Fall Aeration

How This Application Works

Spring aeration (April-May). Core aeration is the only physical soil correction in our entire program - everything else is chemistry.

A core aerator uses hollow tines to pull cylindrical plugs of soil out of your lawn, creating holes 2-3 inches deep and leaving the cores on the surface to break down. This process addresses the single biggest limiting factor in lawn health: soil compaction.

Compacted soil is dense, hard, and nearly impenetrable. Grass roots can't grow deep.

Water runs off instead of soaking in. Oxygen can't reach the root zone.

Nutrients sit on the surface instead of reaching the roots. Even the best fertilizer program in the world fails on compacted soil because nothing can penetrate to where it needs to be.

Aeration breaks up that compaction, creating channels for air, water, and nutrients to move freely. It allows roots to grow deeper and stronger.

It improves drainage. It enhances microbial activity in the soil.

Spring aeration (April) loosens soil before the summer growth surge, giving roots room to expand before heat stress arrives. Fall aeration (September-October) is even more effective because it combines with the fall root growth period - you're aerating exactly when roots are actively growing, so they immediately exploit the improved soil conditions.

If you only aerate once per year, fall is the best choice because timing and soil conditions are optimal. But lawns with heavy traffic, clay soil, or chronic compaction problems benefit enormously from both spring and fall aeration - twice the compaction relief, twice the root growth stimulus, and dramatically better long-term soil structure.

Without aeration, you're treating symptoms. With aeration, you're fixing the underlying problem.