Export thread

Hey Everybody,

Not sure how many of you aerate your lawns... I know that with the big lawns I've had in the past, I didn't really care a whole lot about aeration. Recently, I've been addressing the issue as my lawn had gotten spotty and needed help.

So, in this featured poll, I'd like to know what you guys (and girls) do in terms of aeration: Spike, Core, or None At All?

I have, long ago, used core ... but for a long time, too long a time, I have not done any...
In the past I have also used a disc set strait so as not to turn the soil, but rather slice the soil. You have to place a lot of weight on it to get it working right. You are hot using the cup of the disc to pull it into the ground...
Core is by far the best that I have used... and with a lot of acres to do I should have bought one again... but it seem like aeration is easy to postpone and really is one of the easiest, fastest healthy thing you can do for your lawn... :smile:KennyV

None at all - and my lawn is a nasty mess. :frown:

twall said:

None at all - and my lawn is a nasty mess. :frown:

Click to expand...

Maybe you should start? :laughing:

Muhammad said:

Maybe you should start? :laughing:

Click to expand...

Exactly. That's why I'm watching this thread......and dethatching youtube videos....:biggrin:

My father-in-law has a spike thing that he uses to pull behind his mower to aerate. We actually haven't done our lawn yet, but I know he'd let us borrow it if we asked; and we might, yet.

I use a Brinley pull-type core w/weights. ~~ grnspot

attaches to front or back of the VENTRAC - suitcase weights go on top rail up to 300 Lbs. If more is needed you can use down pressure. We have rock hard red clay soil.

Responding as a homeowner on this one and not the manufacturer :smile:

I personally can't stand cores and my yard is so tough I use the AERA-Vator (Ventrac AERA-vator Attachments) on my Ventrac 4231. It goes down and breaks the soil rather than simply piercing or coring it!

Edit: Can we add that into the poll

Ventrac said:

Responding as a homeowner on this one and not the manufacturer :smile:

I personally can't stand cores and my yard is so tough I use the AERA-Vator (Ventrac AERA-vator Attachments) on my Ventrac 4231. It goes down and breaks the soil rather than simply piercing or coring it!

Edit: Can we add that into the poll

Click to expand...

I agree about the cores in the yard... for me that's all but a deal breaker because it makes the lawn look and feel dirty until those cores break up.

It raises the question, though, whether the benefits of core aeration are as great if you don't fertilize. I wonder if people have tried different methods on different patches of lawn and seen any real difference.

Muhammad said:

It raises the question, though, whether the benefits of core aeration are as great if you don't fertilize. I wonder if people have tried different methods on different patches of lawn and seen any real difference.

Click to expand...

It is not necessary to fertilize to gain more from core than spike or slice... any method will help get nutrients down into the soil...
Core will work better as it has much LESS compaction than other methods and it brings micro-organisms to the top of the lawn ...
If you don't want to wait for the cores to break down you can use a chunk of chain link fence with a landscape timber attached as a drag to crumb the plugs as you go...
If you have a lot of hard clay you might also want to topdress with a little gypsum and if you need to tip the ph add a little lime with the mix... :smile:KennyV
PS... any aeration is going to be better than never aerating....

I'm a big fan of aerating every other year. The plugs are unsightly, but do eventually break down. Some cheap dishwashing soap (NON anti-bacterial!) and some beer in a 20 gallon hose end sprayer will help dissolve the plugs a little faster, it seems.

This thread has been moved to the new Polls Forum. :biggrin:

I use a contraption I bought off the internet several years ago. Buy Aeroller Lawn Aerator Online It attaches to the axle of my front wheel roto tiller. Punches out 3 to 4 inch cores, if ground is somewhat moist I get 5 inch, if bone dry I get 1 inch. I do it every September and April. Lush lawn as a result. Fertilizer works much better too. I use my ninja mulching blade to obliterate the cores. Usually takes a week or two for them to dry out in the sun. Trust me, aerate at least once a year and overseed with pelletize lime and your lawn will be healthy.

I had heavy clay soil in Dayon, Ohio and over a five year period changed the soil's condition via core aeration. Am trying to do the same thing in Dallas but I'm getting old.

I use a spike aeration It works will for me. For a long time I did not do anything at all. Now after aeration my yard only before I spread fertilizer it looks 100 % better.

Pull behind core aereator 200lbs, and 50" wide it does pretty good it will pull out 2.5 to 3" core plugs..

I use only core aeration. The spikes seem to me to just punch a hole in the ground while actually compacting the ground around the hole. Yes, it does let in air but it doesn't allow the vegetation in the hole like aeration.

Usually rent a Blue Bird aerator walk behind from the hardware store. It seems the holes are about two inches deep.

I have a tow behind spike aerator.......It seems to work OK.........I know they say cores are better, but this thing was $40 at a garage sale......

Where i live there is alott of brown clay.
It rains here all year round. Very little snow.
Drainage is a big problem for me. Standing water and all.
Aeration is what i'm looking at to help with this and the Moss.
whould spreading sand on my lawn help to breake up the clay
as well as plug type Areation?

Top dressing with sand or gypsum mixed with a sandy loam applied after plug aeration will definitely help...
Clay is very hard to get drained... but if you stay at it you can get a good top soil mixture going... You may have to run a chisel or ripper through the clay barrier to get any real drainage going... :smile:KennyV