Fall is almost here and it's time to start thinking about lawn care.  For most of us in the mid atlantic, we have had very little rainfall this summer and our fescue lawns are showing the wear and tear.  Before aerating this Fall, give your self time to kill the weeds that have come up this summer.  I would suggest using Round Up or another similar product.  Start that process now.  You do not want to aerate immediately after putting it down.  

After a couple weeks, you can then move on to the next step.  Some people may need to first use a tiller to turn over the old, hard dirt if the lawn is looking really bad.  If you do not need to completely till up the yard, you can use a core aerator prior to seeding.  This allows the ground to breath along with getting the seed down into the ground.

The Fall is also a good time to clean up any old branches, trees and stumps.  Tree pole saws, chippers and trimmers are usually available at most rental centers along with aerators, tillers and dethatchers.