How to Aerate Your Lawn and Garden

Lawns require occasional aeration for best growth and appearance.

Plants grow best in well-aerated soil, and this is especially true for residential lawns and gardens, which are often subjected to heavy traffic that can compact soil and inhibit root growth.



Lawns can be aerated manually, but the best results are achieved with mechanized core aerators, which remove hollow tubes of soil at regular intervals. Aerating by hand usually involves the use of tools that push solid spikes into the lawn, which does a poor job of promoting aeration and can lead to soil compaction.



Garden beds are usually composed of looser soil that is heavier in organic matter, and these are best aerated by adding worms or tilling in various soil amendments.

Things You'll Need

• Core aerator
• Shovel or fork
• Mechanized cultivator (optional)
• Soil amendments

Instructions

Lawn Aeration

1. Determine the level of soil compaction in the lawn. Use a small trowel to remove a plug of soil from the lawn, at least 6 inches in depth. Examine the root structure: if the root penetration does not exceed 2 inches, the lawn will benefit from aeration. Aeration can also mitigate thatch buildup.

2. Time the aeration so it coincides with the lawn's most rapid growth period. This will vary by grass type, but as a general rule warm season lawns are best aerated in summer, and cool season grasses in the fall.

3. Select an aerator with long, hollow tines or spoons; avoid models with solid spikes. These can be purchased or rented at most lawn and garden centers.

4. Water the lawn before aerating, approximately two days prior. Aeration will be most efficient when the soil is moist, but not soaking wet or overly dry.

5. Mark any sprinkler heads, shallowly laid pipes, or other obstacles that may by damaged by the mechanical action of the aerator.

6. Start the aerator, and move it slowly across the lawn in alternate directions. Aerate the lawn working from at least two different directions for best results. The plugs left after aeration should be left in place on the lawn; they will naturally decay back into the soil in a few week's time.

7. Fertilize or overseed lawns immediately following aeration, if necessary. This is also a good time to work in soil amendments such as compost, which can be raked lightly over the lawn and worked into the aeration holes.

Garden Aeration

1. Evaluate your garden soil. Heavy, poorly draining clay soils often require amendments for best plant growth. Garden beds, however, should not be tilled or mechanically aerated unless absolutely necessary, as repeated tilling can reduce levels of organic matter, promote weed germination, and encourage the formation of hardpan.

2. Till the soil only when preparing a new garden bed for planting or controlling severe weed infestations. Healthy soils will receive sufficient aeration from root action of growing plants, insect activity and worms.

3. Select the soil amendments necessary for your application. All garden beds benefit from the incorporation of organic composts and mulches, and some soils may require the addition of perlite, vermiculite, peat moss or sand. Sand should be added at a ratio of 80 parts soil to 1 part sand. Organic amendments should be applied at the rate of 3 cubic yards of amendment per 1000 square feet of garden soil.

4. Till in soil amendments with a spade, fork or tine cultivator. Rototillers and other mechanized equipment can be used to amend and aerate, if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Some gardeners advocate no-till soil management, which relies only on regular additions of organic matter and the natural action of worms and insects to maintain soil aeration.

• Most cooperative extensions offer soil analysis services, which can help in selecting the proper soil amendments for your application. Contact your local university for details.

References

• Virginia Cooperative Extension; Aerating Your Lawn; Marc Aveni, et al.; May 2009
• Clemson University Cooperative Extension; Aerating Lawns; Bob Polomski, et al.; January 1999
• Washington State University Extension; Soil Management in Yards and Gardens; Craig Cogger
• Alabama Cooperative Extension System; Too Much Garden Tillage Harms Soils; Dr. Charles Mitchell
• North Dakota State University; Evaluation, Preparation and Amending Lawn and Garden Soil; Ron Smith, et al.; March 2007
• Colorado State University Extension; Choosing a Soil Amendment; J.G. Davis, et al.; May 2005