Mistakes Everyone Makes When Aerating Their Lawn

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Lawn aeration is an important maintenance task. When done properly, it can reduce soil compaction. This allows more moisture to reach the roots of the grass, ensures better air circulation, and makes more nutrients available to the turf. Aeration is also one of the best ways to fix a waterlogged lawn with drainage issues. By adding all of those small holes along the surface, you're providing a way for the excess water to seep through into the soil, instead of leaving it to create puddles across the yard. 

A regular routine is important, but there are also some easy ways to tell if you need to aerate your lawn. Beyond the more obvious drainage problems, you can also assess how compacted the soil is by trying to push a screwdriver into the ground. If you have trouble getting it to slide in easily, it probably means that you should start thinking about aeration.

However, before you just grab any aerating tools you can find and get started, you should understand that there are several common mistakes that people make with this key maintenance task. Learning about these mistakes, how to avoid them, and what you should do instead can save you a lot of frustration and help ensure that your lawn remains (or becomes) lush, green, and healthy.

Once you've learned how important aeration is, it may be tempting to get started right away. However, if you don't choose the best time to complete this task, you aren't going to be doing it any favors. Aerating when the grass is dormant is a mistake that can cause problems for the lawn. Dormant grass is, obviously, not growing. So if you choose this time to aerate and add lots of holes across the yard, the roots of the grass won't spread to take over these holes, preventing the lawn from really benefiting from the process.

During the winter months, not only is the grass dormant, but the ground is also hard or even frozen. Beyond preventing your lawn from enjoying all the benefits of aeration, you'll also end up making yourself work harder than necessary trying to move the machine over the hard ground. Summer is also not a good time to core the lawn. With the temperatures as hot as they are, the grass is already stressed. Choosing this time to remove plugs of grass from the lawn can just increase the stress levels and threaten the overall health of the turf.

Instead, you should choose a time when your lawn is healthy and able to benefit the most from the process. The best time to aerate your lawn will depend on where you live and the type of grass you have. If you have cool-season grasses, the fall is generally seen as the best time to complete this task. With warm-season grasses, opt for the later spring or earlier summer months. During these periods, the grass should be growing quickly, allowing it to fill in all of those holes and benefit from the process.

Jumping right into aerating the soil before you've made sure that your lawn is ready for it can have negative consequences. One essential step that many overlook is the need to mow before starting the process. If you aerate without cutting the grass, the machine will not be able to penetrate as deeply into the ground, minimizing how much airflow you'll be facilitating. Plus, if there are any clumps of debris or other items hidden in the taller grass, you might not catch them before you start. Depending on the obstacle, they could slow you down as you pause to move them out of the way, or they could further prevent the tines from penetrating deeply. 

To avoid these potential problems and ensure the process is as valuable as possible, experts recommend mowing right before you aerate. Choosing the ideal mowing height is also essential. The grass should not be longer than about 2 inches. However, you also shouldn't cut it to a height lower than 1.5 inches. When you mow too short, you could inadvertently harm the grass crowns, which are responsible for directing new growth and facilitating that lush and dense lawn everyone dreams of. If you forget to mow first, it will also be more difficult for any new grass seed that you scatter to actually reach the soil.

The terms dethatching and aeration are often used interchangeably. However, they are two distinct processes, each offering a different set of benefits. Understanding what each of these terms means and the ideal order they should be done is crucial if you want to protect the health of your turf. We've already explained that aeration breaks up compacted soil, providing better air circulation and drainage. Dethatching, on the other hand, removes excess thatch (decaying or dead organic materials that build up along the top of the soil). Some thatch can be beneficial to the soil and the earthworms living in it. However, if there is a thick layer (over ½-inch), it can interfere with the oxygen, sun, and moisture being able to penetrate deep into the soil to reach the roots of the plants.

If your lawn has a thick layer, it is essential to dethatch it before aerating. When there is too much thatch on the surface, you're increasing the chance that the blades of grass will get caught on the machine, causing them to snag or even get ripped out entirely. With the thatch removed first, the lawn will also be able to recover more quickly. Remember, a thicker layer can impede the ability of key nutrients to reach the roots, which is not what you want when you're trying to strengthen the turf.

Starting to aerate without checking your lawn for obstacles can cause a whole host of problems. Physical objects over the surface of the yard, such as gardening tools, dog toys, or outdoor furniture, will be an annoyance as you're working. If you have to pause every time you come across something in the lawn to move it out of the way, it will take you longer to finish. Other obstacles can be more than just annoying. If you run into sprinkler heads or drainage and electrical lines that are just beneath the surface, you could cause costly damage.

To avoid these mistakes, take some time to make sure that the lawn is properly prepared. Start by removing toys, tools, and any other physical items from the surface. Then, search for hidden obstacles like irrigation systems or electrical wiring that are within the top three or four inches of the soil. Use wire markers, such as the ACE Supply Marking Flags, to identify the location of these obstacles. This way, you'll be able to steer the aerator away from them as you work.

Aerating when the soil is either too wet or too dry can be problematic. When it is overly dry, the tines on the aerator may not be able to break through the harder ground, preventing it from actually adding those holes for drainage and circulation. On the other hand, if the soil is overly saturated, the machine may not be able to effectively pull out the cores, leaving much of the dirt in place. Plus, attempting to aerate when the soil is very wet can do the opposite of what you're aiming to achieve — it may actually lead to more compaction. 

To avoid these problems, now is the time to think like Goldilocks. In the same way that she likes her porridge to be "just right," you want your lawn to be "just right" before you pull out the aerator. This means that the layer of soil you wish to core (the top 3 to 4 inches or so) should be damp, but not waterlogged or puddling. You'll likely need to wait at least a day or two after a rainstorm to ensure that it isn't too saturated. If it hasn't rained recently, you can water the lawn first. Just be sure to monitor it to prevent the dry lawn from becoming too wet. You also shouldn't aerate if you're in the middle of a drought as you could damage the already-stressed turf.

The more you learn about the benefits of aeration, the easier it is to understand why it's important to add to your regular lawn maintenance schedule. However, there are times when aeration is not only unnecessary, but could even be harmful to your turf. Do not make the mistake of coring freshly laid sod or a newly seeded lawn too early. Aerating either of these types of turf too soon can pull up the roots or interfere with them getting properly established in the first place.

Waiting at least one year to aerate newly seeded lawns or ones where sod has been laid will help you avoid such a catastrophic mistake. It will give the seeds or sod time to form stronger roots in the soil that will be able to withstand the stress of aeration. Additionally, if you properly prepared your yard for seeding or sodding, the soil shouldn't be overly compacted, anyway. Proper preparation involves tilling, which breaks the soil up and adds sufficient air pockets for circulation and drainage.

When you search for "aerator" online or at your local home improvement store, you could inadvertently make a mistake by purchasing the wrong type of equipment. There are two main types of products that you'll see: spike aerators and core aerators. The two are not the same, and you want to choose the right type of aerator to use on your lawn. Spike aerators are simply not as effective. All they do is leave small holes in the lawn.

Core aerators, on the other hand, actually pull out those plugs (or cores) of soil from depths of up to 4 inches. They are what you need if you want to actually improve drainage, allow for better air circulation, and increase the density of the grass. This is one reason you might want to consider calling the pros to aerate your lawn. It can be challenging to find the proper equipment when you want to do it on your own. Commercial core aerators that landscaping professionals use are not cheap (they can cost thousands of dollars) and are designed to get the job done right. While you can consider a hand-held tool, such as the Dolibest Coring Aerator, it will be very tedious to properly core even a small yard.

If you don't understand your soil type and properties, it is easy to over- or under-aerate your lawn. The process of pulling out cores of soil can be stressful for the turf. If you complete the task too frequently, the grass can suffer, and you could end up negatively impacting the structure of the soil. For most yards, coring the soil more than once per year will be a mistake. Some healthy lawns and those with loose, well-draining soil may not even require aeration more than once every five years.

However, there are some exceptions to this general rule. If your soil is heavily compacted (particularly if it is clay soil), aeration twice per year may be necessary. Removing the cores from these lawns can help ensure that air is better able to circulate all year and that drainage problems don't return shortly after aerating.

If your goal is a lush, green lawn (which, we're sure it is!), you don't want to pass on an opportunity to turn that dream into a reality. Therefore, assuming you don't need to overseed after aerating is a mistake. While you can overseed your lawn at any point during the year, the conditions won't always be as favorable for the new grass to actually grow. If the soil is heavily compacted, there is too much thatch, or the seeds are otherwise unable to make full contact with the dirt, they won't be as successful.

Overseeding right after aerating, on the other hand, ensures that the grass seed is presented with the ideal conditions to form secure roots and grow to be strong and healthy. Coring the lawn helps loosen compacted soil, allowing for better airflow and helping water and nutrients to reach the roots of a plant — precisely what is going to benefit the new seeds.

Failing to mow before aeration is a mistake. Well, there's another mowing mistake to avoid after aerating your lawn. If you mow it too soon after coring, the new seed you laid may not grow to its full potential. It will still be taking root and growing stronger, so if you mow, you may inadvertently pull some of those new blades out of the ground.

It is best to wait at least two weeks after seeding before you mow. This should give the seeds time to germinate and grow to be strong enough to withstand the mower's blades. If you needed one more reason to mow before aerating, here it is. With the grass cut to a lower height before you overseed, it won't be as high before it's safe to cut it again. One more word of caution after aerating and overseeding: do not attach a catcher for clippings to your mower. Stick to only mulching the clippings, or you may suck up any remaining loose seeds.

When you're striving for a manicured lawn, you may be discouraged by how your yard looks immediately after aerating. Those cores of soil pulled up by the machine will be strewn all over. It can almost make it look like a pack of dogs got out and used your yard to take care of their business — yuck! However, despite how unsightly the plugs of soil may look, clearing them away will be a mistake. If you pick these cores up, you'll be depriving your lawn of beneficial nutrients. Also, if you overseeded after aerating, you could interfere with the seed's ability to take root and germinate.

Instead, don't give in to the temptation to remove the cores. When you leave them in place, they'll decompose after a short period of time. This process will benefit the health of the grass as the nutrients in the cored soil are redistributed back into the lawn. If you want to limit how long the clumps of dirt are visible, however, there is something that you can do. Keep up with regular watering. Not only will doing so help the soil that was removed to decompose more quickly, but it will also help the new grass seed grow.

Once you've taken the time to aerate the lawn (or spent money to hire a professional landscaping company to do so), you want to get the biggest bang for your buck. Topdressing your recently cored lawn can enhance the health of the soil. Therefore, skipping this opportunity will be a mistake.

If you're not familiar with topdressing, it refers to the process of applying a layer of compost, soil, or sand over the surface of a lawn. The specific material you choose can have varying impacts on your lawn. It is important to keep your specific goals and soil type in mind when deciding what to choose. For example, compost is fertile. So, it can deliver a lot of beneficial nutrients to a lawn. However, if you have very compacted soil, topdressing with sand might be the better option. This is because of its ability to keep the soil looser to minimize future drainage issues. While you can topdress at any time, doing it after aeration is considered prime time. All those cores in the soil can be filled in by the compost, sand, or soil that you apply to the surface.