Cost of Lawn Aeration

What is Lawn Aeration?

Lawn aeration is the process of making small holes in your lawn to allow nutrients, air and water to more easily reach the grass roots in your turf.

You can complete aeration with manual or mechanical tools, as a DIY lawn care job, or by hiring a professional gardener. The cost of lawn aeration will depend on the size of your lawn, the soil condition, whether other treatments are required, and the ease of accessibility.

The Benefits of Lawn Aeration

Lawn aeration will help your grass grow and stay healthy. It also helps to minimise drainage problems and improve soil health.

Aeration is particularly recommended on lawns with heavy footfall or if you have clay soil. Clay soil can be prone to waterlogging during wet weather and hardening in dry weather, making it hard for the grass to drain properly and take in oxygen.

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How Much Does Lawn Aeration Cost?

The average cost for lawn aeration is between £30 and £120, but these prices depend on the size of the lawn, the extra treatments you might have and the condition of the soil. Prices will be higher if you live in London or the South East of England, where labour prices are higher than in other parts of the UK.

How Gardeners Charge

Most gardeners will charge per square metre or a fixed price based on the size of the lawn. If you have a regular maintenance agreement, then the cost may be included in your payment agreement, or it will be added on as an extra. Always compare quotes from different providers to ensure you get the best price for your lawn aeration.

The quote can vary depending on:

• The size of the lawn
• The aeration method (spike or hollow line)
• The condition of your soil
• How easy it is to access your garden
• Whether additional lawn treatments, such as fertilisation or overseeding, are included

Lawn Aeration Prices

So, what are the typical repair costs and timescales for common microwave faults? Here’s what to expect:

How Much are the Supply Costs of Lawn Aeration Treatments?

If you want to aerate your lawn as a DIY project, these are the supply costs that are

• Manual spike aerators – between £3 and £10
• Aerator sandals (available to fit most shoe sizes) – between £16 and £30
• Hollow-tine aerators – between £16 - £40
• Mechanical lawn aerator machines - between £40 and £50
• Fertiliser - Fertiliser costs between £11 - £16 per kilo
• Grass seed - between £8 and £20 per kilo
• Lawn top dressing (sand or compost) – between £0.23 - £1.08 per kg

Cost to hire lawn aerators (one-day hire)

Manual Rotary – £15 - £40.00

Petrol Aerators- £80- £100

Additional Lawn Aeration Costs

When a gardener comes to give you a quote for lawn aeration, they may recommend additional treatments to improve your lawn’s health and general appearance. Additional services such as moss removal or levelling can enhance the results of lawn aeration and contribute to long-term lawn health, though they may increase the overall cost.

Common additional treatments include:

• Lawn Scarification: £55-£240
• Overseeding: £60-£160
• Fertiliser application: £45-£120
• Top Dressing: £35-£100
• Lawn levelling: £20-£100 per m²
• Moss and weed treatments: £30-£45
• Garden waste removal: £50-£200

How Much Are Labour Costs for Lawn Aeration?

The cost of labour depends on several factors, and these include:

Lawn size – It will take more time to complete the job on a larger lawn

The condition of the lawn – Hard, compacted soil is harder to work with and will take longer to aerate

Garden Accessibility – An easy-to-access garden will reduce labour times

Additional treatments – The additional time to carry out any additional treatments will impact the total cost of a turf aeration job

In general, the average cost of a gardener to aerate a lawn is between £14 and £35 an hour, but in London and the South East of England, labour can rise to between £45 and £55 an hour.

Timescales will depend on the size of the lawn and the condition of the soil. Below are average timescales for a straightforward lawn aeration.

Hiring a professional service ensures the job is done efficiently and to a high standard, especially for challenging or extensive lawns.

Factors that Impact the Cost of Lawn Aeration

The cost of lawn aeration depends on several factors, which will influence the price of lawn aeration, including:

• Lawn size – larger lawns will take longer to treat, and so will increase labour costs
• Soil type and compaction level – Difficult to treat soil will require deeper aeration, which will take longer and therefore cost more
• Ease of access to the garden – If a gardener is unable to use a piece of equipment because of access difficulties, this could lead to added labour costs
• Soil condition – Poor soil may need extra treatments before or after aeration, which will add to the price of the work
• Type of aeration method used – The cheapest and quickest method is spike aeration. But many professional gardeners prefer hollow-tine aeration, which is more expensive because it is labour-intensive
• Condition of existing lawn – A damaged lawn may need parts replacing
• Regional labour rates - Gardener’s rates vary from region to region. Prices are usually higher in London and the South East of England compared to other parts of the UK
• Additional treatments such as overseeding or adding fertiliser – Many gardeners will recommend additional treatments such as overseeding or fertiliser treatment

Are There Any Building Regulations Related to Lawn aeration

Garden lawn aeration is considered to be routine garden maintenance and doesn’t require building regulations approval or planning permission.

But if it is included as part of a larger landscaping or building project that will significantly change ground levels or involve drainage systems, then planning laws or building regulations could apply.

However, gardeners working on your premises should follow safe working practices when operating mechanical lawn aeration equipment.

Types of Lawn Aeration

There are two common ways to aerate a lawn:

Spike Aeration

Spike aeration is the process of making holes in the grass without removing any soil. It is a popular DIY choice as it is carried out using manual tools such as spike rollers or aerator shoes.

Pros

• ✔ Cheap
• ✔ DIY friendly

Cons

• ✖ Doesn’t go deep enough if the soil is compacted
• ✖ Labour intensive

Hollow-Tine Aeration

This process makes holes in the grass, but at the same time removes plugs of soil. It helps to break up compacted soil, which improves drainage and oxygen intake.

Pros

• ✔ Reduces soil compaction
• ✔ Improves drainage
• ✔ Encourages soil health

Cons

• ✖ More expensive than spiked aeration
• ✖ Soil cores on the lawn take time to compost and look untidy

Aeration Equipment

Both types of lawn aeration can be carried out using manual equipment, but hollow-tine aeration is often done with a petrol aerator because they can tackle heavily compacted soil more easily. Hiring a petrol-powered aerator for 24 hours on average costs around £80.

Alternative Types of Lawn Treatments

There are other treatments you can apply to your lawn. These can be in place of lawn aeration or alongside it. Treatments include:

Lawn Scarification

Lawn scarification is the process of removing moss and thatch from your lawn so that oxygen and water can pass down through the soil and into the grassroots. This encourages new growth and improves soil health. The average cost of lawn scarification as a one-off job is between £45 and £120.

Top Dressing

Top dressing is used to level out your lawn so that you have a smooth, even surface. and improve any levels in your lawn, leaving an even surface. It can also help to improve the drainage problems that cause waterlogging. The dressing usually consists of a mix of sand and soil, which is spread across the lawn and then raked over. If you have recently aerated the lawn, the top dressing can be raked into the holes, which will give the soil valuable nutrients. The cost to apply a top dressing to your lawn is on average between £80 and £180.

Artificial Grass Installation

If you want an artificial lawn, there are prices to suit all budgets. Prices start at around £5 per m² for basic quality, around £40 per m² for premium quality and around £50 for elite quality.

Depending on the size of your garden, it should take between 1 and 4 days to install. It’s a popular choice for householders who don’t have the time to maintain a natural lawn.

Soil Conditioning

Soil conditioning will help to feed your soil and provide it with the nutrients that encourage growth. The compost is available in bags or sacks. The cost of a professional soil conditioning treatment is on average between £45 and £120.

Laying or Replacing Turf

If your lawn has been badly neglected and is damaged beyond rejuvenation, you might be advised to lay new turf or replace the most damaged parts of the lawn with new turf. The average cost of laying turf is around £15 per m².

Checklist: Hiring a Lawn Aeration Professional

When you want to hire a gardener to carry out your lawn aeration, it’s important to use someone reliable and trustworthy. You can find gardeners in your area with the help of MyJobQuote.

• Do you have more than one quote? It is much easier to compare prices and services if you have more than one quote. You can then also choose the contractor that best fits in with your budget and availability. At MyJobQuote, you can get at least 3 no-obligation quotes from trusted gardeners.
• Is the quote in writing? It’s not a good idea to accept quotes over the telephone. Professional gardeners will present you with a quote in writing, delivered to you by hand or email. They should give clear pricing details with a detailed outline of the work.
• Have you seen customer reviews or testimonials? Customer reviews and testimonials give you a good idea about a gardener’s reputation, how they work and whether they have satisfied customers. You might be able to see testimonials on a gardener’s website or on a social media platform.
• Does the gardener have experience with lawn aeration? It’s always nice to give a gardener who is just starting out an opportunity. But if you have a job that’s particularly difficult, then you might prefer to hire someone with more experience who knows how to deal with complex issues.
• Are they covered by Insurance? It’s not a legal requirement for a gardener to have insurance if they don’t employ staff. But most tradespeople will have public liability insurance. This is an insurance cover that will protect the gardener’s business and you if they have an accident while working at your home. Any claim you make for injury, damage or loss will be dealt with by the insurance company and not from the gardener’s personal finances.
• Do they need to hire equipment? If your lawn needs the use of a powerful petrol aerator, then it might be that the gardener will hire this equipment for the job, and the cost will be added to your quote. Petrol-powered aerators are generally in the region of £80 - £100 to hire for the day.

Removing or Repairing Lawn Areas

Aeration won’t be effective if it is applied to damaged lawn sections. Therefore, it may be that a gardener will recommend that the damaged sections be repaired or removed and replaced before aeration can be carried out. Fresh lawn turf is normally sold in square metres with a minimum purchase of 10 m², which will cost on average around £4 per m².

Lawn Care After Lawn Aeration

After aeration, it is a good idea to apply further treatments such as adding fertiliser, top dressing and overseeding any bare patches to encourage growth and improve soil health. The extra treatments will ensure your lawn gets the nutrients it needs to promote vigorous growth from healthy soil.

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