5 Easy Steps to Aerating Your Lawn

1. Why aerate your lawn?

2. When to aerate your lawn?

3. How to aerate your lawn by hand?

4. How to aerate your lawn with a machine?

5. After you finish aerating.

1. Why aerate your lawn?

The benefits of aeration are numerous, but the three main reasons are: to reduce compaction, to improve drainage and root growth, and to help control thatch accumulation. Aeration also allows water, oxygen, nutrients, and other essential elements direct access to the root zone.

2. When to aerate your lawn?

The best time of year to aerate cool-season grasses is in the spring or fall. The best time of year to aerate warm-season grasses is in late spring or early summer.

3. How to aerate your lawn by hand?

There are two ways to aerate your lawn by hand: with a manual plugger or with an aeration fork. A manual plugger looks like a large, metal cookie cutter and makes small cores of soil that you then have to remove by hand. An aeration fork has two or three tines that you push into the ground to create small holes. It’s a good choice if you have a small lawn.

4. How to aerate your lawn with a machine?

There are two types of machines you can use to aerate your lawn: a walk-behind aerator or a tow-behind aerator. Walk-behind aerators are pushed like a lawn mower and have either spikes or blades that puncture the soil. Tow-behind aerators are pulled behind a riding lawn mower or ATV, and they also have either spikes or blades.

5. After you finish aerating.

Once you’ve finished aerating your lawn, it’s important to take some time to care for it properly. Water deeply and regularly, fertilize as needed, and mow at the proper height to ensure a healthy lawn that will stay green for seasons to come.

Do you need help aerating the lawn? Here are simple steps to aerate the lawn like a professional now.