Aerating for profit
Lawn aeration is done in spring and sometimes in the fall, too. Now, here’s why it’s an easy (but not sweat-free) way to make extra cash every spring. One, it’s easy to get started and two, it’s an easy upsell. People want nice-looking lawns and aeration helps. This is all you have to say, “If you don’t do anything to your lawn all year, at least aerate it.” Why? Because aeration allows more water and oxygen to reach the root zone.
Cheap set-up
All you need is a cheap hand-aerator, lime sold at a small mark-up, and a blower. I use the lowest decibel backpack blower for noise sensitive environments because years ago I couldn’t afford to spend $800 on a big unit. Worst case, use a blower and don’t make a mess. For lime applications you can get a cheap hand applicator.
The key is to target clients with small lawns. Huge lawns must be done with machines. You can rent a machine but you should line up a few lawns for one day. Companies in my neighborhood drop-off a sad-looking dude with a machine and let him go door to door and charge $75.
I did one larger lawn by hand for an existing 92-year-old client because it’s in bad shape and therefore easy to hand aerate. The grass is soft and poor. I could punch the aerator through it with one hand.
The soil plugs stay on the lawn. They will dry up and disintegrate.
Once I finished aerating, I used a cheap hand spreader to apply lime in the hope of lowering the soil pH. Lime helps but any pH changes are unlikely to be permanent. Always mark up the bag of lime a little bit. Say $13 for $11 cost.
See my set-up below:
A) backpack blower, B) hand aerator, C) hand applicator and a bag of lime ($12 retail).
Warning!
You will definitely get sweaty but hey, you’re making extra cash. The video below is speeded up out of respect for your time, not to fool you.
Conclusion
Spring lawn aeration is an easy upsell and you can do small yards by hand with minimal up front costs. I serviced several of my clients this spring and I still have a few to do this week. You may not get rich but your annual revenue will go up. Try it out.
