There's Simply No Need For Pricey Lawn Aerators — Here's A Cheaper DIY Solution

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Maintaining your lawn and landscaping should be a top concern when you're looking to maximize your home's curb appeal and backyard comfort, and one of the most important aspects is knowing how and when to aerate the lawn. Poking holes in the turf stimulates new growth, breaks up dense soil and thatch buildup, and makes it easier for water, nutrients, oxygen, fertilizer, and pesticides to disperse in the ground. It also has aesthetic benefits by helping even out random bumps. Unfortunately, large aerators can be bulky and expensive to use. To save money and still effectively aerate your lawn, consider a clever method that puts a common power tool to work: using a multipurpose drill bit.

A specialized drill bit is a simple solution for aerating smaller yards that also fits a low budget. Since you only need to poke holes a few inches deep to adequately aerate the ground, you can use a shorter drill bit for bulb planting, like the TCBWFY 9-Inch Garden Auger Drill Bit, which costs just $10. Alternatively, you could get a longer version, such as the Yard Butler 30-Inch Auger Drill Bit, to reduce the amount of stooping and bending you have to do as you walk around aerating your yard. Great for hard compacted earth, the auger creates wide holes and, like a core aerator, pulls the soil from the hole to better loosen the lawn. Instead of dropping over $50 every time you need to rent a powered unit or using valuable garage space to store a bulky tool, you can simply pull the drill bit out of a workbench to use as needed.

Before powering up a drill and your specialized gardening bit, you should know how to determine when it's time to aerate your lawn and the best practices when doing it. Generally, if a lawn gets walked and played on often, it'll need more aeration. Many people aerate once annually, and in some cases, you may only need to do this outdoor chore once every few years. In this case, an auger bit is even more practical, since it'll take up minimal storage space and potentially come in handy for other gardening tasks, such as planting seeds and bulbs, fertilizing trees, and aerating compost. There are also spaces to focus on when performing this task. Monitor your yard for spots where water puddles after rain or grass struggles to grow. Check for soil pressed up against fences or garden features and any cleared trails where there's heavy traffic.

When it comes time to aerate, the best choice is a cordless drill, so you can move freely around your yard. Make sure your soil is watered beforehand, about a day or two in advance. Set the drill on a low speed, drill between 3 to 6 inches deep in the ground, and set each hole about 4 to 6 inches apart. Keep in mind that aeration is also beneficial for more than just grass. One often overlooked way to use aerators is to boost tree growth. All roots need accommodating soil conditions to thrive, and you can apply this hack to areas around trees and larges shrubs to promote a healthier landscape all around.