The Best Lawn Aerators for Healthier Grass
Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about The Best Lawn Aerators for Healthier Grass and hope the blog can help you.
To find the best lawn aerator for your lawn-care needs and budget, start with our top tips and recommendations.
Soil compaction can slowly ruin a lawn, but a lawn aerator can help. Compaction is when the space between soil particles becomes so tight that air, water, and nutrients no longer circulate around the roots. It happens in the dog’s runway along the fence, the patch of grass where machinery temporarily operates, and kids’ play areas. Lawn aerating can rejuvenate your lawn by loosening the compacted soil and stimulating new root growth to fill the voids. We tested 10 different tools for aerating lawns to find the most effective and affordable options.
Soil compaction often occurs in lawns with heavy clay soil that receive a lot of foot or wheeled traffic. Drainage suffers, and a thick thatch layer—a mix of dead stems, leaves, and roots—may develop between the soil and the grass. A yearly pass with a rolling lawn aerator opens space for air and water to reach the lawn’s roots. But not all aerator tools are equally effective. It takes a sharp, heavy-duty tool to repeatedly penetrate roots and hard-packed soil to a minimum depth of 2 inches.
We spoke to Taylor Olberding, co-founder of Heroes Lawn Care, a nationwide lawn maintenance company, who shared his expert advice. We also scoured the market to source and test lawn aeration devices from a variety of categories. After reviewing the specifications, features, and customer reviews for each of the products below, we tested them in our own backyard. Read on to learn more about our shopping considerations, how each aerator performed, and why we believe these are some of the best lawn aerators available.
- BEST OVERALL: Brinly-Hardy 40″ Tow-Behind Plug Aerator
↓ Jump to Review - BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Corona YardBreather Aerator With ComfortGel Grip
↓ Jump to Review - UPGRADE PICK: John Deere 48″ Tow-Behind Plug Aerator
↓ Jump to Review - BEST MANUAL: Yard Butler Manual Lawn Coring Aerator
↓ Jump to Review - BEST HEAVY-DUTY: Agri-Fab 48″ Tow-Behind Plug Aerator
↓ Jump to Review - BEST WALK-BEHIND: Ryan Lawnaire IV Walk-Behind Aerator
↓ Jump to Review - BEST LIQUID: Covington Naturals Liquid Lawn Aerator
↓ Jump to Review - BEST DRUM: Yard Tuff 36″ Tow-Behind Drum Plug Aerator
↓ Jump to Review
| Testing Stats | |
| Products tested | 10 |
| Time spent testing | 48 hours |
| Tests performed | 6 |
| Price range | $30 to $3,000 |
Who Should Aerate Their Lawn
Before you run out and poke holes in your lawn, understand that not all lawns require aeration. But if one of the following scenarios applies to your lawn, you might want to consider it. Otherwise, let the green be.
- For newly constructed homes, aeration is almost always a good idea. Between the work crew’s trucks and heavy equipment passing over the soil, there’s a good chance you need to aerate your lawn.
- Is your lawn the neighborhood ball field? When a yard sees a lot of use, such as children, parties, pets, and other foot traffic, you’ll want to think about lawn aeration.
- For lawns built up from sod, a yard aerator can be a necessity. Until the sod can take root and make a connection to the rough soil underneath, it’s just a grass carpet sitting on top of the soil. Lawn aeration promotes that connection.
Olberding says that “yearly aeration is recommended in cool-season lawns, specifically in the fall. Aerate more frequently if there is poor water absorption or a lot of compaction in the lawn.”
Your soil may not be breathing because there’s a thick layer of thatch on top. Thatch is made up of living and dead grass stems and roots that form at the soil surface, usually in response to poor drainage. In that case, a lawn dethatcher will help to remove the thatch layer. These tools simply scrape and remove the thatch without digging into the surface. After removing the thatch, aerate the lawn to repair the soil structure.
Should You Buy or Rent a Lawn Aerator?
It doesn’t always make good financial sense to purchase lawn equipment that you will rarely need. In fact, many homeowners grow gorgeous lawns without aerating. If you are new to your home and not sure whether aerating will be a one-time task or a recurring chore, your best bet might be to borrow or rent a lawn aerator. Most tool rental services offer both walk-behind and towable lawn aerators for rent by the hour, half day, full day, or week.
On the other hand, some homeowners have problem areas that need yearly aerating. For them, dealing with the hassle of coordinating a rental pickup and return every year, and paying the fee over and over, makes owning an aerator much more cost-effective.
Aeration Methods
Depending on the method of aeration that’s best for your lawn, you may use one of two types of tools: a spike or a plug (also called a “core”).
Plug Aerators
A lawn plug aerator penetrates the lawn with hollow tines that remove plugs of soil. Home landscapers can either leave these plugs in place to decompose or collect them with a rake or lawn mower.
Candidates for plug aeration include lawns where:
- Water pools in the grass or runs off onto sidewalks after a rainfall.
- Soil is difficult to dig into.
- Frequent foot traffic has hardened the soil.
Whether your lawn has all or just one of these indicators, it will benefit from a plug aerator. The holes create spaces in the soil that allow roots to expand, water to soak in deeper, and air to circulate. The result is a healthy root system below and a lush lawn above.
Spike Aerators
Spike aerators don’t remove soil from the yard. Instead, they puncture the soil with long spikes and allow air and water to reach the roots. They typically work well on less compacted soil and sod. They might not do the trick for dense soil.
Spike aerators tend to work best with looser soil, especially if the goal is to increase root exposure to fertilizer or create spaces for grass seed to settle without running off the soil’s surface. We do not recommend using a spike aerator to repair compacted soil. Although they may appear to reduce lawn stress in the short term, repeated use of a spike aerator for a few successive seasons can actually exacerbate soil compaction.
Our Top Picks
Whether you’re looking for a handheld aerator to work a few square feet beneath the kids’ playset or a large tow-behind model to aerate several acres, we’ve got you covered. Read on to find out more about these tools, how they performed in our tests, and which one may be the best lawn aerator to care for your property.
Best Overall
Brinly-Hardy 40" Tow-Behind Plug Aerator
Photo: The Home Depot
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.4/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Durability 4/5; Value 4.3/5
Product Specs
- Type: Tow-behind
- Spike length: 3 inches
- Spikes per square foot: 2.5
- Weight tray included: Yes
What we like
- All-steel design is durable and built to last
- Weight tray can support up to 150 pounds
- Universal hitch compatible with most garden vehicles
- Durable flat-free wheels can handle most terrains
What we don’t like
- Assembly required (about 1.5 hours)
- Low number of spikes per square foot
- Cannot operate the transport lever from the driver’s seat
DIYers who take lawn care seriously will want to consider Brinly-Hardy’s 40-inch tow-behind plug aerator. It features 24 individual 3-inch heat-treated plugs, all-steel construction, and a weight tray that can handle up to 150 pounds. All of these factors add up to a durable tool that provides optimal aeration.
This model comes equipped with a universal drop-pin towing hitch that can attach to ATVs, UTVs, and lawn tractors. The transport lever allows landscapers to disengage the plugs to pull the aerator across sidewalks and driveways. “No-flat” tires enhance the unit’s overall durability.
In our tests, the Brinly-Hardy lawn aerator proved to be a top contender for routine maintenance applications, but might not be best for severely compacted soil. It was also the lowest-priced tow-behind plug aerator we tested. In average conditions with 120 pounds of weight added, it penetrated to an average of 2.75 inches deep. The steel coring spikes are strong but not sharpened, and they are rolled to a “C” shape instead of a complete circular plug shape, which helps with clean out but might hinder penetration somewhat. Because this aerator punches only 2.5 plugs per square foot, we had to make two or three passes with it for the best results.
Get the Brinly-Hardy lawn aerator at The Home Depot or Walmart.
Best Bang for the Buck
Corona YardBreather Aerator With ComfortGel Grip
Photo: Lowe’s
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Durability 4/5; Value 4.3/5
Product Specs
- Type: Handheld
- Spike length: 3.5 inches
- Spikes per square foot: 2
- Weight tray included: N/A
What we like
- Comfortable grip helps prevent user fatigue
- Broad, slip-resistant step makes it easier to use
- Sharp edges for easy plugging
- Compact garden tool is easy to store
What we don’t like
- Only suitable for small areas; large areas would take a lot of work
Those with only a small patch of yard to aerate might want to consider an inexpensive, easy-to-store handheld aerator like the Corona YardBreather. The YardBreather measures 40 inches high, with plugging spikes spaced 8 inches apart, and it weighs a little more than 3.5 pounds.
This rugged tool removes two 3.5-inch soil plugs at a time with a simple stepping motion. The tool ejects soil plugs from the top of the hollow spikes with each step. The footplate and plugging spikes are made of heat-treated steel for a long working life. Thick padded handles and a wide nonslip footplate eliminate stress points and reduce user fatigue.
With a little practice, we were able to remove an average of 100 plugs per minute with the YardBreather. It worked more effectively in heavily compacted and dry soils than any of the tow-behind aerators we tested because the user’s entire weight bears down on just two spikes instead of six or eight spikes at a time. In average soil conditions, the spikes consistently penetrated to the full depth of 3.5 inches. Although it is not an ideal solution for even the smallest whole-yard treatment, this tool would make an excellent purchase for those who regularly deal with pet paths around the property border or a worn pathway from the house to the toolshed.
Get the Corona lawn aerator at Lowe’s or Tractor Supply Co.
Upgrade Pick
John Deere 48" Tow-Behind Plug Aerator
Photo: The Home Depot
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.6/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Durability 5/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- Type: Tow-behind
- Spike length: 3 inches
- Spikes per square foot: 4.24
- Weight tray included: Yes
What we like
- Closely spaced coring spikes are great for compacted earth
- Penetrates up to 3 inches, even when making end turns
- Pneumatic tires for better weight distribution on soft ground
- Top-quality construction; heavy-duty
What we don’t like
- Cannot operate the travel lever from the driver’s seat
- May be too large for some lawn tractors
John Deere’s 48-inch aerator makes quick work of aerating the lawn. It boasts 12 four-way plug assemblies on the spool for a total of 48 spikes pulling 4.24 plugs per square foot. The heavy-duty body weighs in at 101 pounds and holds up to 250 pounds of additional weight for a total of about 350 pounds of downward pressure. The heat-treated plugging spoons penetrate up to 3 inches. The universal drop-pin towing hitch is compatible with most lawn tractors and riding mowers. Unlike the other towable aerators in our lineup, this one rolls gently on pneumatic tires while in transport mode.
The John Deere tow-behind plug aerator may be priced a bit higher than the other models we tested, but as they say, you get what you pay for. This one is a major upgrade. In a side-by-side comparison with the similarly sized Agri-Fab 48-inch tow-behind plug aerator, John Deere stood out immediately in terms of both material quality and overall design. The John Deere weighs 9 pounds more than the Agri-Fab model (101 vs. 92 pounds), and it can hold 250 pounds of added weight compared to 140 pounds for Agri-Fab. Not only that, but with 4.24 plugs per square foot, the John Deere works about 50 percent more efficiently.
With 120 pounds of added weight, this aerator penetrated the soil an average of 2.5 inches. It continued to penetrate well even while making 180-degree end turns. We especially liked that this model rides on inflated tires that distribute the weight better on soft ground instead of causing ruts as hard wheels do. If we could have operated the transport lever from the driver’s seat, this would have been a nearly perfect implement. This aerator’s size and heavy-duty build make it an ideal choice for larger properties with lots of open lawn space.
Get the John Deere lawn aerator at The Home Depot or Green Part Store.
Best Manual
Yard Butler Manual Lawn Coring Aerator
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.3/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Durability 4/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- Type: Handheld
- Spike length: 3.5 inches
- Spikes per square foot: 2
- Weight tray included: N/A
What we like
- Compact manual tool is ideal for small yards
- All-steel build is a durable choice
- Padded T-handle makes it more comfortable to use
What we don’t like
- Tool can clog easily with dirt and pebbles
DIY lawn care experts know the value of a quality manual aerator. Whether it’s for a small yard or tight grass pathways, the Yard Butler manual lawn coring aerator is up to the task. With a durable all-steel one-piece construction, it’s strong enough to sink the 3.5-inch tines into tough, compacted soil while the wide footplate provides plenty of leverage.
The Yard Butler measures 37 inches high, so users can maintain a comfortable posture while they work. At just over 3.5 pounds, it’s also easy to lift with the padded T-shaped handles.
While both are capable tools with nearly identical designs that easily remove two 3.5-inch soil plugs at a time, Yard Butler surpassed the Corona YardBreather in a couple of key testing metrics. Their weights are nearly identical, at just over 3.5 pounds, but the Yard Butler is more compact: It is 0.25 inch thinner, 3.5 inches shorter, and the spikes are spaced 0.5 inch closer together.
The shorter height made the Yard Butler easier to pull out of the soil when we were working with it, while the narrow spike spacing increased overall plug density for more thorough aeration. Interestingly, even with the 0.5-inch reduction in spike spacing, Yard Butler’s footplate is just 0.25 inch narrower than the competition (4.75 inches vs. 5 inches), so those of us with big feet could still use it. Although the competition offered a more comfortable handle and nonslip footplate, we preferred the sleek dimensions of the Yard Butler for both working comfort and storage.
Get the Yard Butler lawn aerator at Amazon or