Get matched with top lawn irrigation specialists in Moorhead, MS

While your lawn will reap the benefits of core aeration faster than liquid aeration, the liquid solution will last longer and have more cumulative effects. If your lawn is in really bad shape, try both. By creating holes in the soil with the core aerator, you’ll make it easier for your lawn to absorb the liquid aerator solution. You might have to apply the liquid aerator several times during the growing season, but again, the positive results will be more cumulative than with core aeration on its own.

Depending on the lawn treatments, the best times of the year to redo your lawn are between mid-August and mid-September for overseeding and renovation treatments. For areas such as the southern United States, lawn aeration works best during the fall, when the temperatures begin to drop. Otherwise, early spring is your next best bet because the grass is fresh and ready to absorb nutrients, and the temperature isn’t hot enough to fry the grass and the renovation materials.

Break up hard dirt in your yard with popular methods such as core aeration or manual aeration with a spade, mini excavator, or pitchfork. You can also alter your soil to keep it from compacting in the future. Adding compost, groundcover plants, or aeration granules—preferably made of organic materials—can also soften your ground and encourage water saturation.

If you have a beautifully thriving yard with no bald spots, you can choose to aerate your yard once every two years. Otherwise, having your lawn aerated at least once a year is recommended. And in those circumstances where you have a significant amount of thatch buildup or a thinning and bald yard, it's best to aerate twice a year to maintain a healthy lawn.