Lawn aeration: when to do it and what it does

What the price depends on

It’s priced per square metre. The total depends on the area, access for the machine (will it fit through the gate), slopes and how many obstacles there are: beds, trees, paths. Aeration is often ordered together with scarifying, top-dressing with sand and overseeding, in which case it’s several line items. Labour rates are in the table.

Sand, seed, fertiliser and taking away the raked-out thatch are paid separately, as agreed in the handyman’s offer.

Price ranges and offers from tradespeople: lawn mowing in Warsaw.

Aeration, scarifying and which you need

Aeration punctures the soil. A hollow-tine aerator pulls out small plugs of earth, while solid or spike tines just push through the turf. Hollow tines loosen compacted soil better; spikes are fine for light upkeep.

Scarifying works differently: blades cut shallowly into the turf and rake out thatch, dead grass and moss. It does nothing for compacted soil. People mix the two up all the time, but they do different jobs. If the lawn is full of thatch and moss, you need scarifying; if water stands and the ground is hard, you need aeration. Sometimes it’s both.

The best time is spring and early autumn, when the grass is growing and closes the holes quickly. The soil should be moist but not waterlogged. Aeration isn’t done in heat, drought or on frozen ground. A newly sown lawn has to root properly first.

How the job is done

1. The lawn is mown short, ideally a day or two beforehand.
2. Sprinkler heads, the robot mower boundary wire and anything else lying shallow are marked.
3. Soil moisture is checked. If the ground is dry and hard, it’s watered in advance.
4. The aerator goes over the lawn, sometimes in two directions on compacted patches.
5. The holes are filled with sand, with overseeding and feeding if needed.
6. The lawn is watered. The plugs are left to break down or raked up.

Common mistakes

• Aerating in a drought, when the tines won’t go in and there’s little point.
• Going onto the lawn right after a downpour, so wheels and tines smear the soggy soil.
• Unmarked sprinkler heads, half of which end up broken.
• A cut robot mower wire, which lies just under the surface.
• Ordering scarifying instead of aeration, then wondering why the puddles are still there.
• Spiking a lawn sown this spring and tearing its still-weak roots.

What to prepare

• Flag the sprinkler heads, inspection covers and the robot mower wire.
• Clear toys, hoses and garden furniture off the lawn.
• Check that the machine will get through the gate, and give the width of the opening.
• Photos of the whole lawn and the problem spots: puddles, moss, bare patches.
• Say whether you want top-dressing, overseeding and feeding along with the aeration.

Frequently asked questions

How to order

Describe in the app how big the lawn is, what’s wrong with it and what else needs doing besides aeration, and add photos. Tradespeople near you will send offers with their own price and timing. Compare them by reviews and pick one; only that person sees your address.

You pay the handyman directly and they issue the invoice. They stand behind their own work and will go over any patches they missed. Unmarked sprinklers and cables, the weather afterwards and a lawn nobody watered are not on them.

Look after other people’s lawns and own an aerator? Create a tradesperson profile and pick up jobs close to home. You work for yourself; how you register and report is up to you.