Lawn Aerification

Lawn aerator machine with green hollow tines and small amounts of grass stuck on them.

Introduction

Aerification is commonly used in the golf course, lawn care and sports field management industries. Lawn aerification is a plausible consideration as a cultural practice that is sometimes overlooked, yet helpful. Also note that aerification and aeriation are the same term with the same concept. For this information, we will state it as aerification. 

Aerification of turfgrass will help improve water and air movement into the soil, reduce compaction, improve rooting, and reduce thatch, among other benefits. 

Considerations in Aerification

Considerations the Use of Aerification

Hole Pattern

Holes spaced close together are favored to disturb the most amount of soil. Generally, 20-40 holes/ft2 are recommended, and Table 1 shows the surface area affected by various combinations of tine sizes and spacing.

Table 1. Tine size and spacing effects on holes/ sq ft and % of surface area attached.

Tine Spacing (inches)

2x2

2x3

2x4

2x6

3x4

3x6

4x6

Holes/sq ft

36

24

18

12

12

8

6

% of surface area affected 

1/2" tine

4.9

3.3

2.5

1.6

1.6

1.1

0.8

3/4" tine

11.1

7.4

5.5

3.7

3.7

2.5

1.8

1" tine

19.6

13.1

9.8

6.5

6.5

4.4

3.3

Tine Size and Shape

The larger the tines, the better the capacity to disturb the most soil. 

  • Hollow tines can remove thatch in turfgrass areas, yet leave cores on the turf surface, which may create a mess if mowing when wet before the cores have broken down or settled to the soil surface. Aerification with hollow tines is a standard practice on lawns. 

    Lawn aerator with hollow tines and wheels on a concrete surface.
    Figure 1. Example of hollow tines on a lawn aerator on a concrete surface. Picture by John Fech. 

  • Solid tines can also be used and are nearly as effective as hollow tines on sports fields and golf turfgrass areas without the mess. But also consider that it will not remove thatch compared to hollow tines. 

Timing

Spring or fall are preferred when cool-season grasses are growing quickly to recover from the holes and disruption to the turfgrass. Spring to early summer is the best timing for warm-season grasses. 

Frequency

Aerify frequently on clay soils to promote turf health. Two to three times per year is recommended for turfgrass that does not drain well.  Conversely, aerification will only be needed once every two to three years on silt loam soils and maybe never on sandy soils. Furthermore, lawns that get excess wear (ex., compaction) require extra aerification. Sodded lawns also need extra aerification to help encourage rooting, especially when the soil that the sod was grown on does not match the soil where it is currently growing.  It’s best to wait a few months after sodding before aerification to allow initial rooting and prevent moving sod pieces away from their desired location.

Depth

Aerifying as deep as possible will encourage deeper rooting, especially in clay soils. Most machines have a maximum depth of three to four inches.

Effect on Preemergence Herbicides

Research has shown that aerifying after applying preemergence herbicides does not affect crabgrass control (Branham and Rieke, 1986; Johnson, 1987). However, aerification should still be done before preemergence herbicide applications if possible to reduce any risk of reducing control. 

Seeding

Seeding immediately after (or before or both) aerification effectively creates seed-soil contact to encourage seed germination and seedling survival. 

Backyard Farmer Video

References

  1. Branham, B. E., and P. E. Rieke. 1986. Effects of Turf Cultivation Practices on the Efficacy of Preemergence Grass Herbicides. Agron. J. 78(6):1089-1091.

  2. Johnson, B. J. 1987. Effect of core cultivation on preemergence herbicide activity in bermudagrass. HortScience. 22(3):440. 

Ending Information

Originally known as a Turf iNfo article on Turf 101: Lawn aerification (2013), University of Nebraska Turfgrass Science Program, by Zac Reicher.

Edited and Reviewed By: 

Amanda Folck, Assistant Extension Educator: Turfgrass Management, Agronomy and Horticulture Department

Elizabeth Exstorm, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension 

John Fech, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension 

Updated August 20, 2026