A healthy lawn starts with healthy soil, and core aeration can help create the conditions your grass needs to flourish.
At Coolabah, our turf types are the superheroes of water-smart grasses. They are bred to be drought-tolerant and thrifty on the drink. However, if you’ve noticed your lawn still struggles in summer despite watering more than you usually might, you may have compacted soil.
When soil becomes compacted, it can restrict water, oxygen and nutrients from getting into the turf’s root system. So, no matter how much fertiliser you use or how good your watering intentions are, your lawn may still struggle to get what it needs.
That’s where lawn aeration and coring come in. Core aeration (coring) is one way of aerating your lawn, using a lawn aerating machine to remove compacted soil across larger areas and create more room for air, water and nutrients to reach the root zone. It’s the key to a thicker, healthier lawn.
Lawn aeration and coring both tackle the same underlying problem, just with slightly different approaches. Here’s what causes soil compaction, how to tell if your lawn needs aeration and what each method of aeration and coring actually involves.
HOW COMPACTION HAPPENS
For our Victorian lawns, the most common causes are:
- Heavy foot traffic: Kids, pets, entertaining, outdoor furniture, and people repeatedly walking over the same areas can gradually compress the soil.
- Mowing: Repeated mowing, particularly when the soil is already soft or wet, can contribute to compaction from the weight of the mower.
- Heavy rainfall or wet conditions: Rain itself isn’t usually enough to cause significant compaction, but walking or driving over wet soil compresses it much more easily than when it’s dry.
- Heavy machinery or equipment: Vehicles, trailers and landscaping equipment can compact the soil, particularly during construction or garden work.
- Clay soils: Clay soils naturally have smaller soil particles and can become particularly dense when compacted.
- Soil preparation: Poorly prepared or already compacted soil beneath a lawn can create problems from the beginning.
SIGNS YOUR LAWN NEEDS AERATING
Healthy soil is studded with air pockets, allowing grass roots to feed on oxygen, water and fertiliser. When this soil becomes compacted, these pockets of air close up, resulting in a range of symptoms that can be hard to pinpoint.
These are a few tell-tale signs your lawn might just need core aeration:
WATER POOLING
Water pools on the surface after rain or watering, leaving parts overly wet instead of soaking in.
DEAD GRASS AND HEAVY THATCH
There’s a spongy layer of dead grass and thatch sitting between the soil and the green growth.
HARD SOIL
The soil feels hard underfoot, or a garden fork struggles to push in more than a couple of centimetres.
FERTILISER WON’T WORK
Despite regular watering and fertilising, the lawn still looks patchy and tired.
Since soil compaction limits water penetration and nutrient absorption, your grass roots can’t breathe! Couple that with a thick layer of thatch, and your lawn may be crying out to be aerated. Thatch is that tight mat of dead grass and organic matter that barricades your green grass from your soil. Before you lose hope and rip up your struggling turf, try learning how to core your lawn.
SO WHAT IS LAWN AERATION AND CORING?
LAWN AERATION VS CORING: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
"Aeration" is the umbrella term for loosening compacted soil so air, water and nutrients can reach the grass roots. "Coring" is a specific method of doing this, where it physically removes small soil plugs rather than just punching holes.
While a core aerator in any form aerates your lawn, not every method of aeration involves coring. Take solid tine aeration, for example.
WHAT IS SOLID TINE AERATION?
Solid tine aeration (also called spike aeration) uses solid metal spikes to punch small holes into the lawn. Think of a garden fork or aerating sandals. It's a lighter-touch option and well-suited to lawns with mild compaction or smaller yards.
Because solid tines don't remove any soil, they can push some of that soil sideways and potentially make the problem worse instead of better over time. For heavily compacted lawns, we recommend core aeration as your first choice.
WHAT IS CORE AERATION?
A lawn coring machine, either a mechanical aerator or a DIY tool, uses hollow tines to remove small plugs of soil from the grass. Core aerators leave behind a bigger hole than spike aerators and create new channels for nutrients where compacted soil once blocked their path.
As the hollow tubular teeth of the aerator drive into the ground, soil is drawn up the centre. The aerator then drops the soil plugs onto the surface of the lawn where they can be redistributed or used as an active top dressing.
WHAT CORE AERATION FIXES
Core aeration helps alleviate soil compaction and manage thatch build-up by removing thousands of small plugs of soil from the lawn.
Holes should be made 5–7.5 centimetres deep and 5–10 centimetres apart, which can yield up to 400 soil plugs per square metre at the tighter end of that range. It's common to go over the lawn twice in a criss-cross pattern to hit that kind of coverage.
The holes created open up space for air, nutrients and water infiltration to the root zone, and the plugs are left on the surface.
As these plugs break down, they help mix soil into the thatch layer. This process encourages decomposition of any excess thatch. A thin layer of thatch can be beneficial, but an excessive amount just interferes with water and nutrient movement.
Lawn aeration and coring is all about creating the best possible environment for your grass roots to thrive and support long-term lawn health.
WHICH COOLABAH TURF TYPES BENEFIT THE MOST FROM LAWN CORING?
Every lawn benefits from aeration eventually, but how often depends on the turf type underneath your feet.
The thicker the thatch, the more core aeration benefits you will see.
Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo and Sir Grange Zoysia can be more prone to thatch build-up over time, simply because of how densely they grow. Too much thatch blocks water and nutrients, but coring physically removes some of it. This means they’re often the ones that benefit most from a regular aeration routine.
Faster, more vigorous growers like TifTuf and Nullarbor Couch tend to recover from compaction more quickly on their own. They still benefit from an annual pass with a core aerator, though – especially in the areas where kids or pets play the most.
Eureka Premium VG Kikuyu, being such a vigorous grower, generally bounces back fast after aeration and handles more frequent treatment well if your lawn sees heavy use.
If you're the kind of lawn enthusiast who's happy to stay on top of a more regular maintenance routine, your lawn can generally handle frequent coring without any issue. If you'd rather keep maintenance simple, sticking to an annual core aerate in the right season is usually enough to keep any of Coolabah's turf varieties performing well.
WHEN TO CORE AERATE YOUR LAWN FOR BEST RESULTS
You can core aerate your lawn any time of the year, but it's best not to expose your aerated lawn to cold winter weather. Of course, this all depends on your location, level of compaction and your soil and lawn type.
As a general rule, late spring to early autumn is the sweet spot: the warmer months when your lawn is actively growing. This is when it recovers fastest and gets the most benefit from the extra air, water and nutrients reaching the roots.
Your soil type matters too. Clay soils, for example, can become heavily compacted and need more regular attention than lighter soils. If your grass grows on clay soil, make sure to water 1–2 days before you're planning to aerate. Moderate moisture in the soil is best; dry clay is too hard and wet clay is too sticky.
If you're not sure about local conditions, you can give us a buzz and someone from our Coolabah Turf team will be glad to help.
IS LAWN AERATION AND CORING WORTH IT?
In short – Yes!
By improving the movement of air and water through the soil, core aeration can support soil health as well as the health of the grass above.
The many benefits of core aerating your lawn include:
- Better growth habits: A core aerator removes plugs and aerates your lawn. This gets rid of soil compaction and gives your lawn a better chance at receiving vital nutrients such as air, water and fertiliser.
- Stronger root system: When soil is compacted, it creates a shallow root base, making your lawn more susceptible to weeds and weaker growth. Core aeration gives grass roots a boost, promoting thicker, healthier and stronger growth. Coring also creates instant space for new roots to grow, which is a good thing to remember if you’ve been wanting a more vigorous lawn.
- Weed resistance: Compacted soil leads to nasty weeds. A core aerator will promote new turf growth and make your lawn less prone to a weed invasion.
- Drought protection: Core aeration encourages roots to penetrate deeper, making your lawn more drought-tolerant. If you do happen to go through a long dry spell, your lawn’s roots will be able to secure water from deeper below the surface.
- Saving on your water bill: Core aeration improves water infiltration and helps your grass to store water. This means your water won’t be pooling on the surface and going to waste.
One of the only disadvantages of core aerating is that it leaves soil plugs on the turf, which some think look unsightly. However, you can use this soil as a top dressing or simply break the plugs up with a mower once they’ve dried out in a couple of days. If you are wanting to use the plugs as a top dressing, just make sure you leave them for 1–2 weeks. This will give them enough time to break down and feed nutrients back to your lawn’s roots.
USING A CORE AERATOR FOR LAWN CARE: FAQs
SHOULD I DIY IT, HIRE A MACHINE OR CALL A PROFESSIONAL?
It depends on the size of your lawn and how compacted the soil is. Small areas with mild compaction can be aerated manually using a sturdy garden fork or by taking a walk wearing lawn aerator sandals. Simply insert the fork into the lawn and wriggle it back and forth to fracture the soil profile.
For larger lawns, it’s more effective to hire specialised aerators or a lawn coring machine. Machines create holes of a consistent size and cover ground far quicker than doing it by hand. Since you might need to double back over problem areas in a different direction, calling in a professional to do the job is often the easiest option.
DO YOU OFFER LAWN AERATION SERVICES?
Coolabah Turf doesn’t provide a hands-on lawn aeration service ourselves, but we’re always happy to talk you through what your lawn needs and point you in the right direction.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOLLOW TINES AND SOLID TINES?
Hollow tines remove a plug of soil as they come back out of the ground. That’s called core aeration. Solid tines just punch a hole without removing anything, which is solid tine or spike aeration. Hollow tines are the better choice for genuinely compacted soil; solid tines suit lighter, more occasional maintenance.
CAN I OVER-AERATE MY LAWN?
Yes. Aerating too often puts unnecessary stress on the lawn and can do more harm than good. Most home lawns only need core aeration once a year, or once every 2 years if compaction isn't severe. High-traffic areas like sports fields and golf courses are the exception and may need it more often.
IS IT SAFE TO AERATE IF I HAVE A POP-UP IRRIGATION SYSTEM?
Generally, yes. Irrigation pipes usually sit deep enough, and sprinkler heads are typically positioned along the edge of the lawn rather than through the middle. If you’re aerating near the boundary where pipework tends to run, it’s worth taking more care. Marking out sprinkler heads beforehand is helpful so you know exactly where to avoid.
CAN I START LAWN MOWING STRAIGHT AFTER AERATING?
You can, though it’s worth waiting a few days if you can afford to. This gives the holes a chance to settle and the plugs to dry out (for core aeration). If you want to use the plugs as a top dressing, avoid mowing for 1–2 weeks, so they have enough time to feed nutrients back to the grass roots. Avoid leaving a thick layer of plugs sitting on the lawn for too long, as this can contribute to thatch build-up rather than reducing it like you intended.
THE COOLABAH CREW IS ON-CALL
Of all the things that promote a healthier, thicker lawn, core aeration is one of our favourites. Using any type of lawn aeration and coring tool can save you from costly landscaping. Before you jump the gun and rip out your old turf to start over, give lawn coring a try.
Our friendly, expert team is passionate about helping you make your Lawn for Life. If your grass is struggling but you’re still not sure whether your soil needs core aeration, solid tine aeration or a different approach to lawn care, give us a buzz on 1800 055 515.
