Yard guides / Soil and feeding
Core aeration: when your lawn needs it
Relieve compacted soil so water, air and roots can get in.
Core aeration pulls small plugs of soil out of the lawn. It helps compacted lawns, heavy clay soils and lawns with heavy foot traffic. Not every lawn needs it every year.
Does your lawn need it?
- Water puddles or runs off instead of soaking in
- A screwdriver is hard to push into moist soil
- Heavy traffic from kids, pets or cars
- Thatch thicker than about half an inch
How to do it
- Aerate when the grass is growing strongly: early fall for cool-season, late spring to early summer for warm-season
- Water the day before so the tines go in
- Mark sprinkler heads and shallow lines
- Make two passes in different directions with a rented core aerator
- Leave the plugs to break down; overseed cool-season lawns right after if they're thin
General lawn care information. Grass, soil and climate vary; your cooperative extension office can give local advice. Reliable Service Crew isn't paid by any brand or lawn company.