Aeration

For a lawn that stands out season after season, soil health is the foundation. Lawn aeration is a professional service offered by Neighbourhood Heroes, designed to unlock your turf’s full potential by improving nutrient flow, water absorption, and root strength—setting the stage for lush, resilient, and envy-worthy grass.

What Is Lawn Aeration?

Aeration is the process of removing small plugs of soil from your lawn. These plugs create pathways for essential air, water, and nutrients to reach the grassroots, relieving soil compaction and encouraging deeper, healthier root systems. This isn’t just a quick fix; it’s a science-backed way to refresh your lawn from the ground up.

Why We Use a Reciprocating Aerator?

Not all aerators are created equal. At Neighbourhood Heroes, we use a professional-grade reciprocating aerator. Unlike conventional rotary designs, our equipment is engineered to deliver consistent, deep plugs across your entire yard. This ensures that every square inch of soil gets the air, water, and nutrient access it needs for optimal lawn growth—resulting in better recovery, less compaction, and vibrant colour that lasts.

When Is the Best Time to Aerate?

Getting the timing right is key. In our Edmonton climate, the best periods to aerate your lawn are late fall and early spring: 

Late Fall

Aerating at this time allows seeds to settle into aeration holes and lie dormant over the winter. As snow melts in spring, your lawn receives a natural, deep watering that soaks into the plugs, jumpstarting root growth as the season warms and giving new seeds a boost when they emerge. 

Early Spring

Aerating the lawn as it comes out of winter dormancy makes the most of the soil’s natural growth cycle and the typically rainier weather. New seeds can be directly planted into the plug holes, allowing them to develop strong roots. It’s the perfect way to set the stage for a season of steady growth and thick, healthy grass.

The Role of Watering

For the best results, we recommend giving your lawn a deep watering one or two days before your scheduled aeration visit. Softened soil allows our reciprocating aerator to produce deeper, cleaner plugs, maximizing the benefits of the service.

What Happens to the Plugs?

After aeration, you’ll notice plugs of soil left atop your lawn. There’s no need to remove these—nature takes care of them for you. Over the next few weeks, rainfall and microbial activity naturally break down the plugs, returning valuable organic material and nutrients to your soil. This process is important as it further boosts your lawn’s health and encourages a thicker, greener result.

Neighbourhood Heroes’ Aeration Experience

Our aeration service reflects our promise to our neighbours: reliability, attention to detail, and eco-friendly practices. Every visit begins with a review of your property and finishes with a thorough, careful aeration using the best tools around. We encourage pairing aeration with overseeding for even better results—the holes left by the aerator create the perfect environment for new grass seed to establish itself.

When you trust Neighbourhood Heroes for your lawn aeration, you’re investing in more than a single service. You’re setting up your lawn for long-term success, ensuring it stays healthy, thick, and vibrant through every season.