Lawn aerator is a tool designed to aerate the soil in which lawn grasses grow. Aeration improves soil drainage and encourages worms, microfauna and microflora which require oxygen.
Lawn aeration constitutes of two things, controlling lawn thatch and reducing soil compaction. Lawn thatch is a layer of dead organic tissue that deprives your lawn from much-needed oxygen. Solid compaction makes it difficult for your grass to root and it disturbs natural rainwater irrigation, therefore it is important to aerate your lawn. This is especially true for highly trafficked lawns. If people walk or even run over a lawn, the pressure generates compaction in your soil.
There are two types of lawn aerators. There is the type that uses spikes to punch holes in your soil and there is the type that pulls out plugs of soil. The latter is preferred, because while the spike punching lawn aerator only reduces the effects of thatch build-up, the lawn aerator that pulls out soil also reduces compaction.
When aerating very dense soil, it will ease the process when the lawn is watered the night before your aerate.
For the hobbyist lawn maintainers, there are also spiked shoes that are to be used to aerate your lawn, these are much more affordable then larger lawn aerating machines.
See also
Categories: Gardening tools | Lawn care
