If you want lush green grass, it is important to do lawn aeration. This is basically punching holes into the ground so your grass can breathe.
There are two main ways to aerate: with spikes or by removing cores. Coring is the preferred method because it opens up a larger hole for more moisture and nutrients to penetrate the soil.
If you have a riding mower you may have an aerating attachment, or you can rent one.
You can also rent or purchase gas-powered self-propelled machines that you guide like a mower, such as the one in the video below.
Aerating machines leave cores, or little clods of soil, on the surface of the grass. The experts recommend leaving these on the lawn as fertilizer. If you don’t want to do that (because they resemble animal scat!), let them dry out and rake them, or run the mower over them.
If you chose to use a spiking method to aerate your lawn, you won’t have such large soil cores left behind.
A motorized aerator is the fastest way to take care of the job, especially if you have a larger yard. The hours of labor you’ll save can compensate for the cost of renting or even buying one.
You can also aerate manually. Manual aerators come in various forms: a “tiner” that resembles a pitchfork with hollow tubes, another with spikes fixed to a cylinder that spins as you push it, and another called a “scarifier” that doesn’t spike holes but uses a spiral blade to tear through thatch.
Screenshot from video about manual aeration mentioned below
Besides a manual aerator tool, there are “shoes” with spikes that you strap on over the soles of your boots. Simply walking around your yard will aerate it.
A typical residential lawn measures about ¼ acre. Aerating a lot of this size manually will take one person hours to complete. (The motorized aerator is sounding better and better, isn’t it?)
If you are interested in aerating your yard with non-motorized tools, you can view the video below or read more about manual aerators.
If you have Bermuda, buffalo, St. Augustine, or centipede grass that grows well in warm weather, you’ll want to aerate just ahead of the the main growth season, so do it in the late spring.
If you have cool season grass like fescue, bluegrass, or ryegrass, aerate in the early fall so the grass can recover before the first frost.
Soils with clay need aeration every year. Sandy soils usually only need it every other year.
If you reseeded in the past year, put off aeration till next year. Give the grass time to grow strong roots.
Normally you’ll only need to make one pass with the aerator over the lawn, as long as it makes holes 3 to 4 inches apart. But if you have areas where the ground is especially compacted and hard, hit those twice.
• Water the lawn well a day or two before you aerate so that the soil is soft, especially if you’re doing the aeration manually.
• Clear the yard, rake up and remove debris.
• Mow the lawn. (If you need a new mower, check out our reviews here)
• If you plan to rent a machine, it will save you a lot of labor time. But try to do your aeration during the week since everyone else will probably try to rent the same machine on the weekend. Take a strong friend with you to pick up the aerator if you get a gas-powered one. They’re heavy.
• Buy fertilizer for the lawn to lay down after you aerate.
• If you have a motorized aerator, they are as noisy as a mower. Consider wearing ear protection.
Pretend you are mowing perfect lines on a sports field. Walk or drive back and forth across the yard, making even rows. If the holes are farther than 3 or 4 inches apart, make a second pass.
Pass over compacted, high-traffic areas twice if needed.
Check the tool periodically in case it becomes clogged.
When you’re done, spread fertilizer over the newly aerated lawn.
If you want more in-depth information about lawn aeration, check out this article posted by the National Gardening Association.