How to Dethatch and Aerate Your Lawn

Check your lawn for soil compaction. Over time, soil can also become too compacted for water and air to penetrate. Soil compaction can be caused by heavy foot traffic, vehicle traffic, dry weather, slow drainage and water logging. "Browning" of your grass can be a sign of compaction. You can also test for compaction by watering your lawn, or wait for a good rain, and observe how quickly the water is absorbed. If it isn't absorbed quickly, the soil is compacted. Or check for soil compaction using a wooden matchstick. You should be able to easily press the matchstick all the way into the ground with your thumb. If you can't or it hurts your thumb to try, your soil is compacted.

Aerate your lawn. Lawn aeration is a perfect solution for soil compaction. For moderately compacted soil in a limited area, systematically prick holes in the soil with a spading or digging fork. Holes should be 2" to 3" apart and 1" to 2" deep. If you're dealing with a larger area or you want to make the task easier, there are several types of push spike aerators you can rent or purchase. Some models look a little like a manual push mower with spikes or star-shaped wheels instead of blades. Others are designed as attachments that fit behind a power mower. For medium to large areas, you'll want to rent a gas-powered spiking aerator.

Helpful Tips

Lawn aerating is generally easier to do when the soil is moist, but it won't work as well if the ground is wet.

If you're wondering when to aerate, it's best to do it in the fall after dethatching or after a thorough raking.

If you have severely compacted soil, you need to open up deeper and larger holes. A spading or digging fork will do the trick if you have sandy soil or a small yard. Use the same systematic approach as you would for pricking, but drive the fork into the ground about 3" to 4" and wiggle it back and forth to open the holes.

You can also use a hollow-tine fork, another lawn aerating hand tool available for purchase or rent. A hollow-tine fork is stepped on to drive it into the soil, and when removed it pops out multiple cores or plugs of sod and soil. For medium to large areas, you may want to rent a gas-powered plugging aerator.

Helpful Tip

You can prick or spike the soil annually, but don't cut plugs more than once every three years. You can leave the plugs on the lawn because they break down quickly. Or rake them up and add them to your compost pile.

Good job! Now that it's been properly dethatched and aerated, your lawn should thrive in the spring.