So you’ve taken the plunge and decided to aerate your lawn. But now the big question is: what is the best aerator for your lawn? With all the different types of aerators available, figuring out which one fits your specific needs can be confusing. So, before spending money on a new aerator, let’s look at the different options and see which will work best for your lawn and wallet.
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How to Aerate a Lawn (My Process)
Lawn aeration consists of making a grid pattern of holes in your lawn by working an aerator across the lawn in consecutive passes. Depending on your specific aerator, the spacing between the penetrations will vary as the gaps between the spikes/cores of each type of equipment are different. For powered, push, and towable aerators, you’ll need to make passes as if you were mowing your lawn. With manual aerators, you’ll need to make a penetration, lift your aerator, reposition your aerator, and repeat.
What Tools You’ll Need to Aerate Your Lawn
Aeration tools are available in a bunch of different sizes, designs, power options, and of course, price points. Depending on the size of your lawn, your physical ability, your aeration needs, and the size of your wallet, there’s an aerating tool available to suit your specific scenario.
So what do lawn aerators look like, and how are they best suited? Here is a table of common types of lawn aerators showing how each differs.
Common Lawn Aeration Equipment
| TOOL | POWER | TYPE | YARD SIZE | EASE OF USE | COST | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoe | Manual | Spike | S | Hard | $20+ | CLICK HERE |
| Handheld | Manual | Spike | S | Hard | $30+ | CLICK HERE |
| Handheld | Manual | Core | S | Hard | $40+ | CLICK HERE |
| Push | Manual | Spike | S-M | Medium | $80+ | CLICK HERE |
| Attachment | Tow | Spike | M-L | Easy | $180+ | CLICK HERE |
| Attachment | Tow | Core | M-L | Easy | $260+ | CLICK HERE |
| Powered | Gas | Core | S-M-L | Medium | $1000+ | CLICK HERE |
Picking the Best Aerator for Your Lawn
Once you have picked your lawn aerating tool, it’s time to start aerating. So let’s review each aeration tool and check out the different processes.
Shoe Spike Aerators
Shoe spike aerators simply require you to walk across your lawn to make the penetration. To achieve this, you would walk heel to toe up and down your lawn, ensuring you cover all of your lawn.
As easy as this sounds, it can be tiring and hard work. This is because you have to lift your knees pretty high to remove the spikes from the soil, then press hard to push the spikes into the ground. Also, the spikes fix your feet to the ground, so you must have good balance to avoid falling over until you get the hang of the method. So, I only recommend this type of aerator for fit and able people who have small yards and don’t mind a workout.
Handheld Spike & Core Aerators
Handheld spike aerators and handheld core aerators work pretty much the same as garden forks. Well, to be honest, there isn’t really any difference at all. You hold the tool in your hand, then press down on it with the weight of your foot to push it into the ground. Following this, you would pull the tool from the ground, reposition the aerator a few inches further along your lawn, and repeat. Again, you need to cover the entire lawn to ensure the whole yard has been aerated. So if you have a garden folk, you can use it instead of purchasing a handheld spike aerator.
You will probably need to repeat this process four or five times per square foot. If you have a good-sized lawn, say 50ft x 100ft, that is 5000 ft2. This means you’ll probably need to repeat this process 20,000 times, so I only recommend a handheld aerator for small yards.
Push Lawn Aerators
A push aerator consists of a series of spikes attached to a drum at specific intervals. So, as you push the aerator forwards, the spikes penetrate the ground and lift themselves back out. Therefore as the operator, you just need to push the aerator forward to aerate your lawn.
If you have used a push lawn mower, you’ll have a pretty good idea of the pattern you need to use and how much effort is required. But as you’ll see in the table, the convenience and speed of a push aerator make it more costly than the shoe and handheld aerators.
Attachment Aerators
If you have a large yard, you’ll likely have some type of riding lawn mower that can tow various attachments. This means you can attach a towable spike aerator or towable core aerator to the back of your lawn mower and tow it around your lawn. So, all you need to do is drive your lawn mower just as if you were mowing and ensure you aerate the whole yard.
This is the easiest lawn aeration method and, in my experience, the fastest. But you need a riding mower, which not everybody has.
Powered Aerators
Powered lawn aerators have their own engine to drive the tool across a lawn. All the operator needs to do is steer the aerator over the entire yard. I think this type of aerator does the best job out of all the available equipment and gives the best results. This is why powered aerators are the top choice for professional landscapers and groundskeepers. Unfortunately, the most basic powered aerator models cost over $1000 and are above many people’s budget.
I certainly couldn’t bring myself to spend three, four, or even five thousand dollars on a Billy Goat Aerator. So what is the alternative? Well, you could hire a professional to do the work for you or rent a powered machine from somewhere like Home Depot for $80+ a day.
Powered aerators are an excellent option if you are looking for an easier aerating method and don’t have a riding mower. Especially if you have a big yard and don’t want to work too hard.
Plug Aerator Vs. Spike Aerator
Now one thing you need to consider when picking a lawn aerator is whether you want a spike aerator vs. a core aerator. This is because the two designs will have very different results that you may or may not need. So what’s the difference between plug aeration vs. core aeration? Let’s take a look.
What is Spike Aeration?
Spike aerators have metal spikes or tines that dig into the ground, leaving a puncture behind. Most spikes or tines are very thin and only an inch or two long. So, you only achieve very limited results. Therefore if your lawn is heavily compacted, a spike aerator probably won’t be enough to get the desired results. Spike aerators are ideal for soil that is loosely compacted. To understand how compact your soil is, test your lawn soil compaction using an AgraTronix Soil Compaction Tester. A spike aerator should be fine to use for soil under 200 PSI. You’ll want to use a core aerator if you get a higher PSI reading.
What is Core Aeration?
A core aerator differs from a spike aerator in that instead of pushing soil out of the way with a spike, it removes a core of soil from the ground. Typically a core aerator will dig out a ½” x 6″ soil core and deposit it back onto your lawn. Once the core is removed, the surrounding soil can collapse into the newly made hole and relieve the soil pressure. As a result, the physical removal of soil has a significantly greater ability to reduce soil compaction, which is vital when compaction readings are over and above 200 PSI.
