How to Choose the Right Style Aerator for You

A healthy lawn is a thing of beauty. When your lawn is perfectly maintained with enough nutrients to help it grow and flourish, you’ll have the type of green, soft grass that everyone wants – whether you’re working with a small lawn or a sprawling field.

Of course, getting that perfect lawn does require hard, diligent work. You have to understand the basics of lawn care, from how much and how often you should water the grass to the proper types of fertilizer for your seed. You also need to understand aeration, as this will help you penetrate lawn thatch or built-up grass.

But how do you know which type of aerator is best for your lawn? That’s where we come in.

WHEN TO USE AN AERATOR

Before you can decide what style of aerator is right for you, you need to understand when (and why) you should aerate your lawn. First, what does the aeration process do? Aeration perforates your soil with tiny holes, which allow water and air to reach the grassroots more easily. This helps your roots grow deeper, giving you a stronger and more beautiful lawn overall.

The best time to use an aerator on your grass is during the start of the growing season. This varies depending on the type of grass you plant; cool-season grass needs aeration in the early spring or fall, while warm-season grass should be aerated in late spring. It’s also wise to aerate your long when you notice thinning grass, discolored patched, or puddles developing on your lawn.

TOW BEHIND AERATOR ATTACHMENTS

Once you determine that it’s time to aerate your lawn, you’ll have to decide what type of aerator is best for you. If you have a large lawn, you can benefit from a tow-behind aerator that attaches to your tractor. This will allow you to cover large swaths of ground quickly while still providing your lawn with thorough aeration.

For example, this Titan tow-behind spike aerator is ideal for large lawns. It’s equipped with a 30”-wide drum, which allows you to cover more area in less time. The 2.5” pins deeply penetrate the ground as you drive, giving you a perfectly aerated and healthy lawn without all the hard work.

SPIKE VS. PLUG AERATORS

A tow-behind aerator is a great way to cover ground fast, but it’s not the only decision you have to make about your aeration process. You also need to decide between spike and plug aerators – two different methods that provide different benefits for your lawn.

Spike aerators are the most common form of aerator (which makes them the easiest to get for your yard). These use sharp spikes to penetrate the ground and de-compact the soil. This is ideal for small yards and lawns because it loosens your soil without removing any.

By contrast, plug aerators use hollow tines to remove a plug of soil from the ground. This creates large spaces for air to get into the soil, providing ample space for nutrients to get into the earth and decompacts the soil long-term. This is great for areas of land like large lawns and fields.

TITAN’S AERATOR FEATURES

At Titan, we know that the right tools are essential for a healthy lawn. That’s why our tractor aerators are designed to be heavy-duty, easy to attach, and even easier to use. You can fill the drum with water to improve performance on highly compacted soil, cover your field quickly, and get better-looking grass with minimal work every time.