If you notice clumps of soil all over your lawn in Tennessee after it was aerated, don’t worry! This is completely normal and they are just the cores that were pulled up during the aeration process. It's best to leave them alone because these clumps will break down and release nutrients back into your lawn as they decompose. However, if you really hate how they look, there are a few things you can do to speed up the decomposition process! You can rake or mow over them to break them up, which will still allow them to return nutrients back to your turf. If you want to get rid of them altogether, you can do so, but it is not recommended because you would be depriving your grass of the nutrients they contain.

What are the clumps of soil on your lawn after aeration?

The clumps of soil you see on your lawn are actually the cores that were removed during the core aeration process. Soil cores are small plugs of soil that are left behind after the core aeration machine passes over your lawn. While these cores may be a little unsightly at first, they are a standard part of the aeration process and will decompose on their own.

Leave the soil cores alone so they can decompose and add nutrients back to your lawn.

After your lawn has been aerated, it will have thousands of soil cores scattered across it. While some people might think this looks bad and try to remove them immediately, it is highly recommended that you leave them alone so they can decompose. As they decompose, they will release nutrients back into your lawn that will nourish its root system.

Soil cores will typically decompose on their own in about 2 weeks or so!

You can help break up the soil cores by raking or mowing over them.

If you absolutely cannot stand looking at the soil cores on your lawn, there are a couple of things you can do to speed up the decomposition process. One thing you can do is to either use a rake to break them up or you can use a lawn mower to run over them to break them up. Doing this will still allow the cores to release their nutrients back into your lawn, just faster than if they were left alone to decompose naturally.

If you don't like how the soil cores look, you can remove them altogether.

While it is not recommended, if you absolutely hate how the soil cores look on your lawn, you can always remove them altogether. However, this is not recommended because you will be depriving your lawn of the nutrients that they contain. So, while it may make your lawn look a little better in the short term, it can actually be detrimental to your lawn in the long run. So, if at all possible, just leave them alone or use a rake or mower to break them up.

Call us today to schedule our core aeration service!

At Picture Perfect Landscapes, we offer our core aeration service to homes and businesses, as well as HOAs, in Memphis, Midtown Memphis, East Memphis, TN, and throughout the surrounding areas. Our core aeration service is offered in the spring for lawns with warm-season grass and in the fall for lawns with cool-season grass. We will aerate your lawn using an aerator to loosen compacted soil and create channels where nutrients and other resources can easily access the roots of your grass. We recommend scheduling this service every year to ensure your lawn has optimal access to everything it needs to grow strong and healthy. Give us a call today at (901) 246-7656 to sign up for our core aeration service!