The first sign is if your lawn starts to get patchy. Often, this means that your lawn is drying out or getting dehydrated from lack of moisture or water. This also indicates that only parts of your lawn have roots that are deep enough to reach the water.

Another sign is if your soil is hard. Your soil becomes hard because of compaction. Compacted soil leaves no room for air spaces, where air molecules can pass through. Soil compaction also blocks out water, sunlight and nutrients from reaching deep down where the roots of your grass are. because of this, your grass becomes weak and highly susceptible to stress brought about by heat and drought.

Another important sign that you probably need to aerate, is if you are starting to see your lawn turn yellow prematurely.  This means that you do not have very deep roots, and aerating will help to stimulate your root growth deeper. A fourth  sign that you will need to aerate your lawn, is if when you water just runs right off the surface of the soil, instead of being absorbed into the soil.  This means that your ground is hard. But if you take the time to have it done, the water will start soaking into the soil rather than just running off of the surface.

You will also need to aerate your lawn if it has a lot of clay in it or if it is a hilly yard. Both of these types of lawns need to be aerated on a regular basis. Knowing all these important signs will tell you that it is time for you to aerate. The best times for when to aerate a lawn is either in the spring or in the early fall.

In the last few years manufacturing designers have come a long way to increase the quality and aeration shoes and at the same time make them more affordable. Most aerating shoes have 1.5 to 2 inch spikes on the bottom.  They are easy to use when you are walking in the garden or mowing the lawn. Most aeration sandals or shoes Aerating spike shoes are easy to use and have universal straps to fit with almost any shoe size. If you frequently spend time in your lawn, they work great for the price!  Most people can easily slide them on like sandals when they mow or fertilize. Aerator shoes work best when you use them often on your lawn.

How do aerating shoes work?

These aerating shoes have spikes on the bottom underneath the soles. When you walk on them, they make small holes in the soil. These holes allow a more frequent exchange of water, air and nutrients with the grass roots.  Compare to expensive aerator rentals or time consuming hand aerators, aeration shoes can be one of the most affordable and comfortable ways to aerate your lawn. Another benefit of aerator sandals is that they break down compacted soils so that roots can develop. Root development, catalyzed by aeration, causes a self-sustaining change that will naturally soften and break down harder soils.

When looking for a good aerator shoe to buy, generally the more expensive one are better because they are made out of longer lasting materials. Also you want to buy them from a company that has been in business for a few years do you are buying a more advanced version of the product. Fewer nail spikes in the bottom of the shoe will allow you better penetration into the soil as the pounds per square inch may be greater.