Take It On: How to Aerate Your Lawn Like a Pro

Aerating your lawn each year is one of the easiest and best ways to keep your grass green and healthy — and you can do it yourself. Aeration pokes finger-size holes in your turf, allowing fertilizer, water and oxygen to seep into the roots where healthy grass originates. But how often should you aerate your lawn, and what is the best way to aerate a lawn?

How often you need to aerate your lawn depends on the type of soil content in your yard. If you live in an area with dense clay content, aerating your lawn twice a year — in spring and summer — is recommended. However, most other areas will see good results with only annual aeration.

Getting Started: What You Need to Aerate Your Lawn

Before you begin, you’ll need an 18" Walk-Behind Aerator and a Push Fertilizer Spreader. Our walk-behind aerators are simple to use and built to properly aerate any lawn. Furthermore, our push spreaders distribute fertilizer, seed and other supplements in an efficient, overlapping pattern with adjustable application rates.

Let’s not forget safety! Here are the supplies you’ll need:

• Closed-toe shoes
• Safety glasses
• Gloves
• Hearing protection
• Long pants

How to Aerate Your Lawn

Before you aerate, mow your lawn short so that the aerator’s tines can effectively penetrate the ground. You will also want to water your grass to soften the soil before you start. If you have a sprinkler system, it’s a good idea to mark your sprinklers by sticking flags in the ground to ensure you don’t damage your sprinkler heads or the aerator.

Once you’ve finished these steps, you’re ready to start.

With the right equipment, aerating your lawn is a fairly easy process. Simply follow the steps below, and you’ll be ready to go:

1. Fill the aerator with the proper fuel.
2. Start the engine.
3. Raise the wheels.
4. Push down on the handlebar so the machine’s weight drives the tines as deep into the ground as possible.
5. Pull back the drive lever.
6. Go back and forth over your lawn with the aerator.

While it’s not important to go in straight lines, you do want to ensure you get as much coverage as possible across your yard.

When you’re finished, you’ll notice thousands of little dirt plugs all over your lawn. These plugs are pieces of soil from the holes you created to let water, air, fertilizer and nutrients soak into your root system. You might be tempted to pick these plugs up and get rid of them, but they are actually helpful. Over the course of a few weeks, those pieces will break down and decompose, providing even more helpful nutrients for your yard.

When to Reseed Your Lawn

After you’ve completed aerating, give yourself a week or two before you reseed your lawn. While it isn’t critical to the aeration process, it’s a great way to enhance the quality of your grass. The seeds will mix into the soil with the deteriorating plugs and will have direct access to the root system using the holes in the ground.

How to Care for Your Lawn After Aerating and Reseeding

After you’ve finished both aerating and reseeding, be sure to water your lawn frequently. You want the seeds to stay consistently moist without being submerged in water. Depending on the amount of rainfall you usually get, watering your lawn once each day is probably a good idea.

It typically takes seeds at least three weeks to germinate, so if you don’t see results right away, be patient. If you stick to a regular watering schedule, you’ll soon notice a lush green lawn that will be the envy of your neighborhood.

Ready to get started? Easily reserve your 18” Walk-Behind Aerator and Push Fertilizer Spreader or download the Sunbelt Rentals app in the App Store or Google Play to quickly find and rent your equipment today.