Good Home Aerators for a Clay Lawn

Mechanical Aerators

• A mechanical aerator has a motor that drives a row of tines into your soil as you push the machine along in the way you'd push a power mower. The aerator removes plugs of soil as you go over the lawn, leaving small holes. You can set the machine to adjust the depth of the hole.This is the best option to aerate your lawn deeply and efficiently. If you can't afford to purchase a mechanical aerator, you might be able to rent one from a local tool rental business.

Hand Aerators

• Hand aerators have a horizontal row of two to four hollow tubes along a metal plate. The metal plate attaches to a handle for you to hold onto. As you walk along the lawn holding the handle, you press on the plate with your foot to insert the metal tubes into your soil to punch holes in the lawn. This type of aerator doesn't cost much, but it is time-consuming and so works best for small lawns.

Aeration Shoes

• Aeration shoes strap on over your gardening shoes. At the bottom are a number of 2-inch spikes that make holes in the lawn as you walk across. Aeration shoes don't provide the best aeration, because the holes they make aren't as large as would be made with a hand or mechanical aerator. However, they do make aerating the lawn as simple as walking across it and are inexpensive. If you choose aeration shoes, you should aerate your lawn two or three times a year.

Liquid Aerators

• Liquid aerators use softeners to break up and add air into clay soil. The treatments last for only three months and will have to be applied every season. However, after a few years, the soil will have improved to a point where aeration is needed less often. The liquid aerators make long-term changes to the soil by using humic acid. This breaks down chemicals in the yard and makes a better environment for worms and other microorganisms that aerate your lawn through their natural habits.