Lawn aeration typically costs $75 – $225, with the average American paying about $145 to aerate the lawn. The primary cost factors are yard size, aeration type, and geographic location. Homeowners with huge yards may pay up to $700 for aeration, and those with tiny yards could pay as little as $40.
Proper aeration is essential to maintaining a lush and healthy lawn. Aeration creates tiny holes in the soil, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach the grass’s roots. Lawns with heavy traffic or heavy soil benefit the most from aeration.
In this cost guide:
- Average Costs
- Cost Estimator by Size
- Other Factors That Affect Cost
- Related Services
- Pro Cost vs. DIY Cost
- Cost by Location
- FAQ
Average Aeration Costs in 2023
| National Average Cost | $145 |
| Typical Price Range | $75 – $225 |
| Extreme Low-End Cost | $40 |
| Extreme High-End Cost | $700 |
The cost of lawn aeration depends on the size of your lawn, labor costs, and the type of aeration used. The typical American yard is 5,000 – 20,000 square feet, and most homeowners pay just over $0.01 per square foot for aeration.
Lawn Aeration Cost Estimator by Yard Size
Since the average lawn is about 10,000 square feet, the average cost of aeration comes out to a little over $0.01 per square foot to aerate the lawn. Americans with yards over an acre typically spend about $565 per acre for aeration.
Please see typical pricing by yard size in the table below.
| Yard Size | Typical Overall Cost of Aeration |
| ⅛ acre | $75 |
| ¼ acre | $140 |
| ½ acre | $280 |
| 1 acre | $565 |
However, most landscapers don’t price lawn aeration services by the square foot. Instead, they have pricing tiers (based on yard size ranges) or charge by the acre.
Other Factors that Affect Cost
Other than the size of your yard, here’s what else you should take into consideration for an accurate lawn aeration price estimate:
Aeration Type
Please see average pricing by aeration type below.
There are three main types of lawn aeration:
- Liquid aeration is the cheapest type and is also the easiest to implement. Unfortunately, it is also the least effective aeration process. Studies show there is no liquid solution that is as effective as physical aeration methods (i.e. spike or core aeration). Average cost: $75
- Spike aeration uses solid tines to penetrate the soil and push away thatch. It works best on sandy soil. Average cost: $85
- Core aeration is the crème de la crème of aeration methods and is also the most expensive. A core aerator uses hollow tines to penetrate the soil and then remove the soil cores. This method is recommended for loam or clay soil and is also best for compacted soil. Average cost: $200
Slope
It is difficult to maneuver an aeration machine over sloped land, so expect to pay more if your yard has slopes. Of course, the steeper the slopes, the higher the price tag.
Preparation Work
Your yard should be clean and mowed before the lawn care company begins aerating. If your lawn isn’t prepared, expect to pay extra for these services:
- Mowing: The typical cost of lawn mowing is $29 – $65 for a 10,000-square-foot lawn.
- Yard cleanup: Expect to pay about $280 for yard cleanup, but yard cleanup prices vary depending on yard size, amount of debris, and debris type.
- Dethatching: Thatch is a layer of debris that settles between the turf and soil, and dethatching is the process of removing the thatch layer. The average cost of dethatching is about $190. For the best results, you should always dethatch your lawn before aerating.
Lawn Care Packages
Instead of purchasing each lawn care service separately, many homeowners purchase lawn care packages. Packages include yearly contracts and seasonal packages (e.g. spring and fall cleanups). Buying multiple services together is a great way to pay a flat rate and save money.
Services commonly bundled with lawn aeration include mowing, dethatching, gutter cleaning, and overseeding.
Related Services
The following services will also help you maintain a lush, healthy lawn:
Lawn Fertilization
All living things need to eat, and the grass is no exception. Lawn fertilizer gives your grass the nutrients it needs to grow and thrive. The typical cost of lawn fertilization is $88 – $544, with lawn size and fertilizer type being the main cost factors.
| National Average Cost | $380 |
| Typical Price Range | $88 – $544 |
However, you can learn how to fertilize your lawn and save money by doing it yourself. Choosing the right fertilizer type and fertilizing at the right time are essential.
Sprinkler Installation
Not only does grass need to eat, but it also needs to drink. Therefore, watering your lawn at the right time and frequency is vital to its health. Installing a sprinkler system with a timer is an easy and effective way to keep your lawn hydrated. Most sprinkler systems cost about $3,150 on average.
| National Average Cost | $3,150 |
| Typical Price Range | $2,400 – $4,200 |
| Extreme Low-End Cost | $825 |
| Extreme High-End Cost | $8,300 |
General Lawn Care
General lawn care services include routine maintenance that your yard needs. Please see common lawn care prices in the table below.
| Service | Typical cost |
| Lawn mowing | $29 – $65 |
| Bush trimming | $6 – $15 / bush |
| Leaf removal | $80 – $465 |
Hiring a lawn care pro to manage regular maintenance is a great way to ensure your lawn gets the care it needs. In addition, lawn care providers can often diagnose and treat problems quickly, so they don’t turn into eyesores or costly repairs.
However, some homeowners prefer to learn to mow the right way and do it themselves. General lawn care requires equipment such as the following:
- Lawn mower: The typical cost of a lawn mower is $360.
- Leaf blower: Leaf blowers cost about $150.
- Hedge trimmer: Most hedge trimmers cost $30 – $170.
Hydroseeding
Hydroseeding is a seeding method that uses a mixture called slurry instead of traditional seeds. The slurry contains seeds, mulch, fertilizer, water, and soil amendments, and it works faster than conventional grass seeds. Expect hydroseeding to cost $0.08 – $0.20 per square foot.
Pro Cost vs. DIY Cost
To aerate your own lawn, you will need a lawn aerator, physical strength, and the know-how to aerate a lawn. Please see the equipment rental prices below.
| Equipment | Rental Cost / Day |
| Spike aerator | $55 |
| Core aerator | $100 |
Homeowners with small yards may pay more for equipment rental than a professional would charge. The same can be said for homeowners with big yards, as it may take multiple days to complete the project. At best, you’ll probably save a few dollars by renting an aerator and doing it yourself.
| Typical DIY Cost | $55 – $200 |
| Typical Professional Cost | $75 – $225 |
Aeration is very physically demanding, especially on sloped land. And after all your hard work, you still won’t attain professional results.
Cheap DIY Aeration: If you can’t afford to hire a professional or rent an aerator, there are some very cheap ways to do spike aeration. You can use any handy equipment with spikes (e.g. a pitchfork) to poke holes in the soil. A pitchfork isn’t as effective as professional equipment but is usually better than not aerating at all.
Cost of Lawn Aeration by Location
Your geographic location also impacts the cost to aerate your lawn, for the following reasons:
- Soil type varies by location and affects the type of aeration you can use on your lawn. Areas with sandy soil, like Deerfield Beach, FL, usually do fine with spike aeration, which costs significantly less than the core aeration used on loam or clay soil.
- Labor costs also vary depending on your geographic location. Homeowners in urban areas with a high cost of living should expect to pay more for aeration.
- Average yard size varies from state to state. Larger yards are more expensive to aerate, but the per-square-foot cost is often lower in areas with atypically large yards.
FAQ
The number of times you should aerate your lawn depends on the soil type and foot traffic:
• High-traffic, clay soil lawns typically need aeration twice a year.
• Medium-traffic, loamy soil lawns usually need aeration once a year.
• Low-traffic, sandy soil can be aerated every 2-3 years.
The best months to aerate your lawn are during your grass’s peak growing season, so the grass can quickly recover and flourish. Cold-season grass peak growing season is early fall and early spring, and warm-season grass grows best in late spring and early summer.
You shouldn’t walk on the lawn right after aeration because you may:
• Cause soil compaction
• Leave indentations where soil cores were removed
• Accidently plant weeds in the holes
Many homeowners get seeding and fertilization at the same time as aeration, and walking on the lawn can damage seeds and remove nutrients from the soil.
Final Thoughts
If you want a lush and beautiful lawn, it is essential to keep up with lawn maintenance. The best yards on the block are aerated, fertilized, and regularly mowed. However, the best way to get a jaw-dropping lawn is to contact an experienced lawn care pro to do these services for you.
Main Photo by: allispossible.org.uk / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
