Aerating & Thatching - a few tips I have acquired about my lawn care

Some very boring info that I have recently discovered, which no one will find interesting:

Thatch

1. thatch is the build up of organic material (primarily old clippings) that does not decompose fast enough
2. remove it as soon as possible
3. cut your lawn as short as possible in the Fall, so thatch is less likely to exist come Spring
4. get a good thatch rake to remove it - a basic rake will work, but supposedly not as well (assuming your yard is small enough - I have .25 acres, and it simply requires a strong back and a dumb mind - for bigger yards there is a motorized dethatcher)
5. the longer you wait to cut your yard, the more thatch you are likely to accumulate
6. It is also much, much easier to remove thatch when the grass is a little wet
   

Aerating

1. aerating is the process of poking holes (or even pulling small plugs up) to ensure that moisture gets down to the roots of your grass
2. heavy used areas need to be aerated at least twice a year
   
3. if you have a location that is soggy and/or does not drain well, it needs to be aerated
4. the consensus seems to be that aerating needs to be done at least twice a year to your yard - just the poking of holes, the small-plug method seems to be for only the more frequented areas