Lawn Aeration Tips

Aeration does for a lawn what a reboot does for a sluggish computer. When grass starts to brown out in areas and does not respond well to water and fertilizer, the cause is likely due to compacted soil. Aeration corrects this condition by digging out small plugs of soil and allowing water and nutrients to once again easily make their way to the roots.

• Professionals recommend that lawns be aerated on an annual basis. If dealing with an especially dry, clay-like soil, it may need to be done more frequently. A good way to determine the need for aeration is to push a screwdriver into the lawn at various locations. If the tool slides in easily, aeration is not required. If it is difficult to drive in, the lawn would benefit from the process.


• Since aeration is a relatively infrequent process, it is more cost effective to rent rather than purchase an aerator. Rentals are available at most garden shops.


• Aeration does not work well on soil that is hard and dry as the plugs removed will be too shallow. Nor should aeration be attempted on wet soil, because the plugs will clog the hollow tines of the aerator. For best results, water the lawn the night before. The earth will then be sufficiently dry, but still soft enough to work.


• If the yard has a buried sprinkler system, be sure to mark the run lines as they could be torn up by an aerator.


• The soil will be most heavily compacted in areas subjected to a lot of foot traffic. Give extra attention to them when working with the aerator.


• The plugs pulled up from the soil do not have to be immediately removed. They will eventually break down from rain and foot traffic. However, if their appearance is troubling, they can be raked up when the job is done.