objects in the lawn that are left unmarked.
  • Be a good neighbor . . . pay attention to what’s just across the property line on your neighbor’s side. Invisible fence and irrigation heads are often installed right along the line. If you know something might be there, be a good neighbor and tell us about it.
  • Use only marking flags, preferably white for sprinkler system and another color for invisible fence. Marking flags are available inexpensively from any hardware store. Just turn your system on and place a marker in the ground wherever a sprinkler head pops up. Then mark other objects.
  • If you will not be able to flag the sprinkler heads yourself, please let us know. Our crew can flag the heads for you – if scheduled in advance – for an additional cost. Please call for pricing.

Recommended: Mow your lawn lower than usual at 1-1/2″ and clean up leaves

  • Try to mow one or two days before we arrive – and make it lower than usual. We recommend you set the mowing height to 1-1/2″. This will get the lawn low enough without scalping it.
  • Mowing low makes both aeration and seeding more effective.
  • Clean up any leaves, trash or other debris which might interfere with the aeration.

Recommended: Watering . . . only if it’s dry

  • If the days before your aeration are dry, please water thoroughly.
  • You will get better, deeper aeration in the water-softened soil.
  •  A quick way to know if the soil is moist enough is to push a screwdriver into the soil. If the screwdriver penetrates easily, you are OK. If it is hard to push in, water about 1″ and test again.

Email or call with questions – we are here to help.