Gardening magazines seem to like the idea of lawn aeration. My small domestic lawn has never had such treatment in the 30 years I have lived here, and I am wondering if it is worth doing.
Has anybody successfully used a hollow tine aerator without it continually clogging? If so, what was it? I couldn't get a bulb planter to work at all, so tiny tines seem a non-starter.
Are the spiked drum type any good?
I have a little moss, no waterlogging, and soil which tends to clay.
Chris
I spent years doing it (with a fork, pushing it back and to), always wondering if it made a difference. One year, I decided to do one half of the lawn and leave the other half. If there was a difference, it was too subtle for me to notice. So now, I just let the worms live instead :-) I had one of the hollow ones, and threw it away after about a year. Maybe I was just doing it wrong all the time?
+1, though haven't tried the hollow ones. Can't see what possible advantage they could have.
NT
Someone bought one for me. They leave hundreds of plugs of soil on the lawn, which makes it look as though an army of incontinent dogs has passed through, but they get washed away soon enough. It required unclogging every few minutes, and I decided that life was too short for that sort of thing.
IF you have a heavy clay soil and IF you have compacted it by heavy mowing over the years so there is a surface pan of solid clay that holds water and stops grass growing, then a fork or equivalent to pierce that pan and then sand brushed into the holes improves drainage.
Otherwise fukitlifes2short
I have a Mantis with a lawn slitter - seems to do a great job
what about those lawn aerator "shoes" that allow you to aereate whilst mowing the lawn?
:)
Besides which, why does anyone want their lawn to grow faster? it means having to cut it more often so you waste time aerating it to waste more time cutting it more frequently.. Not a logic I can get to grips with.
I aerated my front lawn for two year, but did not bother last year due to a dodgy knee. If there is a difference I can't see it.
Didn't see the OP, but IMO lawn spiking is only worth doing if you have poor drainage due to compaction over years, resulting in excessive moss growth. Hollow tine jobbies are a waste of time: they only work if the soil is reasonably open and soft in the first place, when it won't need spiking anyway. Otherwise they're difficult to drive into the soil, and clog almost straight away. Spiked shoes are just a laugh - forget them, unless you like being rooted to the spot. For a start, the spikes aren't long enough to do any good.
If you _really_ need to spike your lawn, either hire a motor-driven machine like this
I doubt that it makes much difference. If the grass needs spiking, that means it's so compact that it's not going to move under the influence of a pair of feet. The holes won't close up easily.
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