What Is a lawn aerator?

A lawn aerator is a machine or a tool which helps to reduce soil compaction. This allows water and fertiliser to get to the roots of the grass easier therefore so it can absorb nutrients and air can circulate for improved lawn growth and health. 

What is aeration?

Aeration is the process of pulling out “cores” of soil creating small holes. Heavy traffic areas of lawns are quite often affected by soil compaction with some soils being naturally very compact which can have a negative impact on grass growth. Aeration helps by separating the solid soil particles and also to reduce thatch build up.

When should you aerate the lawn?

The aeration of the lawn should ideally be done once or twice a year for best results with Spring being the ideal time to do this. After aeration it is advisable to over-seed and fertilise the lawn ensuring that the ground is kept moist for the next 2 to 3 weeks.

What are the benefits?

• Relieve compaction and encourage new lawn growth
• Improve nutrient uptake of grass and permeability of soil
• Increase depth of grass roots
• Reduce thatch build up below the surface
• Improve drainage and reduce risk of fungal diseases
• Improve air circulation between soil and the atmosphere

If you have a large garden, manually aerating can be physically demanding and take a lot of time. By using a petrol powered lawn aerator, the process becomes much quicker and less physically demanding.