Aeration..!?

I have a mother plant that is in a large 3.5 gal hom planter. The plant is pretty small, about 12" (Not much of a mother yet.. lol).
I know im supposed to transplant again, but for now do you think it would be beneficial to say.. aerate the soil.

I have a piece of 1/2" conduit that I use to make holes in the soil around the outter edge of the root zone. I do this about 3
days before watering, and I water every 7 to 10 days.

I guess my question is.. Do you think it is bad, or beneficial for the root zone?

IMO - I think letting the soil dry out is just as good and the plants prefer it this way, and even better if you use a perlite mixture since you have more air space between the roots and the soil. Watering every few days seems to be key with a dry/wet cycle, just do not let it get bone dry, but almost enough so that no soil will stick to your finger when you put it an inch in to the soil. Additional note: aerating the soil is counterproductive since I assume you will be disturbing the roots by doing so.

Other people may agree or disagree, but that's my position on it and I am sticking with it!