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Don't pick up or dispose of aeration plugs. They will break down by themselves in one or two weeks. Rainfall will speed this up, as will watering the lawn. Mowing helps, but don't mow the grass too soon post-aeration. It's unusual that the plugs would remain after three or four weeks, but mowing and raking will break them down by that point.

If your grass is stressed from being over-trimmed, try watering it heavily and then allowing it to recover for at least two weeks before mowing again. If you notice brown patches where the grass has died off because it’s too short, you should remove the dead grass and overseed the area. Leaving dead patches can invite weeds and other problems, so if you want a totally green lawn, getting rid of dead patches should include removing the dead sections before reseeding the area.

First, you should figure out whether you have dormant or dead grass. Dead grass won’t come back, so you’ll have to reseed if you’re hoping for a lush lawn. However, grass can go dormant if it hasn’t received enough water or if temperatures are too cold. If it’s still decently warm outside, you can revive dormant grass by watering it. But if it’s mid-January in New England, for example, you’ll need to wait until the weather warms up again. If you want to keep grass green in winter, consider a grass like Kentucky bluegrass, which maintains its color year-round.

Adding seed to existing grass is often known as overseeding, as opposed to reseeding. Reseeding refers to the process of filling in bare or dying patches of lawn—or in some cases, full lawns—whereas reseeding supports existing lawns to prevent thinning. Overseeding is an ideal annual lawn care practice for grass fighting drought, disease, weeds, or pest issues.