Kansas lawn and zero turn toro. Should I buy a pull behind areator or is this a waste of money? If one areates enough does it have any smoothing effect? Lawn is 9/10th's of a acre. Looking at the Home Depot Brinly 40 inch pull behind. Thanks, Tracy
when you are pulling your pull behind aerator with your zero turn toro and you do your first zero turn on your toro while pulling your new Home Depot Brinly
40 inch aerator, please have someone take pictures of that and post them on the web. I'm sure doing so will top the current pine stick story.thank you.
a star tooth style aerator is the one you can gain the most benefit from. use it anytime you fell like playing with it with one exception and that being after first frost. most turf types do not benefit from having their roots exposed to extremely cold air. while you are at the Home Depot look for their large retaining wall block. they weight 52 pounds each and make great dead weight in the load tray for forcing the star teeth into the ground. four of them should do the trick.
Yes I know that turning sharply would get me in a bind, I posted that to see if someone would say something like I would tear up the hydrostats on a zero turn merely by pulling anything of weight. Whoever posted the link with the better core types thanks but I can't afford that. Yes I agee with you but just can't. So has anyone seen lawn improvement after areration? Thanks, Tracy Spring Hill, KS
well darn, I guess that means no pictures and we're stuck with the stupid pine stick story for the time being.
as a general rule you can pull more with the belt drive systems than you can with the hydrostatic.
yes, a good lawn improvement after incorporating the star tooth with about 200 pounds of load weight can be obtained. the main and most profitable while the greater economical benefit is going to be oxygenation of the roots.
with most turf types when the roots are cut by the star tooth new sprouts are produced creating a thicker lawn.
lawn aeration is always a good and beneficial practice to incorporate into the maintenance program. be sure and suspend the practice immediately after first frost.
as for aeration types, don't assume how the more aggressive method is always the best. sometimes, it's the gentle touch producing the most desirable long term results.
First, you can rent a core aerator for around $50.00 for 3 hours and you really only need to do it once a year. If you get a neighbor or 2 to go in on it with you, it'll, of course, cost you much less and you should be able to actually profit. Second, the star aerator does slice the roots and kind of encourages new growth but it does nothing for the compaction of the soil, and actually causes more lateral compaction, so the new roots have nowhere to go.
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the OP had an open question and a hidden question. I have given a direct response to the OP while you and the others in this thread have not.
now I have several direct questions for you. how many different turf types do you manage? how many different soil types do you encounter? how many satisfied customers do you have currently under contract within your lawn care business?
please further explain your conceptual meaning behind your expression of "be able to actually profit" when sharing rental expenses with your neighbors.
I'm with you we need another story, not from me.. (the new mower is great)
Clark
Wow, did you get up on the wrong side of the bed today or what?
Here's his query: "Kansas lawn and zero turn toro. Should I buy a pull behind areator or is this a waste of money? If one areates enough does it have any smoothing effect? Lawn is 9/10th's of a acre. Looking at the Home Depot Brinly 40 inch pull behind. Thanks, Tracy "
Answer to 1st question: No a pull behind is not a waste of time as long as you get a good quality aerator.
Answer to 2nd question: Yes, it can have the effect of smoothing the lawn with enough aerations. For that, and it depends on how rough your lawn is, I recommend aerating once in the spring and once in the fall for a couple of years. Then go to fall aeration only as this is the most beneficial time for the turf.
Now as for your questions, since you seem to be questioning my knowledge: "how many different turf types do you manage?" My customers have predominantly fescue, perrenial rye, bluegrass mixes. I have a couple who have Zoysia, and no they don't mind the fall brownout since this is a warm season grass being used in a colder environment. I deal with everything from very clay soil, which get regular amendments with the core aeration, to properties with 12 to 14 inches of very good loamy, well drained soil.
Next: "how many satisfied customers do you have currently under contract within your lawn care business?" I currently have 65 active customers who claim to be very satisfied with their lawns and who regularly comment about how their turf has improved since we took over their lawncare.
Next: "please further explain your conceptual meaning behind your expression of "be able to actually profit" when sharing rental expenses with your neighbors."
I currently charge $14.00 per 1000 sq ft of turf for core aeration. If he were to charge his neighbors by the sq footage and at a reduced rate from what I charge, he could still make back the daily rental fee many times over. That is with him doing the actual work, of course.
Thank you for your concern though. :)
Another point, the only time I know that slicing the lawn is beneficial, is when slice seeding. Maybe you deal with different types of turf than I do but I think the principals are the same.
WooooooooWeeeeeee Thanks, I got everything answered and then some. Went to Home Depot and they were out of stock on the Brinly 40 inch model. Will try again on the 21st when the next shipment is suppose to be in. Will go with the plug type as I do not have any creeping grasses. As far as smoothing effect if the zero turn does not struggle to badly with it I should expect a slight improvement there. Got 1½" of rain today, I'm ready!
Thanks again everyone.
I should add that I'm not familiar with Centipede or any of the warm season grasses. I've heard that some grasses actually benefit by being scalped to the ground in the spring too. I am in the upper midwest I might add. Zone 5. So, I guess that maybe the original poster, if he has the right turf, may be on the right track after all.
"Creeping" grasses benefit, quite a lot actually, from vertical slicing.
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do you see the difference between "neighbor or 2 to go in on it with you" as compared with "If he were to charge his neighbors".
are you from Indiana?
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did you ever hear the story about the blind squirrel finding the acorn?
Have you ever heard a *plonk*? It sounds like "I Put a Spell on You" looks.
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