Last Updated on January 15, 2026 by Duncan

If you are wondering whether you can aerate your lawn in January, yes, but only if the conditions permit. The ground should not be frozen or wet.

Aerating during this period reduces compaction and improves drainage, which is especially useful in damp winter circumstances. It also allows oxygen and nutrients to reach the soil, which promotes root health.

To prevent additional compaction, aerate on a moderate day and avoid using heavy machinery on soft or saturated ground.

How does winter aeration help your lawn?

Winter aerations, despite the cold and dormant appearance of lawns, are essential for maintaining a healthy lawn. Some of the benefits that come with aerating your lawn in January include:

Soil compaction relief: Foot traffic, mowing, and other activities can compact the soil beneath your grass over time.

Compacted soil inhibits root growth and reduces water and nutrient uptake. Winter aeration alleviates soil compaction by producing openings that allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate more effectively.

Improved drainage: Winter’s frequent rain and snowfall can cause soggy soil. Proper aeration improves drainage by allowing surplus water to percolate into the soil, reducing the risk of surface water accumulation, which can harm grass and encourage moss growth.

Enhanced nutrient uptake: Lawn roots continue to absorb nutrients over the winter, but at a slower rate. Aerating the soil on your lawn improves access to these nutrients, ensuring your grass is nourished correctly even during the dormant season.

Preventing thatch buildup: Thatch, a buildup of dead grass and organic matter, can accumulate on your lawn over time. Winter aeration helps to break down and minimize thatch, keeping it from smothering your grass in the spring.

Root stimulation: Aeration promotes root growth, especially in winter. Strong, strong roots help your lawn to endure cold temperatures, frost, and other winter stressors.

Overall grass resilience: Winter aeration promotes a strong and resilient grass. During the winter months, you should address compaction, drainage issues, and nutrient deficiencies to ensure your grass is ready to thrive when spring arrives.

When should you not aerate your lawn?

Lawn aerations may not be appropriate in some circumstances, such as:

Frozen Ground: Attempting to aerate while the ground is frozen or excessively hard will harm the lawn (and the equipment). It is preferable to wait until the earth has thawed.

Waterlogged Soil: Aeration on waterlogged or excessively wet soil can exacerbate rather than relieve compaction.

Drought Conditions: Aerating during a severe drought is not advisable, as it can add additional stress to the grass. It’s best to concentrate on watering and keeping the grass healthy.

Heavy Rain or Storms: You should postpone aeration following heavy rainfall or during a storm.

Newly seeded lawns: If you’ve recently overseeded your lawn, wait until the new grass has grown fully before aerating. Aeration can damage young grass.

Disease outbreak: If there is a disease outbreak on your lawn, it is best to treat the problem before aerating, as aeration can potentially spread the disease

How do you know it’s time to aerate your lawn?

Some homeowners maintain a consistent lawn aeration plan. This group of homeowners keeps track of their aeration due dates mentally. They know when the grass needs aerating and rarely make mistakes.

Another type of homeowner only aerates when they notice obvious indicators. These are frequently the folks seeking answers to the questions “Can you aerate in the winter?” and “How to prepare lawn for aeration?”

If you fall into the latter category, you may be interested in knowing what telltale signs to look for to determine when your lawn needs aeration. Check out these signs to tell whether your grass is due for an annual aeration session:

• Your grass has been heavily used by pets and children, compacting the soil.
• Soil has dried out and feels springy. This indicates a thatch problem, which necessitates aeration.
• You haven’t aerated for a long time, and the topsoil has been scraped.
• Your yard appears starved, and the green coloring matter is rapidly vanishing.
• You feel the impulse to do so because it has been months since you last aerated the lawn.

How do you prepare your lawn for aeration?

Understanding the right strategy for preparing a lawn for aeration requires knowing how to complete the task quickly.

Lawn aeration requires specialized equipment and skills. For the job to be completed smoothly, several conditions must be met. So, can you aerate throughout the winter, and how can you prepare for it? Let us find out.

When aerating your lawn, you’ll need a plug or spike aerator, which you can rent or buy. You can purchase the aerators online or rent them from a local garden store. The applicability and usability of each vary. When preparing a lawn for aeration, it is critical to research each method and its application.

Collecting garbage and branches from the grassland soil: When the soil is free of barriers like leaves and stems, aeration is more effective. Before beginning the aeration method, remove any accumulated debris from your turf.

Clean the yard. Clogged grasslands can slow development and even kill some grasses. Before aerating the grass, remove any debris from the turf. Also, relocate any existing furnishings and children’s toys.

Other things you should do to your lawn in winter

Besides aerating your lawn in winter if the situation is right, there are plenty of other things you can do to your lawn during this time. These things include:

Mow your lawn

Yes, you can mow your lawn in winter, but only if the conditions permit. Grass growth slows considerably throughout the winter, but if there is a mild period, your grass may grow longer than 2 inches.

Make sure the ground is solid and dry, and adjust your mower blades higher than usual to minimize scalping. Avoid mowing frozen, soggy, or frosty grass since it can damage your yard.

Stay away from the grass.

If there is ever a time to avoid walking on grass, it is in the winter, especially after ice development, frost, or snowfall.

Why? Under these conditions, ice crystals grow between the cells of the grass blade. When left alone, these crystals help to protect the vital cells from injury. This means that the grass can continue photosynthesis after the ice, frost, or snow has melted.

When you walk over frozen or frosty grass, these ice crystals are driven into the leaf cells, stabbing and injuring the cell walls, rendering the blades brittle and prone to breaking. And you don’t want this, do you?

Finally, the affected grass blades will discolor, leaving you with a blotchy lawn.

This implies that your grass grows stressed and must expend more energy to heal itself in spring. As a result, it is advantageous to avoid the grass throughout the winter months.

Keep the leaves from the grass.

Although leaving leaves on bare soil, beds, and borders benefits your plants, doing so on grass has the reverse effect.

Over the winter, leaves block sunlight, depriving the grass of water and nutrients. This can damage the grass, leaving bare muddy patches beneath the leaves.

The grass will eventually grow into these spots the following year (if given proper nourishment, conditions, and care). Still, weeds or moss may beat the grass to it, necessitating the removal of these unwanted visitors and reseeding.

To avoid this problem in the spring, use a leaf blower to remove fallen leaves from the lawn. To be on the safe side, only attempt to remove leaves from grass when it is not frozen or frosty.

You can use these leaves to make leaf mold, which will benefit your plants next year. They will not blow away if you put them in a chicken wire cage or anywhere else where air can reach them.

Edge your lawn

Winter is an excellent time to straighten your grass, trim clean edges around beds and borders, and improve your edging in preparation for spring.

Edging throughout the winter allows you to eliminate parts of the grass that may have overgrown or died back. With fewer plants in full bloom, you will have the time to evaluate your garden layout and available area for fresh planting in the spring.

To mark out curving edges, use string or hose; for straight lines, use stringline and wood. A spade or half-moon cutter is all you need to trim the edges and create formal, clean lines.

If you’re using a spade, press it into the ground to about 3 inches deep, slightly overlapping each cut as you go. Lift and compost any turf that you remove.

Use edge shears or a line trimmer to neaten rather than reshape grass that is not frozen or frosty.

As long as the weather is warm and dry, you can end with a mow to keep your grass clean.

Parting shot

As you have seen, you can go ahead and aerate your lawn as long as the conditions are right. The only thing you should avoid doing is scarifying your lawn. After all, you don’t want to end up with a worse lawn than you started with, do you?