Aeration is a very advantageous lawn care service; core aeration specifically can loosen up the compacted soil in your lawn so that water and essential nutrients can reach the roots of your grass. Little plugs of soil will be left behind as a result of core aeration. You may be tempted to remove them completely, but they are actually quite beneficial for your lawn. So, while getting rid of the cores is an option, we recommend that you either leave them be or break them down yourself.

You could leave the cores be so they can break down on their own.

A close up of fresh cores on a recently aerated lawn in Shelby, OH.

The cores that were removed during the aeration process were once part of your lawn; therefore, whatever essential nutrients are in your lawn are in those soil cores as well. This means that if you let the cores break down on their own, it will allow those essential nutrients to reenter your soil and replenish your lawn of what was removed from it during aeration.

Soil cores should typically break down on their own 2-4 weeks after aeration depending on some factors such as your mowing schedule and rainfall.

You could break the cores up to encourage faster decomposition.

By breaking up the leftover cores of soil yourself, you can speed up the decomposition process and replenish your lawn's essential nutrients faster. There are a handful of ways you can do this.

  • Rake the cores: Raking the cores with a steel leaf rake is one way to break them down and encourage faster decomposition.
  • Mow the cores: If you are not willing or able to rake, another option is to simply mow your lawn. Your lawn mower will successfully break down the plugs and redistribute the loose soil so the nutrients can easily absorb back into your lawn.
  • Water the cores: Another way to quickly break down the soil cores after core aeration is to either wait for rainfall or simply water your lawn yourself.

You could get rid of the cores altogether.

If you truly can't stand the look of the soil cores left behind on your lawn after core aeration, it is always possible to remove them entirely. However, we do not recommend this. By collecting the cores and getting rid of them altogether, you are denying them the opportunity to replenish your lawn with the vital nutrients that they contain. There are more than just essential nutrients in these soil cores as well; right below your grass, there is something known as the thatch layer that is created by microorganisms in your soil breaking down organic matter. Because the soil cores that are removed from your lawn contain this organic matter, this means that even more essential nutrients are at stake if you get rid of these cores. Do your lawn a huge favor and let the soil cores decompose.

Give us a call today to sign up for our core aeration service!

Core aeration is a staple of lawn care. Because it breaks up compacted soil and improves your lawn's ability to absorb water and essential nutrients, core aeration can do wonders for your lawn's overall health. It can also help strengthen your lawn's root system and make watering more efficient. Call our team at Ohio Green Lawn & Pest if you want to upgrade your lawn with our aeration service. We are proud to offer our services to residential, commercial, and HOA properties in Mansfield, Ashland, Wooster, OH and throughout the surrounding areas. Call us at (419) 528-5698 to sign up for our core aeration service today. We look forward to helping you achieve a healthy and beautiful lawn.