

The holes in the ground that get left behind after the use of a core aerator will encourage healthier grass to grow.īy comparison, a spike aerator is best for soil that’s not too compacted because it doesn’t actually move soil and other material, so it doesn’t loosen the soil very much. The most effective plug aeration tool should be able to remove soil plugs that are around two inches in depth and around 0.5 inches in diameter.Ī lawn plug, or core, the aerator is more effective at breaking up compacted soil as it removes these soil plugs. Plug aerators are more effective than spike aerators because they don’t risk adding more compaction to the soil around the holes that have been poked into it. Is lawn plug aeration better than spike aeration? Plug aerator: this a tool or machine that removes cores of soil and grass from the lawn.Spike aerator: this is a tool you use to poke holes into the ground.These are aerating your lawn with the use of a spike aerator or using a plug aerator instead. There are two main methods you can choose to aerate your lawn. The aerator tines have to penetrate the lawn to around two inches in-depth, so you want to carefully guide the aerator across your lawn.ĭo so in a minimum of two different directions so that you properly aerate the soil. This has hollow tines that remove cores of soil and thatch from your lawn. This relieves the pressure of compacted soil and it enables the remaining soil to spread out.Ī lawn aerator machine is used to aerate your lawn. This type of aeration removes cores (or plugs) of soil from the ground so that cylindrical holes are left behind in your lawn. Lawn plug aeration works by opening up the soil so that it’s not compacted anymore and can enable nutrients, water, and air to pass through it – these can therefore be better taken up by the grass. If you can see that the roots are shorter than two inches, then that’s a good sign you should aerate your lawn. Dig up grass to about six inches in depth. This is another test you can do to see if your lawn could do with aeration. If the soil doesn’t give way easily this is a sign it’s very compacted. Take a screwdriver and push it into your lawn. You’ve tested your soil and it’s compacted.You have some standing water on the lawn or there’s a lot of water runoff.Your lawn experiences high traffic, whether in the form of children playing on the lawn, pets urinating on it, or people who are always walking on the grass.Note that you could experience some compaction in certain areas of your lawn instead of all over it. There are areas or spots in your lawn that are experiencing stunted or dry grass.There are some signs to look out for that signal your lawn should be aerated. How Do You Know You Need To Aerate Your Lawn?

If there’s more than half an inch of thatch on your lawn, it can stunt the grass growth you want to achieve.
#Plug or spike aerator better how to#
Read on to learn more about what lawn plug aeration is and how to do it so that you get a healthier lawn with less effort. If your soil isn’t aerated enough, this causes it to become compacted so that it doesn’t have enough space for essentials grass needs to grow, such as oxygen, nutrients, and water.ĭoes lawn plug aeration enable this? Lawn plug, or core, aeration can help you to create more space in your soil, and you can do it yourself instead of calling the gardening professionals. You need to aerate your lawn so that you keep your grass and soil healthy.
