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The best time to aerate a lawn is when there's plenty of moisture in the soil, which is the fall or spring seasons. However, keep in mind that lawn aeration isn't very effective when there has been a long period of heavy rain, as the excess water can potentially damage the lawn in the aeration process. Wait until your lawn is predominantly dry to start the aeration process to ensure best results.

Throwing grass seed on existing lawn isn’t likely to germinate, grow roots, or become healthy grass. You need to prep the soil, spread fertilizer with your seed, and sow the seed into the soil. Water the seed every day for two weeks to ensure it germinates and grows roots. Be sure to stay off the area and wait to mow until it reaches optimal height.

Both aerating and scarifying your lawn can offer serious benefits. Aerating pokes holes in the soil to better allow air, moisture, and nutrients to permeate while scarifying removes the buildup of dead plant matter at the soil’s surface. Most lawns require both of these maintenance items to thrive.

Each type of grass has its own specific needs regarding the timing of aeration, but in general, late summer to early fall is the best time to do so. For most lawns, that means sometime between September and November, though certain types of grass, like St. Augustine Grass, do better with aerations in late spring and early summer.