Last Updated on May 31, 2025 by Duncan

Lawn aeration comes with plenty of perks, such as:

• Improved movement of air between soil and atmosphere
• Reduced risk of water runoff and puddling
• Soil absorbs water more efficiently.
• Improved fertilizer uptake
• Turfgrass gets stronger roots.
• Compacted earth loosens up.
• Increased heat tolerance and drought endurance.
• Thatch is physically deformed and torn up.

While aeration comes with plenty of benefits to your lawn, it can sometimes cause more harm than good. So, if you are wondering whether aeration can damage the lawn, yes, it can if you do it the wrong way. Some of the things that can lead to lawn damage include:

Doing aeration at the wrong time

The optimal time to aerate your lawn is when new life has the most possibility of growing in your area. You don’t want to aerate too early, before the last frost. You also wouldn’t want to do it during the height of a hot summer, when the strong sun and heat inhibit new growth.

Aerate cool-season grasses early in the fall or spring. Warm-season grasses, which are abundant on southern lawns, thrive best in late spring or early summer.

You should note that lawn aeration is easy when the soil is moist. Overly dry and dense dirt is more difficult to penetrate, necessitating greater personal effort to move the machines.

For an easier time, aerate the day following a good rain, especially during droughts when your grass is already stressed.

Using the wrong aerating equipment

We’ve all seen do-it-yourselfers traipse across their yard in cleats, poking holes in the ground. Instead of purchasing an aeration machine, many believe that aerating is simply generating holes—however, the focused force of stepping with a spiked shoe further compacts your soil.

Even spike aerators, which poke holes with a solid tine or fork, can lead to further compaction in the surrounding areas. And you don’t want this, do you?

For the best results, use a plug aerator to remove a core, or plug, of grass and soil from your lawn. Look for an aerating tool or machine that gets rid of soil plugs that are two to three inches deep, half to three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and spaced two to three inches apart.

Improperly using your aerating machine.

After you’ve chosen the correct aeration equipment, how well you use it will determine how successful your new growth will be. Walk-behind aerators are popular but can be difficult to push. Large lawns might cause aching arms and clumsy navigation, resulting in irregular growth.

In addition to this, during each rotation, you must remove the tines by raising from the handle to avoid injuring the turf. This can be time-consuming. Therefore, some operators will raise and spin the entire unit when it comes time to turn, potentially producing compaction and bare patches later on.

To get the best results from your lawn, make sure you choose the proper machine and know how to use it.

How do you aerate without damaging your lawn?

The key to aerating your lawn without causing any damage is using the right tools. Some of the equipment you can use include:

Spike aerators

Some homeowners use spiky aerator sandals’ that attach to their shoes. (Think of mountaineering shoes with cleats.) So, while doing yard labor and walking about, they also aerate the soil.

Spike aeration may also include scraping the turf with a rake or fork.

These spiked aerators make holes in the soil. The biggest disadvantage is that they simply form holes in the soil without removing any core or part of it, causing the soil around the holes to become even more compacted in some areas.

Slicing aerators

Slicing aerators are fitted with rotating blades. They can cut through the grass and thatch to the soil. They resemble spike aerators but with blades. They leave the soil in place while allowing air, water, and nutrients to travel through without compacting it.

Plug aerators

Professionals like core aerators. They use hollow tines to remove tiny wads of soil and create holes without compaction. The size of the wads varies depending on the machine used.

You can hire a professional or do your aeration for a healthy lawn.

FAQS

Will aeration help a bumpy lawn?

Will aeration level my lawn? This is a common question among homeowners. Homeowners with lumpy or uneven lawns may hope that an aeration service will help to level things out.

Unfortunately, aeration will not repair a rough lawn. Whether you have a few low patches or a completely uneven lawn, re-grading is the solution. Aeration will not affect a lawn’s grade.

Will aeration kill weeds?

The technique of aerating and creating holes in the lawn (by pulling soil cores) will not miraculously eliminate weeds. While this is the case, the process of aeration will make your soil healthier, causing grass to grow thicker.

Weeds will eventually struggle to thrive in lush grass. As time passes, you’ll need fewer weed control solutions because your lawn will naturally choke out weeds.

So, in that sense, aeration can gradually improve your lawn’s weed resistance. It is simply a long-term project (that will not be achieved immediately).

Will aeration help with drainage?

Lawn aeration can help a lawn that isn’t draining properly owing to compacted soil. Lawn aeration relieves soil compaction not just by creating holes in the lawn but also by allowing the extracted soil cores to degrade and lighten the soil naturally.

As the soil becomes less compacted, more oxygen, water, and nutrients can reach deep into the root zone, where they are most required. This implies that instead of collecting at the top, water will be directed to the roots, where it is necessary to help the plants grow healthy and robust.

Will aeration help with moss?

Moss thrives in wet, shady regions where grass isn’t growing well. If you are struggling with mossy areas, you may be wondering if aeration can assist.

Unfortunately, aeration will not significantly improve the situation.

Instead, you’ll need to focus on a better way to produce grass in those shaded areas. Even shade grass seed mixes require sunlight to develop and perform optimally.

Pruning trees, considering a better grass seed mix, or implementing totally new landscape solutions in specific locations are all potential options for getting your grass to grow better in the shade (and, therefore, minimizing moss).

Will aeration help with thatch?

Thatch is an organic layer composed of dead and living stems that naturally form on top of the lawn. A small amount of thatch is not a major concern. However, as thatch reaches more than a half-inch thickness, it can pose problems.

One of the most serious issues with thatch is that it provides an ideal environment for lawn pest and disease problems. It might also cause poor growing conditions for your lawn.

Thankfully, lawn aeration can help break up thatch, allowing more oxygen, water, and nutrients to infiltrate the layer (and the soil itself). This will contribute to an overall healthier lawn.

Can you aerate too much?

How much is too much? This depends on the type of sod you installed. Your lawn may require annual or biennial aeration. If your soil is loose, you will not need to aerate as frequently. However, thick soil necessitates periodic aeration for a healthy lawn.

Keep in mind that aerating more than necessary will cause more harm than benefit. It can damage your soil by loosening it more than necessary. Airy dirt is one thing. However, if your soil is constantly disturbed, the sod will fail to develop a strong root structure. This can lead to full drying out and death.

Should you cut your lawn before aerating?

It’s best to mow the grass before aerating it, not after. You should mow around two inches above the ground.

This helps to maximize the effectiveness of aeration. While mowing, take care not to scalp the grass’s crest, as this might destroy the sod and expose the stolon. Mowing your grass before aeration promotes improved fertilizer percolation.

When should you aerate your lawn?

The answer to this question depends on the type of sod you have installed on your lawn. And, as previously said, the weather in your region.

If you’ve grown warm-season grass, such as Bahia, Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine, Tall Fescue, or Zoysia, you must aerate it in late spring or early summer (April to July) when it’s actively growing.

While you can aerate your lawn at any time of year, doing so during the cooler months will keep the grass dormant and prevent it from covering up the aerated holes.

As a result, any holes developed at that time could further dry out your sod, allowing weeds to take root and consume all of the nutrients intended for the grass.

Aerating your lawn while you fertilize or perform any big lawn care procedures, such as dethatching, is a wise decision. Aerating after a rain will make the task easier because the soil is damp.

Cool-season grasses, such as bluegrass, fescue, and rye, should be aerated in early spring or fall. Cool-season lawns can be grown year-round with proper maintenance and sufficient water, with the exception of exceptionally cold weather.

As a result, you can aerate year-round. The optimal time, however, is when you fertilize or do other lawn management tasks.

Parting shot

Aeration is one of the most effective things you can do for your lawn. Even if it does not solve all of your lawn’s problems, it will get it in much better shape so that it can grow thicker and greener.

For the best outcome, avoid aerating your grass until it has fully grown green in the spring and you have mowed it at least once.

To maintain a healthy lawn, aerate at least once a year. However, this may vary depending on the type of soil you have. If your lawn gets a lot of foot traffic or has thick, clayey soil, you may need to aerate it every spring and fall.

If you sodded your lawn within the last year, don’t aerate it for at least two years. Make sure the roots have taken hold first. If you don’t, you risk unintentionally damaging the young roots. And you don’t want this, do you?