Lawn Aeration

Regular Lawn Aeration Will Keep Your Grass Healthy and Disease-Free.

Whether you’re interested in trying your hand at renting an aerator and aerating your own lawn or gathering information before contacting Aerations Only, you’ve come to the right place. On this page, we’ll explain what aeration is.

Let’s dive right in.

What Is Lawn Aeration?

Aeration is the process of exposing your soil to the air by removing plugs of soil from the turf. It’s a common part of spring lawn maintenance.

The resulting hollows allow water and nutrients to move through the soil, increasing the quality and health of grass over time and resulting in stronger roots. Healthier roots can withstand the hotter temperatures and droughts that often accompany summer weather.

Benefits of Lawn Aeration

• Aeration is particularly useful for lawns that undergo a lot of foot traffic.
• This significantly reduces the spaces in the soil that would typically hold air.
• Due to the decreased flow of air within the soil, compaction can negatively affect root growth.
• Roots need oxygen from the air to grow and absorb water and nutrients.

How Aeration Improves Your Lawn

• Increases oxygen, water, and nutrient movement through the soil.
• Creates stronger roots.
• Allows for better absorption of rainfall and irrigation.
• Helps develop a topsoil layer underneath the grass.
• Prevents fertilizer and pesticide runoff.
• Inhibits thatch accumulation.

Does My Lawn Need Aeration?

• The only time it isn’t beneficial to aerate your lawn is after laying new sod.
• You should wait at least six months before aerating new sod and hold off aerating newly seeded lawns until the seedlings reach maturity.

Additional Signs You Need Aeration

• Your lawn regularly receives heavy use.
• The thatch on your lawn is greater than one-half inch.
• You have dense clay soil.

If your lawn is not prone to soil compaction, then it will likely grow normally without the need for aeration.

Natural factors such as earthworm activity and winter freeze-thaw cycles often loosen compacted soil.

When Should I Aerate My Lawn?

Most lawns should be aerated once or twice a year, depending on the soil, grass type, and amount of use. A lawn experiencing heavy traffic should be aerated twice a year. A well-established lawn with little traffic, on the other hand, can be aerated once a year.

If You Have Cool-Season Grass (Aerate Twice a Year)

• Aerate in the Spring (April) before applying pesticides and in the Fall (September) before overseeding.
• Not sure if you have cool-season grass? If your lawn is made up of Kentucky Bluegrass or Fescue, you do.

If You Have Warm-Season Grass (Aerate Once a Year)

• Aerate in the Summer—late May through July—when the grass is growing.
• You have warm-season grass if your lawn is made up of Bermuda or Zoysia.

What to Do Before Aerating Your Lawn

• Mow your lawn a half inch shorter than usual.
• Be sure to water your lawn two to three days before aeration. The tines on the aeration machine penetrate loose soil better than dry soil. If the soil is too dry, the tines will have trouble effectively piercing the ground.
• Mark Sprinkler Heads, Cables, Septic Lines, and any other obstacle that may be in the way while aerating.

What to Do After Aerating Your Lawn

Lawn care after aeration is important. Luckily, it’s relatively straightforward.

• Leave the soil plugs on the lawn to decompose and filter back into the holes left by the aeration machine. Your lawn mower will often break them up and help work them back into the soil within two to three weeks.
• Apply fertilizer immediately after aerating your lawn to put nutrients into your grass roots. This allows the grass to better prepare for summer heat. Growing a thick, healthy lawn is useful in preventing weeds as well.
• Reseed your lawn, especially in areas of the lawn where the grass is thin. The seeds mix with the soil plugs and have better access to non-compacted soil following aeration.

The Bottom Line

Aeration is an important part of keeping your lawn healthy and beautiful. 

Keep in mind, all good things take time. That includes your lawn.