I'm posting this here in case anyone searches Google for help aerating
clay soil and needs ideas. This worked great for me and I'd like to
share it.
We have dense clay soil and, while applying gypsum helps somewhat,
I've been told that aerating is necessary too to loosen it up. I've
tried using hand aerators:
http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/victoryga...e/lawn2_lg.jpg
but the soil is too dense and the coring tines are almost impossible
to push into the ground, even after watering it to soften it.
I tried renting an aerator, but the machine they called an "aerator"
was really a cultivator, with spinning tines designed to rip up the
ground, not pull plugs out.
I called 5 different gardening services and none of them offer
aerating services; most hadn't even heard of the process. I also
searched Google and the Yellow Pages under lawn aerating and nobody
offers this in the Los Angeles area.
Our lawn is far too small for those tow-behind aerators:
http://fergusonmfgco.com/images/FMC%...0PA-48TWEB.jpg
What finally worked great was to use a 1-inch auger drill bit with my
power drill:
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/p...8_front200.jpg
(You need an auger bit, not a paddle bit, because you need the dirt to
be pulled out of the hole.)
Using this, I was able to properly aerate the front and back lawns in
about 4 hours. Hope this helps anyone else in a similar dilemma!

wrote:
I'm posting this here in case anyone searches Google for help aerating
clay soil and needs ideas. This worked great for me and I'd like to
share it.
We have dense clay soil and, while applying gypsum helps somewhat,
I've been told that aerating is necessary too to loosen it up. I've
tried using hand aerators:
http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/victoryga...e/lawn2_lg.jpg
but the soil is too dense and the coring tines are almost impossible
to push into the ground, even after watering it to soften it.
I tried renting an aerator, but the machine they called an "aerator"
was really a cultivator, with spinning tines designed to rip up the
ground, not pull plugs out.
I called 5 different gardening services and none of them offer
aerating services; most hadn't even heard of the process. I also
searched Google and the Yellow Pages under lawn aerating and nobody
offers this in the Los Angeles area.
Our lawn is far too small for those tow-behind aerators:
http://fergusonmfgco.com/images/FMC%...0PA-48TWEB.jpg
What finally worked great was to use a 1-inch auger drill bit with my
power drill:
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/p...8_front200.jpg
(You need an auger bit, not a paddle bit, because you need the dirt to
be pulled out of the hole.)
Using this, I was able to properly aerate the front and back lawns in
about 4 hours. Hope this helps anyone else in a similar dilemma!

Let's apply a test.

A 30x30-foot yard is 900 sq ft. Drilling a hole every 6" (or 6/sq ft) means
you have to drill 5400 holes.

At ten seconds per hole, that's 54,000 seconds - about 15 hours.

You were able to do your yard in about a quarter of the time, so you must
have about 200 sq ft, or a 10x20' yard.

Here's a tip: Once you've got the hole, fill the hole with Gypsum, else the
clay you've moved to the surface will just work its way back into the holes.

On Mar 12, 4:51*pm, wrote:
I'm posting this here in case anyone searches Google for help aerating
clay soil and needs ideas. This worked great for me and I'd like to
share it.
We have dense clay soil and, while applying gypsum helps somewhat,
I've been told that aerating is necessary too to loosen it up. I've
tried using hand aerators:http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/victoryga.../tools/lawncar...
but the soil is too dense and the coring tines are almost impossible
to push into the ground, even after watering it to soften it.
I tried renting an aerator, but the machine they called an "aerator"
was really a cultivator, with spinning tines designed to rip up the
ground, not pull plugs out.
I called 5 different gardening services and none of them offer
aerating services; most hadn't even heard of the process. I also
searched Google and the Yellow Pages under lawn aerating and nobody
offers this in the Los Angeles area.
Our lawn is far too small for those tow-behind aerators:http://fergusonmfgco.com/images/FMC%...4ft%20Trail%20...
What finally worked great was to use a 1-inch auger drill bit with my
power drill:http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/p...8_front200.jpg
(You need an auger bit, not a paddle bit, because you need the dirt to
be pulled out of the hole.)
Using this, I was able to properly aerate the front and back lawns in
about 4 hours. Hope this helps anyone else in a similar dilemma!

Ive done the same for small areas I couldnt get into with an areator
and often do it around strees and shrubs to get them to take up water
and fertilizer. My Gardeenias really bloomed out last year after doing
this.


Jimmie

In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote:

Let's apply a test.

A 30x30-foot yard is 900 sq ft. Drilling a hole every 6" (or 6/sq ft) means
you have to drill 5400 holes.

If it's a math test, you flunked. 61 x 61 = 3721 holes. That includes
perimeter holes. Start 3" in from the edges, and it's 60 x 60 = 3600.

wrote:
I'm posting this here in case anyone searches Google for help aerating
clay soil and needs ideas. This worked great for me and I'd like to
share it.

A snip

What finally worked great was to use a 1-inch auger drill bit with my
power drill:
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/p...8_front200.jpg
(You need an auger bit, not a paddle bit, because you need the dirt to
be pulled out of the hole.)
Using this, I was able to properly aerate the front and back lawns in
about 4 hours. Hope this helps anyone else in a similar dilemma!

This is a relatively short term fix. The clay is still clay. You need to
improve the soil. Try brushing/ raking a mix of sand and compost into the
holes which will keep the holes open longer and also aid biological activity
in the soil..

Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote:

Let's apply a test.

A 30x30-foot yard is 900 sq ft. Drilling a hole every 6" (or 6/sq ft) means
you have to drill 5400 holes.

If it's a math test, you flunked. 61 x 61 = 3721 holes. That includes
perimeter holes. Start 3" in from the edges, and it's 60 x 60 = 3600.

'10,000 holes in Blanford-Lancanshire....' (sp?)

On Mar 13, 4:27*pm, "Clot" wrote:
wrote:
I'm posting this here in case anyone searches Google for help aerating
clay soil and needs ideas. This worked great for me and I'd like to
share it.

A snip

What finally worked great was to use a 1-inch auger drill bit with my
power drill:
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/p...8_front200.jpg
(You need an auger bit, not a paddle bit, because you need the dirt to
be pulled out of the hole.)
Using this, I was able to properly aerate the front and back lawns in
about 4 hours. Hope this helps anyone else in a similar dilemma!

This is a relatively short term fix. The clay is still clay. You need to
improve the soil. Try brushing/ raking a mix of sand and compost into the
holes which will keep the holes open longer and also aid biological activity
in the soil..

Am I the only one here who finds it hard to believe that in the Los
Angeles area no company rents core aerators? I've rented them from
Home Depot, for example. It sure sounds like a hell of a lot less
work and a hell of a lot more holes in a hell of a lot less time.

wrote:

Am I the only one here who finds it hard to believe that in the Los
Angeles area no company rents core aerators? I've rented them from
Home Depot, for example. It sure sounds like a hell of a lot less
work and a hell of a lot more holes in a hell of a lot less time.

City-slicker is walking down a country lane when he spies a farmer holding a
pig up in the air so the pig can eat low-hanging apples.

City-slicker: "What in the world are you doing?"
Farmer: "What does it look like I'm doin'? I'm feedin' the pig."
City-slicker: "I don't know much about pigs, but that seems like an awful
waste of time."
Farmer: "You sure don't know nothin' 'bout pigs. What's time to a pig?"

On Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:41:03 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Mar 13, 4:27*pm, "Clot" wrote:
wrote:
I'm posting this here in case anyone searches Google for help aerating
clay soil and needs ideas. This worked great for me and I'd like to
share it.

A snip

What finally worked great was to use a 1-inch auger drill bit with my
power drill:
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/p...8_front200.jpg
(You need an auger bit, not a paddle bit, because you need the dirt to
be pulled out of the hole.)
Using this, I was able to properly aerate the front and back lawns in
about 4 hours. Hope this helps anyone else in a similar dilemma!

This is a relatively short term fix. The clay is still clay. You need to
improve the soil. Try brushing/ raking a mix of sand and compost into the
holes which will keep the holes open longer and also aid biological activity
in the soil..

Am I the only one here who finds it hard to believe that in the Los
Angeles area no company rents core aerators? I've rented them from
Home Depot, for example. It sure sounds like a hell of a lot less
work and a hell of a lot more holes in a hell of a lot less time.

Why an aerator? For a valley girl? Isn't LA 99.5% asphalt?

wrote:
I'm posting this here in case anyone searches Google for help aerating
clay soil and needs ideas. This worked great for me and I'd like to
share it.
We have dense clay soil and, while applying gypsum helps somewhat,
I've been told that aerating is necessary too to loosen it up. I've
tried using hand aerators:
http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/victoryga...e/lawn2_lg.jpg
but the soil is too dense and the coring tines are almost impossible
to push into the ground, even after watering it to soften it.
I tried renting an aerator, but the machine they called an "aerator"
was really a cultivator, with spinning tines designed to rip up the
ground, not pull plugs out.
I called 5 different gardening services and none of them offer
aerating services; most hadn't even heard of the process. I also
searched Google and the Yellow Pages under lawn aerating and nobody
offers this in the Los Angeles area.
Our lawn is far too small for those tow-behind aerators:
http://fergusonmfgco.com/images/FMC%...0PA-48TWEB.jpg
What finally worked great was to use a 1-inch auger drill bit with my
power drill:
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/p...8_front200.jpg
(You need an auger bit, not a paddle bit, because you need the dirt to
be pulled out of the hole.)
Using this, I was able to properly aerate the front and back lawns in
about 4 hours. Hope this helps anyone else in a similar dilemma!
Hmmm,
I don't know where you live but here in Southern Alberta, soil is clay
with poor electric conductivity. Often we aerate our lawns using push
behind aerator we can rent from rental outfit. Or we can call
landscaping guys to do it for us. It leaves bunch of holes on the lawn.