How and When to Aerate Your Lawn | Lawn Care

In this article, we explain Super-Sod's best practices for aerating warm-season and cool-season lawns. We'll go over the timing, techniques, and tools involved, plus why it's important to aerate lawns.

What is Lawn Aeration?

Aerating lawns with a core aerator is an important annual routine for optimal lawn appearance and performance. Aerating takes cores or plugs out of the soil, thus creating multiple, small air pockets - that's why it's called "aerating."

This video explains why you need to aerate your lawn and demonstrates how to do it. It wraps up with why we recommend spreading Soil³ humus compost over your lawn and explains two ways to handle the spreading.

Why Aerate Lawns?

Healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy lawn and aeration helps keep lawns healthy because the little cored-out air pockets allow for movement of air, water, and nutrients into the root zone. It's an essential technique in relieving compacted soils and keeping soils healthy, aerobic (full of air), and alive. 

After you aerate,  recommend topdressing lawns with Soil³ humus compost to replace one fertilizer application a year. When you aerate is the ideal time to compost-topress because the holes you create allow the compost to get into the root zone.

Wait, why bother spreading compost? It's organic lawn care!

Our Soil³ compost is OMRI Listed for certified organic gardening. It contains nutrients so you won't need the spring application of fertilizer on your lawn.

Plus, Soil³ contains beneficial microorganisms to keep your soil thriving. An added benefit of those microorganisms in compost is that they suppress fungal diseases on lawns. Read more about organic lawn care with Soil³.

Steps to Take to Aerate a Lawn

Thankfully, aerating lawns is not complicated! Even more rewarding than the ease of aerating is the satisfaction of seeing a boost in your lawn in a few weeks. Here are the brief steps in aerating:

• Push the aerator back and forth across your lawn, making several passes. Go north and south the first time, then crisscross it in and east to west pattern.
• After aerating, spread compost 1/4" to 1/2" thick using a shovel or a compost spreader.
• If using a shovel, then you'll need to rake the compost into the root zone.
• If using a compost spreader, you won't need to do any raking.
• The final step is watering your lawn to finish pulling the compost into the root zone.

Other Lawn Aerating Pointers:

• You will probably need to rent a core aerator from your local equipment rental store. Be sure to ask for a "core aerator" or "hollow tine aerator" because some aerators only puncture the soil and that's not good enough. The aerator needs to take out cores/plugs from the ground.
• Plan ahead and order organic compost delivery ahead of time - our Soil³ humus compost has proven results in homes and sports fields. Read more about: Topdressing Sod with Soil³
• For most lawns, it will probably only take half a day for the whole project.
• The project can be split into two days with aerating one day and compost spreading the next.
• It's great exercise and teenagers are good at spreading compost.
• Seasonal timing is very important and it depends on your type of lawn: 
  • Aerate warm-season lawns such as Bermuda, Centipede, and Zoysia when they are green and actively growing in late spring or summer. August is the last month to safely aerate before the frosts of autumn.
  • Aerate cool-season lawns such as Tall Fescue in the cool months of autumn or winter.
• Do not aerate newly laid sod; wait until your lawn has an established root system and all the seams are filled in.

Aerating FAQ

Question: What do I do with the plugs on my lawn?

Answer: Nothing! You can leave them there and they will disappear faster than you'd think. Under the pressure of mowing and irrigating, they will break down within weeks. Also, growing grass will hide them. If they really bother you, rake them up and use them to fill in a low spot or hole.

Question: What is the best type of aerator to use?

Answer: A "core aerator" or "hollow tine aerator" is the best type of aerator because it takes out cores/plugs that allow the best filtration of water, air, and compost into the root zone. Avoid aerators with tines because they only puncture the soil and that's not good enough to truly aerate the soil.