Get matched with top lawn irrigation specialists in Forman, ND

Almost all lawns can benefit from aeration, but not all lawns need aeration services. If your lawn has puddles of standing water, uneven grass growth, thinning grass, dries out quickly, or has a good amount of thatch, aeration is worthwhile. On the other hand, if your lawn is healthy and your soil isn’t too compact, you may be able to skip a year of aeration.

If your lawn and general landscape are struggling, consider calling a local landscape specialist to suggest lawn amendments, local plants, and hardscape changes to boost the long-term health of your outdoor space. While you may be able to take on small projects yourself—such as reseeding your lawn or testing the soil—a professional can help you build a plan to bring a struggling yard back to life quickly.

Don't pick up or dispose of aeration plugs. They will break down by themselves in one or two weeks. Rainfall will speed this up, as will watering the lawn. Mowing helps, but don't mow the grass too soon post-aeration. It's unusual that the plugs would remain after three or four weeks, but mowing and raking will break them down by that point.

Power seeding machines do a great job of creating narrow trenches in the soil to plant grass seeds into, but aerating before power seeding can be beneficial for your lawn. By aerating first, more water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide can reach the roots of your germinating grass seeds. Plan to aerate your lawn about once or twice a year, whether you plan to power seed or not.