I’ve noticed a fair few lawns flooding this month, an unfortunate side effect of 2025’s long, hot summer. Our lawns are more compacted than ever – and alongside this month’s heavy rainfall, there’s never been a better time to aerate them.
Various September lawn care tasks can breathe life back into your grass at the end of a dry summer, but learning how to aerate your lawn is one of the most beneficial. There are two ways to do that, though: hollow tine aeration or spike aeration.
I recently discovered that one method will bag you better results at this time of year – and this month, it’s a game-changer for our lawns.
If you’re wondering how to fix a waterlogged lawn, hollow tine aeration beats spike aeration by a landslide this month.
‘At Greensleeves, we always recommend hollow tine aeration over spike aeration at this time of the year,’ says Cheryl Harper, managing director at Greensleeves. ‘After a hot summer or heavy rain – both of which we’ve faced in recent weeks! – your soil can become compacted, making it harder for grass roots to grow.’
Hollow tine aeration involves removing small plugs of soil from the ground, while spike aeration just pokes holes into a lawn. Tools like the Jardineer Lawn Aerator Coring Tool, £17.79 at Amazon, are perfect for the job.
Hollow tine aeration can cause a little more cosmetic damage than spike aeration, sure – but it’ll help improve lawn drainage and the general condition of your grass.
‘Hollow tine aeration removes small plugs of soil, which allows air, water and nutrients to penetrate more deeply into the root zone,’ Cheryl explains. ‘This is far more effective than spike aeration, which simply pokes holes in the ground and can actually cause further compaction by displacing soil.’
Creating hollow channels in your lawn also provides more space for grass roots to grow, so it’s a beneficial long-term move, too.
Online Turf’s lawn specialist, Chrissie Handley, agrees that hollow tine aeration is more effective than spike aeration this September, specifically.
‘By pulling the plugs out of the ground, it drastically improves the airflow and can repair significant drainage issues, which is crucial for the heavier rainfall,’ she says.
Spike aerators are generally more of a quick fix than a long-term solution.
‘They tend to be a better solution for short-term improvement, whereas hollow tine will get the job done and keep your lawn healthy throughout winter,’ Chrissie explains.
If you’re in the market for a spike aerator, you can even buy 3-in-1 machines which rake, scarify and aerate, like the Hyundai Electric Lawn Scarifier/Aerator/Lawn Rake, £99.98 at Amazon.
It’s also worth learning how to overseed your lawn this month.
‘Aeration creates the perfect conditions for the seeds to settle into the soil, leading to better germination and a thicker, healthier lawn,’ says Cheryl.
Of all the autumn lawn care tasks out there, learning to aerate your lawn is one of the most beneficial – especially this September, when our lawns are battling post-summer stress and heavy rain.
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