The Size of Plugs for Aerating a Lawn

Size of Plugs

• Core aerators typically remove plugs of soil that are 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter, 1 to 6 inches deep and set 2 to 6 inches apart, according to Virginia Cooperative Extension. There are different types of core aerators that gardeners can use, such as hand aerators, core aerators and shoes that have tines on the bottom. However, large lawn areas are easier to aerate with core aerators. It is important that the spoons or tines are not too narrow, because the lawn aerator will actually contribute to soil compaction. Also, the tines must be hollow to effectively remove plugs of dirt from the lawn.

The Best Plug Size

• It is important for your tines or spoons penetrate at least 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 inches in order to pull a plug large enough to increase soil drainage, according to Bruce Clark from Man's Garden. The plug removed should be 3 inches long and 3/4 of an inch in diameter. In order to pull out a good-sized plug of soil, the lawn cannot be too dry. You can test your soil moisture by pushing a screwdriver into the first 3 to 4 inches of soil. If you have problems pushing in the screwdriver, water the lawn.

Lawn Preparation

• Preparing the lawn before aerating will help you achieve decent-sized plugs and fix soil compaction problems. Before aerating, water the lawn two days before you plan to aerate, suggests Virginia Cooperative Extension. The lawn should be given 1 inch of water. You can tell if 1 inch of water has been applied to the lawn by setting out cans in the yard and measuring them after watering.

Plugs

• The plugs must easily fall out of the hollow tines or spoons. If the soil is blocking the tines or spoons, you will not remove enough dirt or adequate-sized plug. Check the core aerator to ensure there are no blockages. Make two passes at your lawn with the core aerator to achieve plugs that are 2 to 3 inches apart, suggests Bruce Clack from Man's Garden. Remove the plugs with a rake after aerating.