Your lawn needs room to grow. Even if you want to keep your lawn within a bounded region, it is important to encourage thick, healthy grass growth by making space in the soil. This is best done by poking holes in the lawn, which loosens the soil and gives the grass’s roots and crown more space to acquire water and air — a process called aeration.
Lawns need aeration at least once per year, but some lawns, such as those that see frequent traffic, endure heavy snows or grow in soil with a high clay content, need to be aerated twice per year. Not just any holes facilitate optimal lawn growth; you need a specialized aeration tool to ensure the holes are narrow, deep and evenly spaced across your entire lawn.
If you need help with lawn aeration, you can call in a team of lawn care professionals — or you can try your hand at aerating your lawn with the following top tools.
Spike Aerators
Spike aerators tend to be the simplest and least expensive aerating tools, which makes them appealing to most first-time homeowners and lawn care beginners. As the name suggests, these tools have one or several spikes, which drive holes into the soil through force. Here are the most common options:
Pitchfork. Pitchforks are multi-use tools that many homeowners already have, which is why you might find it appealing to use one for this chore. As you aerate, try to keep the tines of the pitchfork straight up and down to poke vertical holes in the soil.
Shoe spikes. This aeration tool looks like cleats that you strap onto your shoe, except the spikes are much longer and pointier. The idea is that you wear this tool and simply walk around your lawn to aerate. Still, you should try to step evenly, so your lawn isn’t aerated irregularly.
Push aerator. Looking much like manual lawn mowers, push aerators are a step up from the other spike aerators on this list. They roll across your lawn, punching holes, ensuring more uniform aeration and a healthier lawn overall.
It’s important to note that not all experts condone the use of spike aerators. Because they use force to poke holes in the soil, spike aerators can actually compound compaction problems when the impact your lawn. If your use of a spike aerator doesn’t seem to improve the look of your lawn, you might need to upgrade to the non-contentious plug aeration method.
Plug Aerators
Instead of driving a spike into the soil to create a hole, plug aerators remove a plug of soil, or a core sample, which will eventually be reintegrated into the soil but give the grass space to breathe and grow. Because this process is a bit more complex, the tools involved in plug aeration can cost a big more. Still, they are worth the price if your lawn needs high-quality aeration. Consider these options:
Manual coring aerator. The simplest coring aeration tool you can buy, this looks like a stick with two prongs at the end. You drive the tool into the soil using your weight, but the core removal negates any additional compaction you might create. This is the best option if you have an especially small lawn.
Rolling aerator. Another name for a push aerator, this tool you push before you on smaller plots of grass. However, unlike the push aerator explained above, this one safely removes cores and drops them on your lawn for reabsorption.
Tow aerator. This is a good option if your lawn is large enough to require a riding lawn mower. Tow aerators attach to the back of your mower or tractor and quickly pull out and drop plugs of lawn.
Power aerator. A power aerator uses a motor to drive its aeration mechanism, and that motor can be powered by gas or electricity. Often, power aerators come with other features, like power dethatching. While this is easily the most expensive choice, it might be worthwhile if you want fast and robust aeration equipment.
Regardless of how you aerate your lawn, you want the holes to be at least three inches deep, at least a half-inch wide and to have about three inches of space in between them. You should aerate when your soil is moist — but not soaked — and avoid aerating immediately after spraying pre-emergent weed killer. Finally, it’s important to remember that aeration is not a cure-all; you still need to water, mow and fertilize as usual if you want a healthy and happy lawn.