Should you aerate your lawn?

Core aerators are available at tool rental places and at some nurseries; you’ll need a minivan or pickup truck and at least two people to transport the equipment, so it’s both sensible and cost-effective to share the machine with your neighbours over a weekend. If you aren’t a DIYer, then hire a reputable landscaping or lawn care company to perform the service.

Why aerate?

• Improves flow of water, oxygen and nutrients through soil.
• Encourages grass to root more deeply, promoting healthier growth and greater drought tolerance.
• Controls thatch by increasing the activity of micro-organisms that help in decomposition.

What to do

• Carefully mark the location of underground sprinkler lines and heads, utility lines and cables, and septic systems to avoid damaging them.
• Thoroughly water your lawn (two to three centimetres deep) two days before aerating so the tines can penetrate farther and the plugs fall out more easily.
• Aerate your lawn as if you were mowing it, first moving lengthwise, then widthwise.
• When finished, improve the quality of your soil by top-dressing the lawn with five millimetres of compost or composted manure; rake the compost over the turf to loosely fill in the aeration holes.
• Your lawn may be reseeded or fertilized immediately after aeration (either with or without top-dressing).

Read more in How to and Lawn Care