Core aeration is an essential lawn care service in Ohio that involves pulling up plugs of soil from the ground to loosen compacted soil and improve resource access to the roots of your grass. It's highly beneficial, but like with most things, it comes with pros and cons. For example, one con is that it can be invasive to your lawn if done at the wrong time, but you can avoid this by performing it when it's strong enough to endure it. It also leaves soil cores on your lawn, which don't look the best but return nutrients as they decompose, and you can break them up with a rake or go over them with a lawn mower to speed up the decomposition process.

What is core aeration?

Core aeration is the process of mechanically pulling up plugs of soil from the ground using an aerator machine. This process is performed on lawns to alleviate compaction, which occurs naturally due to foot traffic, heavy machinery use, and other factors. By loosening compacted soil, nutrients and resources like sunlight, water, and oxygen can penetrate more easily to reach the roots of your grass. Core aeration also breaks up the thatch layer, which consists of dead organic matter between the soil and grass, which can cause problems for your lawn if it becomes thick enough. After core aeration, your lawn will have easy access to all of the nutrients and resources it needs to grow vibrant, strong, and healthy!

Aerating your lawn every year helps it stay in tip-top shape so it can better withstand stressors like drought, disease, and insect infestations!

Pros & Cons of Core Aeration

Soil plugs on a lawn in Delaware, OH, after core aeration.

While there are many benefits to core aeration, it's important to be aware of potential drawbacks as well. Here are the various pros and cons of the core aeration process:

  • Core aeration mechanically pulls up plugs of soil: This process can be invasive for your lawn, but it's highly effective at loosening compacted soil, creating pathways for nutrients and resources to reach the roots of your grass, and breaking up the thatch layer. Depending on when you do it, your lawn can heal quickly from the process.
  • It must be performed when it's the right time for your specific lawn: It can stress out your lawn if done at the wrong time, but you can avoid this by performing it when it's strong enough to endure it.
  • It leaves behind soil cores on your lawn: Some property owners may not find these soil cores very appealing, however, as they decompose, they return nutrients back to the lawn. You can even break them up using a rake or by going over them with a lawn mower to help speed up the decomposition process!
You can pair overseeding with core aeration to increase your lawn's density and fill in any bare and patchy areas with new grass!

Give us a call today to sign up for our core aeration service!

Do you want to give your lawn the gift of improved resource access? If so, then we have just what you need - our core aeration service! At Hoffmans Lawn & Fertilization, we offer core aeration to residential and commercial properties and HOAs in Delaware, Lewis Center, Powell, OH, and surrounding communities. We recommend scheduling this service once a year in the fall or spring when your grass is strong enough to endure it. We also offer an overseeding service to fill in bare patches on your lawn and provide the seeds with the perfect passageway into the soil. Give us a call today at (740) 318-5296 to sign up for our core aeration service!