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Technically, yes—and you may have some successful growth—but this isn’t the ideal way to fill in sparse areas. By clearing leaves and debris, amending the soil, and aerating it properly before you lay the seeds, you’re providing the most ideal conditions for them to germinate.

Your lawn needs to recover after aeration, so make sure the work is done at some point during its peak growing season. This will depend on your region and the type of grass you have, but generally, aerate once or twice per year, either during the late spring, early summer, or early fall.

When it comes to combatting the effects of soil compaction, core aeration does a far better job for a longer period of time—because it actually removes dirt rather than just pressing holes into it. By taking dirt out from under your lawn, core aeration allows more light, air, water, and nutrients to penetrate into the soil below and help your grass’s roots grow even stronger.

Aeration can level your lawn if the issue is minor soil compaction, so it can help smooth things out if your yard is bumpy from foot traffic or vehicle traffic. However, it won’t slope your yard. If you have small areas where water seems to pool after precipitation, aeration could help, but larger issues with improperly sloped lawns and problems leading to foundation leaks or structural damage will require more comprehensive solutions.