What to Do With the Clumps of Soil on Your Lawn After Aeration
Lawn Care

What to Do With the Clumps of Soil on Your Lawn After Aeration

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

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What to Do With the Clumps of Soil on Your Lawn After Aeration

Aeration is a beneficial lawn care service that involves pulling up small cores of soil to alleviate compaction and help nutrients and other resources reach the roots of your grass more easily. After this process is completed, you will notice clumps of soil on your lawn, called soil cores, which are the result of the aeration process. These cores are actually beneficial to your lawn because they will eventually decompose and return nutrients back to your soil. However, if you don't like the way they look, you can break them up with a rake or mow over them to help speed up the decomposition process. You can also remove them altogether, but it's highly recommended that you don't do this because they contain vital nutrients that your lawn in Illinois can benefit from.


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

Soil cores on a lawn in Edwardsville, IL, after aeration.

If you’ve recently had your lawn aerated, you may have noticed small clumps of soil scattered across it. These clumps are actually called soil cores and are the result of the aeration process. During aeration, a machine called an aerator is used to remove small plugs of soil from your lawn. This process is designed to alleviate soil compaction and create channels for nutrients, water, and air to reach the roots of your grass. The clumps of soil that are left behind are simply the plugs of soil that were removed during the aeration process.


What should you do with the clumps of soil from aeration?

After aeration, you may be wondering what you should do with the clumps of soil that are left behind. Well, the answer is simple: leave them alone! These clumps of soil will eventually decompose and return nutrients back to your soil. They contain essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are vital for the health and growth of your grass. By leaving them alone, you are allowing these nutrients to be returned to your soil, which will help your lawn grow stronger and healthier.

It can take about 2-3 weeks for the soil cores to completely break down after aeration.

What should you do if you don't like the way the aeration soil cores look?

While the soil cores are beneficial to your lawn, some people don’t like the way they look. If you fall into this category, there are a few things you can do to speed up the decomposition process. These include breaking them up with a rake or going over them with a lawn mower. Not only will this make this less conspicuous, but it'll also allow them to decompose faster. However, if you really can’t stand the way they look, you can remove them altogether. But it’s highly recommended that you don’t do this because they contain vital nutrients that your lawn can benefit from. Removing them will deprive your lawn of these nutrients, which can hinder its overall health.


Call us today to sign up for our core aeration service!

At Creekside Landscapes, we will help you achieve the lush, green lawn of your dreams with our core aeration service. This service is designed to alleviate soil compaction and create channels for nutrients, water, and air to reach the roots of your grass. We perform aeration in the spring and fall, as these are optimal times for your lawn to withstand the process and recover quickly. Additionally, it's recommended that you schedule it annually to ensure your turf always has optimal access to the resources it needs to thrive.

Homeowners, business owners, and HOAs in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Bethalto, and nearby areas in Illinois are served by our team. Call us today at (618) 374-0010 to sign up for our core aeration service!


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