Lawn aeration is a critical process that helps relieve soil compaction and improves the overall health of your lawn. To aerate your lawn, you’ll need an aerator, which can be a core aerator (ideal for compacted soil) or a spike aerator (less effective but still useful for lighter tasks). Core aerators work by removing small plugs of soil, allowing water, nutrients, and air to penetrate deep into the ground, stimulating root growth. To aerate, make sure the soil is moist but not soaked—water your lawn a day or two before aerating for best results. You should make multiple passes, overlapping each pass by 30-50% to ensure even coverage. Focus on areas that experience heavy foot traffic or are particularly compacted. After aerating, leave the plugs on the surface to break down naturally, and follow up with watering to help your lawn recover and thrive.
The best time to aerate depends on your grass type and climate. For cool-season grasses (like fescue, bluegrass, and rye), aerate in early spring or early fall when the grass is actively growing. For warm-season grasses (like Bermuda, zoysia, and St. Augustine), late spring to early summer is the best time to aerate, as these grasses are in their peak growing season. Aerating during the growing season gives your grass the best chance to recover quickly and fill in the holes. As for how often you should aerate, most lawns benefit from aeration once a year, particularly those with clay soil or heavy foot traffic. Lawns with sandy soil or light use may only need aerating every two years. If you notice water pooling on the surface or poor root growth despite regular care, it's a sign that more frequent aeration is needed to keep your lawn healthy.