This Under-$20 Item Will Make Your Lawn Golf Course-Green, According to an HGTV Expert

You’ve probably come across a front yard with grass as green as a golf course and wonder how you can get the same look. While watering, mowing, and fertilizing are all crucial steps to long-term success, there’s one item that HGTV expert Matt Blashaw swears by when making the grass greener on your side: a pair of aerator shoes.

In a recent interview with Apartment Therapy, Blashaw shared the process of aerating his lawn, a low-lift and low-expense way to keep your grass healthy. “I have these spiked shoes that are made for aerating lawns, and I strap them to my shoes and I walk behind my lawn mower, and it basically loosens up the soil,” Blashaw said.

When the soil gets loose, Blashaw explained that it allows for nutrients, sun, and air to penetrate into the roots. “This is why golf courses look the way they do.” And an added bonus: according to Blashaw, you only have to do it every three years or so.

Not only is it easy to strap these spikes on whatever pair of shoes you have and walk around once every few years, but aerator shoes are fairly inexpensive. Take these lawn aerator spike shoes on Amazon, for example, that are selling for under $20. However, the reviews emphasize taking the time to figure out the proper strap adjustments so they don’t feel too tight or too loose (which can be dangerous), and to watch out for solid objects on the ground, like rocks.

At such a cheap price and little commitment, what do you have to lose? (Besides dull grass.)