Aeration: Get the "Hole" Story

“I never realized aeration could make such a difference in my lawn!” It’s a comment we often hear from homeowners a few months after trying aeration for the first time.

Lawns don’t have to be in poor shape to need core aeration. In fact, aeration is an important part of any good lawn care program. It strengthens your turf against drought and helps protect it from pests, diseases and weeds. It’s a professional lawn “secret” long known by golf pros and turf managers everywhere. The experts who maintain some of the best-looking turf in the world aerate several times a year. For the average homeowner, we recommend aeration at least once a year.

Exactly what is core aeration? Aeration pulls “plugs” of soil, thatch and grass about 2-3 inches long from your lawn. Most core aerators remove between 6 and 9 plugs from each square foot of turf. This process opens the soil and creates thousands of tiny growth zones that attract the roots of your lawn. It’s the best way to get water, fertilizer and oxygen into the root zone of your lawn.

It’s also the best answer for handling thatch accumulation. Without aeration, heavy thatch can cause problems for many kinds of grasses.