All About Lawn Aeraters

Lawn aeraters are a great tool for greening up your lawn.

Why Aerate?

• Lawn soil becomes compacted when there is heavy use of the lawn by people or equipment. Air and moisture, that are essential for growth, have difficulty reaching grass roots. Earthworms are no longer able to survive there as well.
• Aerating is a simple process of perforating the soil with holes to allow water, air, and fertilizer to get to the grass roots.

When to Aerate

• Aerate hard packed soil in the early spring and fall. Then, depending on the condition of the lawn, aerate every other year.
• Plan to aerate after a hard rain or after watering the lawn. It can penetrate the lawn easier if the ground is moist. Avoid days when the soil is too wet or too hard.

How Lawn Aeraters Work

• This tool removes thin, cigar-shaped plugs of soil and deposits them on the surface of the lawn. The soil plugs can be left to decompose.
• Lawn aeraters resemble small lawn mowers in that you push and steer it across the lawn.
• Keep in mind that aerating is very labor intensive. They are difficult to turn around. Just get ready for a work out.

Rent or Buy?

• Rent one. They are expensive. Expect to spend around $3,000. It’s hard to justify spending that much money on what will only be used once a year on a lawn.
• Your local hardware store usually has one available for $40-75/day.
• Most landscapers, who have a huge volume of lawns to aerate, still find that renting multiple aeraters in one day is more cost effective and efficient than buying one.

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