What does “aerate” mean?
Aerate means to poke a hole in the ground to allow air and water to penetrate the surface of the soil. Tools to aerate include a pitchfork for small areas, solid tine aeraters, hollow tine aeraters which remove a core of soil from the hole, and water aeraters which use water under very high pressure to form holes in the soil. The effects of aeration are temporary unless the area is topdressed afterward and sand fills the holes to prevent closure.
