What to Use When Lawn Aerating
When it is time for lawn aerating, you want to use the correct tools and products. The three
general methods of aerating are liquid, manual and mechanical. What you use depends on the
condition and needs of the lawn.
Liquid Aerators
Liquid aerators are typically sprayed onto the grass and then seep into the ground where they
chemically attach to the dirt molecules and expand, adding space and air to the soil. The main
benefit is that they are easy to use and can be put on throughout the growing season. They are
great in combination with other methods, but liquid aeration will often not make as big a difference
or last as long as the manual or mechanical aerating will.
Manual Aerators
Manual aerators are pushed or stepped into the ground and then pulled back out. They have
either solid spikes or hollow prongs. Spiked aerators come in various forms, including garden
shoes with spikes along the bottom. These are great to wear when you are out doing yard work as
an easy way to do a little aeration while you do other things. Unfortunately most spiked aerators
don’t do as good of a job as coring ones because they don’t pull out actual dirt cores from the
ground.
A manual coring tool is great for lawn aerating since the holes left behind not only add space and
air to the ground but expose the roots to water, fertilizers and other products you put on the lawn.
The roots are able to easily access what they need for healthy grass and have room to grow more
deeply into the ground instead of stretching horizontally in the looser couple of inches of topsoil.
While it will take a while to do a large lawn with a manual tool, they are fine for smaller areas
and touchups.
Mechanical Aerators
Mechanical aerators have several prongs that enter and leave the ground by the force of a fuel-
powered engine. They will put the deepest holes in the lawn and are quicker for large areas.
Since they are the hardest on the lawn, aerate only in the spring or fall when there is plenty of
moisture and mild temperatures. Mechanical lawn aerating is good to do annually with the other
methods for touch-ups and maintaining good lawn appearance and health in between.