Core aeration for Lakewood lawns.
Real soil plugs pulled out of the ground, not spikes. Most yards run $40 to $60.
Front Range clay chokes your lawn.
Denver-area soil is heavy clay. It packs down a little more every year, water runs off instead of soaking in, and roots stay shallow no matter how much you fertilize.
- Water reaches the roots. Open holes let irrigation soak in instead of running off the surface.
- Roots go deeper. Less compaction means the lawn holds up better through a hot, dry July.
- Timing matters. Bluegrass and fescue recover fastest in April to May, or September to October.
Three things to do before I arrive.
Five minutes of prep is the difference between a decent job and a great one. This is everything I ask of you.
Mark your sprinkler heads.
Flags, spray paint, upside-down cups, anything I can spot from the machine. Not sure where they are? Run each zone for a minute and flag the heads as they pop up.
Water the night before and the day of.
Soft, moist soil gives long, clean cores. Dry Colorado clay gives short, broken ones. A good soak the night before plus a light run in the morning is ideal.
Mow as low as you can.
Short grass lets the tines reach soil and drop clean plugs on top. Cut a notch or two lower than usual on your last mow before the appointment.
What comes out of the ground.
The machine pulls core plugs, real cylinders of soil and thatch, and drops them on the surface. Plug length varies with ground conditions: watered soil gives long cores, hard dry ground gives short ones. That is why the watering step matters.
- Plugs stay on the lawn. They break down in a week or two and feed the soil back.
- Planning to overseed or fertilize? Right after aeration is the best time, because it drops straight into the open holes.
Straightforward pricing.
Price depends on the size of the lawn and how long it takes. Send me the address and I will give you an estimate.
- Cash
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Get my estimate.
Tell me where the lawn is and roughly how big it is. I will come back with a price and a day. No obligation, no sales call.
Questions I get a lot.
When should I aerate in Colorado?
For the bluegrass and fescue lawns most of us have here, spring (April to May) or early fall (September to October) is the sweet spot. Fall is slightly better: the grass has the whole cool season to fill in, and weed seeds are less active. Once a year is plenty for a normal lawn.
Do you pick up the plugs?
No, and you do not want me to. The plugs break down within a week or two and put that soil and organic matter back into the lawn. Mowing over them once speeds it up.
What if I cannot find my sprinkler heads?
Run each zone for a minute. The heads pop up and you can flag them as they go.
Is core aeration better than spikes?
For our clay, yes, and it is not close. Spikes push soil sideways and can make compaction worse. Pulling a core physically removes soil and leaves an open channel.
How long will my lawn look rough?
A few days. The plugs are visible for a week or two, then they crumble and disappear. The lawn itself is not damaged, it is the opposite.