What To Do With Soil Plugs After Aerating The Lawn

If you want a lush, healthy lawn, certain maintenance tasks can't be avoided. Proper watering, fertilizing, and mowing are the most obvious, but aerating your lawn can be just as important. Aeration is the process of making small holes in your lawn to loosen up the soil to provide better conditions for your grass to grow. However, if you use a plug or core aerator, it leaves behind lots of small, cylindrical pieces of soil in its wake. Many homeowners are tempted to remove these plugs to make their lawn look neater, but that's a big mistake. Your lawn is better off if you simply leave the soil plugs right where they are, so they can break down on their own.

Aerating is such an important lawn care step because it breaks up compacted soil. Soil compaction can occur due to heavy foot traffic, heavy rain, or overwatering. When there is limited space between the soil particles, it reduces the amount of air and water that your grass receives. It also makes it more difficult for roots to grow deeply, leaving the lawn in a stressed state that makes it more vulnerable to pests and disease. Fortunately, you can aerate your lawn to ensure healthier grass, but you'll get the best results if you leave the soil plugs that result right where they fall.

Whether you call a pro to aerate your lawn or rent a core aerator to do it yourself, your grass will be at its best if you resist the urge to clean up the soil plugs left behind. These plugs are full of nutrients, and allowing them to break down allows those vital nutrients to return to the soil, making it more fertile. Because aeration loosens the soil, it's easier for the nutrients to reach the roots, too, making your grass stronger and healthier. It takes about one to two weeks for the plugs to fully decompose, so you won't have to suffer with a messy lawn for too long. Rainfall and irrigation help disintegrate the plugs, as does mowing.

However, if you just can't stand the look of all those plugs scattered across your lawn, you can help them break down a little faster. Use a rake to break apart the plugs to give them a head start. A leaf or a garden rake is the best tool for this job, and it's important to spread the broken-down plugs evenly to ensure that the nutrients are distributed throughout the entire lawn.

To some homeowners, even breaking down the soil plugs with a rake leaves the lawn looking too messy. If you want to get the plugs out of your yard entirely, composting them is a tidier option that still utilizes their nutrients. The plugs contain a mix of soil and other organic matter, so they are an excellent addition to your compost pile. For those who have just started composting, it's important to remember to alternate brown layers and green layers in your pile, so mix the plugs with grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, and other kitchen scraps. You can use this compost as a natural fertilizer or soil amendment to ensure that the plants in your yard grow healthy and strong.

If you aren't into composting, the soil plugs from aerating your lawn can also make an effective topdressing. Spreading a thin layer over thin or bare areas of grass helps add organic material to the topsoil and improves its ability to hold onto water and nutrients, so you have a more even lawn. You can use a rake or your hands to break up the plugs and then spread the pieces over the problem area. Afterward, water the spot to help the organic material absorb into the lawn.