Aerating breathes new life into your lawn, and allows refreshing air and light into the root system.
Over time, the soil underneath high traffic areas of your lawn can become compacted, making it difficult for water, sunlight and oxygen to penetrate the soil and flow to the lawn roots below. This can lead to an unhealthy lawn. Aerating helps by opening up the soil and re-exposing the roots to these three essential ingredients for good health.
How to aerate
One simple way to aerate is to push a garden fork into the soil (about 7-10cm), rock it back and forth gently and repeat at 20cm spacings. Your lawn won’t look great straight away however in a couple of weeks it will have regenerated.
For larger lawns, hire an aerating machine from your local hardware store or nursery to get the job done faster. After you’ve finished, fill the holes with gypsum, which will open up the soil to allow faster drainage.
Not sure whether you need to aerate? Take the screwdriver test. Simply push a screwdriver into the soil – if it goes in easily, your lawn is fine but if it doesn’t, you need to aerate.
When to aerate
Winter and spring is the best time to aerate your lawn. Check out our seasonal guides for more information.
