Core Aeration

Core Aeration

Let it breathe. Relieve soil compaction so water and nutrients can reach the roots.

Core aeration pulls thousands of small plugs of soil out of the lawn, leaving open channels that let air, water, and nutrients move down to the root zone. That matters more here than in most regions. A lot of Metro Vancouver sits on heavy clay, which packs tight under foot traffic, mowers, and months of winter rain. Compacted clay sheds water instead of absorbing it, so it puddles on the surface and roots stay shallow and starved for oxygen. Pulling cores relieves that pressure and gives the grass room to send roots deeper, which is what makes a lawn more drought-resilient by summer.

The distinction that matters is core (or plug) aeration versus spike aeration. Spikes just poke holes and can actually push soil tighter around each hole, so on clay they do little. Removing a plug is what genuinely loosens compacted ground. We leave the plugs on the surface on purpose: they crumble back down over a couple of weeks with rain, top-dressing the lawn and helping break down thatch as they go.

Get more out of it

The open holes are the ideal moment to overseed, since seed drops straight into soil contact instead of sitting on top where birds and wind take it. Spring and early fall are the windows to aim for, when the grass is growing fast enough to close the holes and take advantage of the reduced compaction. High-traffic yards and play areas benefit from a second pass each year.