Aeration is a lawn's best friend - it loosens compacted soil so that the roots of your grass have better access to nutrients, sunlight, oxygen, and water. After all, lawns in the Sioux Falls, SD area are prone to compaction over time due to heavy foot traffic and various other reasons. While core aeration is an essential lawn care service, it does result in cores being left on your lawn. It's common to wonder what you should do with them. The best option is to leave them as-is because they will return nutrients to your lawn as they decompose. If you don't like the looks of them but still want your lawn to benefit from the nutrients they contain, you can break them down with a rake to speed up the decomposition process. However, if you really don't like the looks of them, you can remove them completely. However, we don't recommend doing that because your lawn will miss out on the extra nutrients. Continue reading to learn more about how you should deal with the cores of soil that are left on your lawn after a lawn aeration service.

You Should Leave the Cores on Your Lawn As-Is

Aerated cores left on top of lawn in Lawton, IA.

After your lawn has been aerated, there will be cores of soil left on your lawn. You should leave them as-is because they will return nutrients to your turf as they decompose. While these aren't new nutrients, it is still beneficial because they are nutrients that your lawn already had, and this will put them back into your lawn. While these cores may not be the most attractive thing to look at, the benefits of leaving them as-is outweigh the temporary eyesore.

It takes about two weeks for the cores to break down after core aeration.

You can rake the cores to speed up the decomposition process.

The cores left on your lawn after an aeration service aren't the prettiest thing to look at. Luckily, there's a way to minimize the time they are on your lawn while also reaping the benefits of keeping them there! You can rake the cores, which will break them up enough to where the decomposition process occurs at a faster rate. Raking the cores will make them less apparent on your lawn and speed up their ability to break down. Your turf will still receive the nutrients, only quicker.

You can run over the cores of soil with a lawn mower to help break them up.

If you want, you can completely remove the cores from your lawn.

Aerated holes in lawn after service in Sloan, IA.

If you really can't stand the way the cores of soil look on your lawn, you can completely remove them. However, we don't recommend this because you will be depriving your lawn of the nutrients that they contain. To maximize the benefits of an aeration service, you should leave them alone. But, it's your lawn, so you can remove them if you really want to.

Sign up for our core aeration service to give your lawn what it needs to thrive!

At Sharp Lawn Care, we've been providing our aeration service, which is a part of our Sharp Aeration Package, since 2005. We offer our core aeration service to homeowners, business owners, and HOA property owners in and around Sioux Falls, SD, including Tea and Harrisburg. If you're located in or near these areas, call us at (605) 251-6880 to sign up! We also provide our aeration service to properties in and around the Sioux City, IA area. You can reach us at (712) 253-8024 if you're located around here and want to sign up! We look forward to working with you and giving your lawn what it needs to thrive!