Lawn aeration is a process that will keep your lawn lush and healthy. The cost to aerate a lawn can vary. Discover the common cost to aerate your lawn so you can make the best decision possible when choosing your aeration method.

Lawn aeration is necessary when compacted soil is blocking out water and oxygen from penetrating the lower layers in your lawn. This leads to the grass not getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy. If you live in an area with clay soil, the chance of having too much compaction is greater because of the strong clay bonds underneath your lawn. On the contrary, if you live in an area with sandy soil your lawn is less likely to have compacted soil that will need to be aerated. Some other signs that you may need to aerate your lawn are weed growth, water pooling, and bare spots.

There are many methods you can use to aerate your lawn like DIY (doing it yourself) or going the professional lawn care route and hiring a lawn care company. After you do an assessment on the condition of your lawn, figure out what method may work for you. The costs vary, so here are some common costs to aerate your lawn. After reviewing these costs, you can better figure out what technique will work best for your lawn and your budget!

Cost to Aerate Lawn: DIY

Prep

When doing your lawn aeration yourself, you will need to prep your lawn for the process. This includes watering the lawn to allow the ground to be soft and easily penetrated, marking off the area that needs to be treated, and maybe picking up the yard. Those steps do not really have a monetary cost to them, just some time and work. The most effective way to aerate your lawn is to use core aeration method, because it removes plugs from the lawn and will not cause further compacted soil. The largest cost to aerate your lawn will be renting or buying the core aerator.

Buying

If your lawn is not large or you only have a small area that needs to be treated, you can buy a manual core aerator. The manual core aerator has two or three spikes, so it will take some hard work if you need to cover a larger area. These hand held core aerators can be found at any large home improvement hardware store for $25 to $30. There are core aerators that you can attached to the back of a lawn mower costing around $200 if you have a larger lawn.

Renting

Renting a core aerator machine will cost you about $60 for four hours or $90 for the whole day, according to Home Depot. Renting will most likely require a deposit in case of damage or late return, but the deposit is refunded as long as the machine is returned on time and in good shape. Another cost to aerate your lawn with renting a core aerator is transporting the rental. If you do not have a vehicle or trailer to transport the aerator, you may need to rent a trailer or recruit a friend or two to help with the transportation. A will cost you about $15 to $25 for the day, according to U-Haul. 

Overseeding and Fertilizing

Here in Ohio, we have cool season grass. The best time for lawn aeration with cool season grasses is in the spring or in the fall. Whether you aerate your lawn in the fall or spring, these are both great times to overseed and fertilize. The price is going to vary based on the size of lawn, the grass type, and how much overseeding you need to do. An estimated cost for the average lawn would be about $150 for both seed and fertilizer. Adding this processes to lawn aeration will make your lawn more full and lush. A beautiful full lawn will give your house a facelift and improved curb appeal.

Professional Lawn Care Aeration and Treatment

The cost to aerate your lawn by hiring a lawn care company is about $15 to $17 per thousand square feet. The average lawn size is about ten thousand square feet, making the average aeration cost around $150. It will take a lawn care company about 30 minutes to aerate a ten thousand square foot lawn. Adding overseeding and fertilizing to your aeration will bump up the cost. The cost of aeration, overseeding, and fertilizing is around $250 to $300 if you use a lawn care company.

Comparing DIY vs Professional Lawn Care

When making your decision keep in mind:

• How often you want to aerate your lawn
• The size of lawn or area that needs aerated
• How much time you want to spend working on your lawn
• Does the lawn need overseeding and fertilizer
• Your budget

From the estimates we came up with, it may cost you around $90 to aerate your lawn or $240 to aerate and treat your lawn yourself (if you have the correct equipment to transport the rental). If you purchase an aerator yourself the initial cost will be high, but then you will only have the cost of the seed and fertilizer for future treatments. Remember, if you do not have experience treating your lawn, this could take you all day to complete. The common cost to aerate your lawn with a lawn care company is $150 or $250-300 if you add the overseeding and fertilizing.