The Ultimate Guide to Aerating Your Lawn
Aerating your lawn…you might be thinking, “What does that even mean?” or “Isn’t aerating just for golf courses?”
Trust me, I get it. I never would have imagined myself taking time out of my day to poke holes in my yard. It almost sounds counterintuitive. I want my lawn to be full and lush, not filled with holes.
Also, why would I want those weird golf course lawn cores lying all over the place?
But here’s the thing, once I started researching aerating, I found out that aerating your lawn is basically non-negotiable if you really want it to look nice.
If you’re new to this like I was, let’s start by answering the first question – what is aerating, anyway?…
Aerating your lawn is an essential process that ensures your lawn gets the air and nutrients it needs so it can grow properly. It makes sure that the space between the soil and the grass blades is breathable, which lets water and nutrients penetrate easier.
Aeration also helps break up the soil, making it easier for new grass to take root and spread. If you don’t aerate your lawn, It can become compacted and unable to absorb water, nutrients, and air. That’s because the compacted soil will form a barrier, which prohibits the grass from taking in anything it needs to grow.
Now that you know why you should aerate your lawn, let’s talk about how to do it. Because let’s face it…you just gotta do it if you want to outdo your neighbors.
And, the best part is…it’s super easy, really relaxing, and you only have to do it once a year. The hardest part is remembering to do it at the right time. (And we make that easy for you with our lawn care reminder tools.)
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to aerate your lawn:
Step 1: Choosing the Best Aerator For Your Lawn
The Ultimate Guide to Aerating Your Lawn
The first step to aerating your lawn is getting an aerator. There are two main types of aerators:
Manual Aerator
A manual aerator is perfect for small yards. In short, It’s a simple tool that you push across your lawn. As you do so, it takes small plugs of soil out of the ground and leaves them on the surface of the lawn.
Mechanical Aerator
A mechanical aerator is the right choice for large yards. It’s a motorized machine that takes out larger chunks of soil and leaves them on top of the lawn.
My Experience
To start, choose an aerator that’s right for your lawn and soil composition. There are a many great options available depending on your lawn size and budget.
When I first got started, my lawn was about 1,300 sq. ft. and my budget was tiiiiiiiiiight. But, I still wanted to do lawn care the right way. After all, your lawn quality does affect the overall value of your home.
So, I opted for a set of strap on shoe spikes that I picked up dirt cheap on Amazon (pictured on the right). They worked just fine.
Here is a list of other aerator options:
Plug Aerator
A plug aerator removes soil cores from your lawn and leaves them on the surface. It’s an ideal choice for larger lawns.
The type of plug aerator you get depends on the size of your lawn. For smaller lawns, you can get a handheld aerator which allows you to manually drive the tool into the soil and pull the plugs out.
Additionally, a tow-behind option is ideal for larger lawns. These will automatically do the coring for you when pulled behind a tractor or riding lawn mower.
Spike Aerator
A spike aerator is a simple tool that drives metal spikes into your lawn. This creates tiny holes that allow water, air, and nutrients to penetrate the soil.
You can find these in a variety of formats ranging from wearable foot spikes and handheld pushers for smaller yards and tow-behind options for larger lawns.
Liquid Aerator
A liquid aerator combines a blend of water and nutrients into a spray. As you spray it over your lawn, it provides your grass with the nutrients it needs. It’s perfect for small yards.
Step 2: Water Your Lawn
The Ultimate Guide to Aerating Your Lawn
Before you start to aerate your lawn, make sure to water it. Consequently, wet soil is much easier to work with than dry soil.
Therefore, you should water your lawn at least 1–2 days before aerating.
Alternatively, if it rains, you get a free pass on this step. Thanks Mother Nature, you dirty little minx!
Step 3: Clear Lawn Debris
The Ultimate Guide to Aerating Your Lawn
Next, go over your lawn and remove any sticks, leaves, stones, and other objects that could obstruct the aeration process.
Step 4: Start Aerating Your Lawn
The Ultimate Guide to Aerating Your Lawn
To begin, aerate your lawn in one corner and slowly move across the yard. Additionally, make sure to overlap the rows of soil plugs by about one-third.
Once you’ve aerated the entire lawn, give it another light watering to help the soil plugs break down and settle in.
Step 5: Clean Up and Leave Soil Plugs
The Ultimate Guide to Aerating Your Lawn
Although the soil plugs look messy and can be unsightly, you should leave them on the lawn to break down naturally. As a result, the nutrients from the soil will fertilize your lawn, making it nice and green.
Alternatively, you can mow over the plugs or rake them up after a few days. But, don’t rake them too deeply as that could remove the beneficial nutrients.
Step 6: Fertilize After You Aerate
The Ultimate Guide to Aerating Your Lawn
Finally, once you’ve aerated your lawn, make sure to fertilize it. As a result, your grass will take in the nutrients it needs to grow.
If you have any questions about fertilizing, check out our fertilizer guide here.
You SHOULD NOT fertilize your lawn before aerating it, as the combination of the two can cause damage to the lawn.
In summary, aerating your lawn is an essential step in keeping your lawn luscious and healthy. It helps to improve the soil structure and provide your grass with the oxygen, nutrients, and water it needs to reach its full potential.
When to aerate: The best time to aerate your lawn is in the spring or fall when the soil is moist. However, depending on your local climate, you can aerate any time of the year to help improve your soil structure.
For the best results for your specific lawn, be sure to use our Lawn Reminder Tools for a lawn care plan that is customized to your regional grass type.
Now, go get after it ya yard wizard!
