Oren wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jul 2014 12:04:26 -0500, "ChairMan"

wrote:

trader_4 wrote:
On Saturday, July 19, 2014 12:50:50 PM UTC-4, H o m e G
u
y wrote:


What a buffoon.

Are you sure?
You're the one that keeps responding to an admitted peice
of
**** troll expecting a differnt result.
There is a word for that


You just replied to the troll. Sounds like Insanity to
me.


It runs in my family g
Besides, replying is such a broad term, I was merely
pointing out a fact of what he is when the troll snuck out
of my kf.
Just one reply, not an ongoing debate with an idiotic
morphin piece of sheep **** ****in troll
As you said he's not worth the time, but it is fun poke him
with a sharp stick when he sticks his head/ass out

On Sun, 20 Jul 2014 12:55:40 -0500, "ChairMan"
wrote:

Just one reply, not an ongoing debate with an idiotic
morphin piece of sheep **** ****in troll
As you said he's not worth the time, but it is fun poke him
with a sharp stick when he sticks his head/ass out

Given those conditions; I agree, you're forgiven and I apologize.

Poke away....

On Sun, 20 Jul 2014 12:19:05 -0400, HomeGuy
Home@guy.com wrote:

Brooklyn1 wrote:

Lawn aeration is a crock.

In areas that get sub-freezing in winter (like most of Canada)
the many cycles of frost heaving (freeze-thaw) in winter does
a great job of breaking up residential soil.

Just look what it does to our roads, and imagine what is going
on in the soil.

Poor analogy.

Frost heaving may break up pavement but does nothing to improve
compacted soil,

Anyone who lives in (at least) the northern 1/3 of the US and all of
Canada knows that when walking on your lawn in April (or in May in
Canada) when the last of the snow has melted from your front or back
lawns knows how spongy the ground feels.


You conveniently deleted where I said when it DRIES... you are a
douchebag, an imbecile, and very dishonest.

Brooklyn1 wrote:

You conveniently deleted where I said when it DRIES... you are a
douchebag, an imbecile, and very dishonest.

And you're a dumb ****.

What do you do when it dries?

You water it, you ****-head.

What a ****ing genius you are. Core your lawn in the spring - when it
just came through freeze-thaw pulverization (if that's your climate)
when it doesn't need it, so that magically it won't be hard when it
dries in the summer (because you didn't water it).

So tell me, what sort of magic does coring do in the spring (that
freeze-thawing doesn't do) such that by summer your dried-out soil
somehow magically doesn't get hard.

And I don't care what the lawn-care industry says (they with their
vested interests in you spending money on their stuff). If your lawn is
basically there for you to look at - AND every once in a while to walk
on it, then it doesn't matter if you're in a zone that doesn't freeze.
Without punishing foot traffic (or car parking, etc) there is nothing
compacting your soil. Pulling plugs out of your lawn is for the birds
in that case.

Guv Bob wrote:

What type of soil do you have in Long Beach?

Below 1-2 inches, it's hard-packed clay in this particular spot.
This was just an idea. Water won't penetrate it.

Grass roots don't really grow much below 2" anyways. Just look at rolls
of sod. They certainly don't come 2" thick (with soil).

Lawns need almost daily watering when the daily high temp reaches 80
unless except on overcast days - then maybe you can go 4 days without
water.

This is a small area - about 10 x 30 ft.

Forget aerating. Have a yard of black earth / top-soil delivered and
rake it evenly all over, and throw in some grass seed while you're at
it. THAT is by far the most accepted way to deal with poor sub-soil
conditions without completely replacing the top 4" of soil.

And then you need to water.

But you haven't said anything about your ability to irrigate this patch
of grass. What municipal water restrictions are you under currently -
now and for the next few months?

trader_4 wrote:
On Friday, July 18, 2014 4:59:10 PM UTC-4, Brooklyn1 wrote:
"Guv Bob" wrote:



Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon
barrel with a row

of aerator tubes fastened around each head? The one I'm looking
for is pulled by hand.

I have too much area to cover for the foot-stomper type, but don't
need to get a

motorized version.



I meant to say.... you fill the barrel up with water. Ends up
weighing around 200 pounds.



I seriously doubt you are physically capable of moving that type of

aerator by hand unless it's always downhill and then it will aerate

you.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...Id=6970&ipp=24

Another difference is that barrel tow type doesn't cut plugs out, it
looks like it just puts blades into the ground. The rental ones
actually cut plugs out. I never paid much attention to how it works,
but presumably there must be something that forces the plug of dirt
out
as it cycles around. You wind up with holes in the turf and plugs
about 3/4" x 2" of soil.

I can't connect to that link for some reason - probably super slow Verizon....

Anyway, I'm thinking about putting something together that will take 1/2 x 4-inch plugs up. I don't know if this is what you mean -- the one plug pushes out the previous plug. I'm only looking for the kind that removes plugs - not spikes.

On 7/20/2014 4:41 PM, Guv Bob wrote [in part]:
This is a small area - about 10 x 30 ft. Would be nice to have
grass there, but being dirt is OK, and not worth renting anything. A
few years ago I had to put ground cover on a bare compacted clay
hill. I ended up getting a 5/8-inch masonry bit and drilling 4-inch
holes about 6-8 inches apart, dropping red apple ice plant pieces in
and filling with good soil. Nearly all survived and within a year
the hill was covered.


While it used to be quite common to plant ice plant on a slope, the
recommendation today is very much against that. During a rain, ice
plant takes up much water and becomes quite heavy. The roots tend to be
shallow and not very extensive. The result is that the ice plant will
often pull loose, slide down the hill, and take part of the hill with it.

I am very sensitive about proper planting of slopes since the hill in my
back yard has slipped twice. The second time, the repair cost almost
four times what I paid for my house; my grandchildren will make the last
payment on the federal disaster loan. No, there is no such thing as
insurance against a slope failing; and the repairs are never guaranteed.

Grape vines are very good on a hill; they have very tough, deep roots
and generally do not care how poor is the soil. Alone, African daisies
or ivy (English or Algerian) are not good because their roots tend to
form a mat that can become a weak layer; African daisies and ivy mixed
together, however, are excellent on a hill because those mats are at
different depths and tend to be less concentrated.

According to the grading experts in my county's public works agency,
trees on a hill can be bad. In a wind, they rock back and forth,
breaking up the soil around the bases of the trunks. With a major rain
storm, that becomes a path for a large amount of water to funnel down to
the subsoil. Depending on their alignment, this can lubricate the
boundary between soil and subsoil and trigger a slide. On the other
hand, shrubs are okay.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

"Guv Bob" wrote in message m...
"HomeGuy" "Home"@Guy.com wrote in message ...
Guv Bob wrote:

Anybody know where to get an aerator ...

Lawn aeration is a crock.

There are VERY FEW situations where aeration is really called for and
the mechanical alteration of soil is necessary to improve turf health.

Those few situations are mostly sports fields, golf courses, etc. And
the aeration they perform uses spikes that do not core out plugs of
turf.

Why do you think your residential front or back yard needs plugs of turf
to be removed from it?

What type of soil do you have in Long Beach?

Below 1-2 inches, it's hard-packed clay in this particular spot. This was just an idea. Water won't penetrate it. Trying to avoid roto-tilling. It's level and rolling a 200 pound barrel on a rock-hard surface like this is pretty easy. I have rolled a 55 gal drum of liquid on the same place -- that's where I got the idea.


This is a small area - about 10 x 30 ft. Would be nice to have grass there, but being dirt is OK, and not worth renting anything. A few years ago I had to put ground cover on a bare compacted clay hill. I ended up getting a 5/8-inch masonry bit and drilling 4-inch holes about 6-8 inches apart, dropping red apple ice plant pieces in and filling with good soil. Nearly all survived and within a year the hill was covered.

HomeGuy wrote:
Guv Bob wrote:

What type of soil do you have in Long Beach?

Below 1-2 inches, it's hard-packed clay in this particular spot.
This was just an idea. Water won't penetrate it.

Grass roots don't really grow much below 2" anyways. Just look at
rolls of sod. They certainly don't come 2" thick (with soil).

Rolls of sod are sold with only enough soil/roots to survive till thet're layed.
Otherwise, the sod farms would quickly run out of soil.

I recently cut up a bunch of lawn for a garden with a rented sod cutter. I cut
2+" deep, and still had a tough layer of roots that my old rototiller couldn't
easily get through. There was at least 2" of root left, and I had to break it up
with a shovel before my tiller could do its job.

Of course, since you operate by the stupid theory that you have to water every
day if it gets over 80F (in another post), your grass will have no deep roots.
They only go deep if they have to to find water. My lawn has no problem with a
good watering once a week in 80F weather.

"HomeGuy" Home@guy.com wrote in message ...
Guv Bob wrote:

What type of soil do you have in Long Beach?

Below 1-2 inches, it's hard-packed clay in this particular spot.
This was just an idea. Water won't penetrate it.

Grass roots don't really grow much below 2" anyways. Just look at rolls
of sod. They certainly don't come 2" thick (with soil).

Lawns need almost daily watering when the daily high temp reaches 80
unless except on overcast days - then maybe you can go 4 days without
water.

This is a small area - about 10 x 30 ft.

Forget aerating. Have a yard of black earth / top-soil delivered and
rake it evenly all over, and throw in some grass seed while you're at
it. THAT is by far the most accepted way to deal with poor sub-soil
conditions without completely replacing the top 4" of soil.

And then you need to water.

But you haven't said anything about your ability to irrigate this patch
of grass. What municipal water restrictions are you under currently -
now and for the next few months?

Thanks, HG. Only restrictions so far are what I do anyway - no watering between 9am-5pm or hose down sideways, etc. Unfortunately, the talk is that the cut back will be 20% less than we used 12 months previous. So folks like us who are very conservative with water will likely end up paying penalties. Meanwhile the swimming pool crowd down the street will only have to stop pumping so much overflow into the gutter.

"Bob F" wrote in message ...
HomeGuy wrote:
Guv Bob wrote:

What type of soil do you have in Long Beach?

Below 1-2 inches, it's hard-packed clay in this particular spot.
This was just an idea. Water won't penetrate it.

Grass roots don't really grow much below 2" anyways. Just look at
rolls of sod. They certainly don't come 2" thick (with soil).

Rolls of sod are sold with only enough soil/roots to survive till thet're layed.
Otherwise, the sod farms would quickly run out of soil.

I recently cut up a bunch of lawn for a garden with a rented sod cutter. I cut
2+" deep, and still had a tough layer of roots that my old rototiller couldn't
easily get through. There was at least 2" of root left, and I had to break it up
with a shovel before my tiller could do its job.

Of course, since you operate by the stupid theory that you have to water every
day if it gets over 80F (in another post), your grass will have no deep roots.
They only go deep if they have to to find water. My lawn has no problem with a
good watering once a week in 80F weather.

When I was testing the soil, grass roots in the good areas went down at least 4 inches. I'm inland in So Calif and we got less than 4 inches of rain last year. Where the grass is established, I seldom have to water more than once every 7-10 days. Over the years, I have watched to see which grass dies and which will go without water, and tried to expand the more drought tolerant. Seat of the pants method, but it works for me.

"David E. Ross" wrote in message ...
On 7/20/2014 4:41 PM, Guv Bob wrote [in part]:
This is a small area - about 10 x 30 ft. Would be nice to have
grass there, but being dirt is OK, and not worth renting anything. A
few years ago I had to put ground cover on a bare compacted clay
hill. I ended up getting a 5/8-inch masonry bit and drilling 4-inch
holes about 6-8 inches apart, dropping red apple ice plant pieces in
and filling with good soil. Nearly all survived and within a year
the hill was covered.


While it used to be quite common to plant ice plant on a slope, the
recommendation today is very much against that. During a rain, ice
plant takes up much water and becomes quite heavy. The roots tend to be
shallow and not very extensive. The result is that the ice plant will
often pull loose, slide down the hill, and take part of the hill with it.

I am very sensitive about proper planting of slopes since the hill in my
back yard has slipped twice. The second time, the repair cost almost
four times what I paid for my house; my grandchildren will make the last
payment on the federal disaster loan. No, there is no such thing as
insurance against a slope failing; and the repairs are never guaranteed.

Grape vines are very good on a hill; they have very tough, deep roots
and generally do not care how poor is the soil. Alone, African daisies
or ivy (English or Algerian) are not good because their roots tend to
form a mat that can become a weak layer; African daisies and ivy mixed
together, however, are excellent on a hill because those mats are at
different depths and tend to be less concentrated.

According to the grading experts in my county's public works agency,
trees on a hill can be bad. In a wind, they rock back and forth,
breaking up the soil around the bases of the trunks. With a major rain
storm, that becomes a path for a large amount of water to funnel down to
the subsoil. Depending on their alignment, this can lubricate the
boundary between soil and subsoil and trigger a slide. On the other
hand, shrubs are okay.

Good to know, David. Grapes sounds like a great idea. Any particular varieties to get or stay away from? Or other types of plants on a slope?

On Sunday, July 20, 2014 8:17:29 PM UTC-4, Bob F wrote:
HomeGuy wrote:

Guv Bob wrote:



What type of soil do you have in Long Beach?



Below 1-2 inches, it's hard-packed clay in this particular spot.

This was just an idea. Water won't penetrate it.



Grass roots don't really grow much below 2" anyways. Just look at

rolls of sod. They certainly don't come 2" thick (with soil).



Rolls of sod are sold with only enough soil/roots to survive till thet're layed.

That's for sure. It has nothing to do with how deep grass roots actually
grow and clearly the poster is clueless about turf.



Otherwise, the sod farms would quickly run out of soil.



I recently cut up a bunch of lawn for a garden with a rented sod cutter. I cut

2+" deep, and still had a tough layer of roots that my old rototiller couldn't

easily get through. There was at least 2" of root left, and I had to break it up

with a shovel before my tiller could do its job.



Of course, since you operate by the stupid theory that you have to water every

day if it gets over 80F (in another post), your grass will have no deep roots.


Agree. Watering about twice a week, 1/2" at least 1/2" at a time, if
it hasn't been raining is a good compromise. Shallow watering every day
is bad practice and a waste of water.



They only go deep if they have to to find water. My lawn has no problem with a

good watering once a week in 80F weather.

On 7/20/2014 11:34 PM, Guv Bob wrote:
"David E. Ross" wrote in message ...
On 7/20/2014 4:41 PM, Guv Bob wrote [in part]:
This is a small area - about 10 x 30 ft. Would be nice to have
grass there, but being dirt is OK, and not worth renting anything. A
few years ago I had to put ground cover on a bare compacted clay
hill. I ended up getting a 5/8-inch masonry bit and drilling 4-inch
holes about 6-8 inches apart, dropping red apple ice plant pieces in
and filling with good soil. Nearly all survived and within a year
the hill was covered.


While it used to be quite common to plant ice plant on a slope, the
recommendation today is very much against that. During a rain, ice
plant takes up much water and becomes quite heavy. The roots tend to be
shallow and not very extensive. The result is that the ice plant will
often pull loose, slide down the hill, and take part of the hill with it.

I am very sensitive about proper planting of slopes since the hill in my
back yard has slipped twice. The second time, the repair cost almost
four times what I paid for my house; my grandchildren will make the last
payment on the federal disaster loan. No, there is no such thing as
insurance against a slope failing; and the repairs are never guaranteed.

Grape vines are very good on a hill; they have very tough, deep roots
and generally do not care how poor is the soil. Alone, African daisies
or ivy (English or Algerian) are not good because their roots tend to
form a mat that can become a weak layer; African daisies and ivy mixed
together, however, are excellent on a hill because those mats are at
different depths and tend to be less concentrated.

According to the grading experts in my county's public works agency,
trees on a hill can be bad. In a wind, they rock back and forth,
breaking up the soil around the bases of the trunks. With a major rain
storm, that becomes a path for a large amount of water to funnel down to
the subsoil. Depending on their alignment, this can lubricate the
boundary between soil and subsoil and trigger a slide. On the other
hand, shrubs are okay.

Good to know, David. Grapes sounds like a great idea. Any particular varieties to get or stay away from? Or other types of plants on a slope?




Almost any variety of grape is okay. Choose something you will use.
Just be sure you have sturdy supports since grape vines -- even without
fruit -- can be quite heavy. See my
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_grapes.html for how I support my
grape vines. Also, ground cover is still necessary to prevent surface
erosion.

Also, do not overplant. Last year, I filled a very large pail in one
picking from only one vine.

The first time my hill failed, I had a single grape vine in the middle.
While the hill slid on both sides, the vine and the part of the hill
below it did not move. Unfortunately, the vine had to be removed to
repair the hill. I then planted two grape vines. The hill failed again
13 years later, between the vines. Now I have three grape vines. If
the hill ever fails again, my house goes up for sale "as is".

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On 7/20/2014 11:31 PM, Guv Bob wrote:
When I was testing the soil, grass roots in the good areas went down
at least 4 inches. I'm inland in So Calif and we got less than 4
inches of rain last year. Where the grass is established, I seldom
have to water more than once every 7-10 days. Over the years, I
have watched to see which grass dies and which will go without water,
and tried to expand the more drought tolerant. Seat of the pants
method, but it works for me.

You, Higgs Boson, and I are all in southern California. Higgs is
coastal (near Santa Monica Bay), and I am in what the National Weather
Service calls a coastal valley (near Thousand Oaks and the Santa Monica
Mountains National Recreation Area). Where are you?

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

"David E. Ross" wrote:

You, Higgs Boson, and I are all in southern California. Higgs is
coastal (near Santa Monica Bay), and I am in what the National
Weather Service calls a coastal valley (near Thousand Oaks and
the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area).
Where are you?

I've already told you where he lives.

Long Beach.

"David E. Ross" wrote in message ...
On 7/20/2014 11:31 PM, Guv Bob wrote:
When I was testing the soil, grass roots in the good areas went down
at least 4 inches. I'm inland in So Calif and we got less than 4
inches of rain last year. Where the grass is established, I seldom
have to water more than once every 7-10 days. Over the years, I
have watched to see which grass dies and which will go without water,
and tried to expand the more drought tolerant. Seat of the pants
method, but it works for me.

You, Higgs Boson, and I are all in southern California. Higgs is
coastal (near Santa Monica Bay), and I am in what the National Weather
Service calls a coastal valley (near Thousand Oaks and the Santa Monica
Mountains National Recreation Area). Where are you?

N. San Diego County, about 15 miles inland.

"HomeGuy" Home@guy.com wrote in message ...
"David E. Ross" wrote:

You, Higgs Boson, and I are all in southern California. Higgs is
coastal (near Santa Monica Bay), and I am in what the National
Weather Service calls a coastal valley (near Thousand Oaks and
the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area).
Where are you?

I've already told you where he lives.

Long Beach.

Why did you guess Long Beach?

On Sun, 20 Jul 2014 09:22:21 -0400, HomeGuy
Home@guy.com wrote:

Tony Hwang wrote:

Lawn aeration is a crock.

Definitely beneficial for healthy lawn in our locale.

Stupid move, Tony. You're deluding yourself.

In areas that get sub-freezing in winter (like most of Canada) the many
cycles of frost heaving (freeze-thaw) in winter does a great job of
breaking up residential soil.

Think about it.

Just look what it does to our roads, and imagine what is going on in the
soil.

Long Beach CA is not northern Canada by a long shot.

?-)

On Mon, 21 Jul 2014 17:44:03 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

Why did you guess Long Beach?


She is a canuck? I had you closer to Huntington Beach / Irvine

"Guv Bob" wrote in message
news Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel
filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head
pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper
aerator.


----------

how about a Tommy Gun?

Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.

On 8/6/14, 3:19 PM, Guv Bob wrote:
Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.


Well what do you know ? There is such a thing..........in Australia !

see page 30 of http://www.hicksturf.com.au/pdf/productcatalogue.pdf

On Wednesday, August 6, 2014 4:26:01 PM UTC-4, Retired wrote:
On 8/6/14, 3:19 PM, Guv Bob wrote:

Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......



Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.





Well what do you know ? There is such a thing..........in Australia !



see page 30 of http://www.hicksturf.com.au/pdf/productcatalogue.pdf

He said he wants one with "tubes", by which I think he means one that
cuts plugs out, not one with spikes. That one uses spikes.

I wonder if he's ever used such a thing? Even the contraption in the
catalog, I would think would be next to impossible to use. A 20 gal roller
would weigh 160 lbs+ and you could pull it around by hand on a concrete floor.
But a roller with spikes that sink into the turf? Or even worse, tubes that
go 3" into the soil? I sure wouldn't want to be the guy using it. I've
wrestled with the power ones that you can rent, and even they aren't much
fun.

On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 11:19:24 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.

On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 11:19:24 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.

That tiny area, what a wuss. I have a Mantis tiller, greatest
gardening tool out there... get the aerating attachment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0
I use mine to till my 50' X 50' vegetable garden, in fact I used it
yesterday to aerate around my vegetable plants... don't let its size
fool you. it's got plenty of power yet any 80 pound wuss can handle
it. The Mantis won't till never tilled land, too many roots n' rocks,
but once it's tilled the Mantis can handle all your gardening chores.
I had a 7 HP monster tiller but once I got the Mantis I never used it
so I sold that behemouth... I love that Mantis because my wife can use
it for her flower beds and I don't need to deal with them. Anyone
needs to till raw land rent a monster tiller, then buy a Mantis. I
even had a giant tiller I could attach to my tractor's 3 point hitch
and would till a 5' swarth, sold that to the same guy who bought my 7
HP Simplicity tiller... he had dreams of growing several acres of
pumpkins. For aerating under 1000 sq ft and I was a cheap *******
like you I'd poke holes with this, wouldn't take me more than 2 hours:
http://www.amazon.com/Tine-Pitchfork...7359596&sr=1-7

"Retired" wrote in message ...
On 8/6/14, 3:19 PM, Guv Bob wrote:
Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.


Well what do you know ? There is such a thing..........in Australia !

see page 30 of http://www.hicksturf.com.au/pdf/productcatalogue.pdf

Thanks, Retired. That's the idea, only the kind I'm looking for has cylinders that remove plugs like these.... Cylinders are tapered so that the bottom is slightly smaller diameter than the top, making it easier for plugs to move up and out...

http://www.deerwood.bc.ca/wp-content...woodedited.jpg

http://www.kitchenfoodgarden.com/wp-...re-aerator.jpg

On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 13:48:26 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

see page 30 of http://www.hicksturf.com.au/pdf/productcatalogue.pdf

He said he wants one with "tubes", by which I think he means one that
cuts plugs out, not one with spikes. That one uses spikes.

I wonder if he's ever used such a thing? Even the contraption in the
catalog, I would think would be next to impossible to use. A 20 gal roller
would weigh 160 lbs+ and you could pull it around by hand on a concrete floor.
But a roller with spikes that sink into the turf? Or even worse, tubes that
go 3" into the soil? I sure wouldn't want to be the guy using it. I've
wrestled with the power ones that you can rent, and even they aren't much
fun.

I agree; plus, the OP is dealing with clay soil. It would be cheaper
and less effort to have a landscaper come and core the area.

"Brooklyn1" wrote in message ...
On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 11:19:24 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.

That tiny area, what a wuss. I have a Mantis tiller, greatest
gardening tool out there... get the aerating attachment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0
I use mine to till my 50' X 50' vegetable garden, in fact I used it
yesterday to aerate around my vegetable plants... don't let its size
fool you. it's got plenty of power yet any 80 pound wuss can handle
it. The Mantis won't till never tilled land, too many roots n' rocks,
but once it's tilled the Mantis can handle all your gardening chores.
I had a 7 HP monster tiller but once I got the Mantis I never used it
so I sold that behemouth... I love that Mantis because my wife can use
it for her flower beds and I don't need to deal with them. Anyone
needs to till raw land rent a monster tiller, then buy a Mantis. I
even had a giant tiller I could attach to my tractor's 3 point hitch
and would till a 5' swarth, sold that to the same guy who bought my 7
HP Simplicity tiller... he had dreams of growing several acres of
pumpkins. For aerating under 1000 sq ft and I was a cheap *******
like you I'd poke holes with this, wouldn't take me more than 2 hours:
http://www.amazon.com/Tine-Pitchfork...7359596&sr=1-7

Don't need a tiller or a pitchfork. LOL! It would be a waste for me to buy a Mantis just to aerate a lawn every year or so. Are you sure that video shows an aerator attachment? Good try but stupid idea.

On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 22:56:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

snipped

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0

[...]

Are you sure that video shows an aerator attachment? Good try but stupid idea.

It is aerating, just a different approach. The Mantis is cutting slits
in the ground (3 inches deep ?), instead of pulling core plugs out. It
achieves basically the same thing. Breaks up the compacted soil,
allows oxygen and micro nutrients, and water to penetrate deeper.

I'd not use the Mantis on large lot, but would for a small area to
break up compacted clay. For a large lot, I'd use a real coring
machine. Both will remove some thatch.

On Thu, 7 Aug 2014 08:55:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

"Oren" wrote in message ...
On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 22:56:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

snipped

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0

[...]

Are you sure that video shows an aerator attachment? Good try but stupid idea.

It is aerating, just a different approach. The Mantis is cutting slits
in the ground (3 inches deep ?), instead of pulling core plugs out. It
achieves basically the same thing. Breaks up the compacted soil,
allows oxygen and micro nutrients, and water to penetrate deeper.

I'd not use the Mantis on large lot, but would for a small area to
break up compacted clay. For a large lot, I'd use a real coring
machine. Both will remove some thatch.

Slitting is not good for this situation. It would do does a lot more damage to the roots and generally makes a muddy mess. Slits close up quickly. Holes from plugs give water somewhere to drain and filter. Same for fertilizer & grass seed. Slitting is always a stupid idea.


So what is your plan of attack, Bob. If you do buy a barrel roller,
will you ever use it again?

On Thu, 7 Aug 2014 08:55:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

"Oren" wrote in message ...
On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 22:56:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

snipped

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0

[...]

Are you sure that video shows an aerator attachment? Good try but stupid idea.

It is aerating, just a different approach. The Mantis is cutting slits
in the ground (3 inches deep ?), instead of pulling core plugs out. It
achieves basically the same thing. Breaks up the compacted soil,
allows oxygen and micro nutrients, and water to penetrate deeper.

I'd not use the Mantis on large lot, but would for a small area to
break up compacted clay. For a large lot, I'd use a real coring
machine. Both will remove some thatch.

Slitting is not good for this situation. It would do does a lot more damage to the roots and generally makes a muddy mess. Slits close up quickly. Holes from plugs give water somewhere to drain and filter. Same for fertilizer & grass seed. Slitting is always a stupid idea.


It works well for "renovating" a lawn - slit seeding if done properly
DOES work - it is like using a seed drill

Guv Bob wrote:
Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head? The one I'm looking for is pulled by hand. I have too much area to cover for the foot-stomper type, but don't need to get a motorized version.

Tool and equipment rental shops sometimes have them. Most people don't
want to buy something so big and so rarely used.

"Oren" wrote in message ...
On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 22:56:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

snipped

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0

[...]

Are you sure that video shows an aerator attachment? Good try but stupid idea.

It is aerating, just a different approach. The Mantis is cutting slits
in the ground (3 inches deep ?), instead of pulling core plugs out. It
achieves basically the same thing. Breaks up the compacted soil,
allows oxygen and micro nutrients, and water to penetrate deeper.

I'd not use the Mantis on large lot, but would for a small area to
break up compacted clay. For a large lot, I'd use a real coring
machine. Both will remove some thatch.

Slitting is not good for this situation. It would do does a lot more damage to the roots and generally makes a muddy mess. Slits close up quickly. Holes from plugs give water somewhere to drain and filter. Same for fertilizer & grass seed. Slitting is always a stupid idea.

On Thursday, August 7, 2014 12:33:54 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Thu, 7 Aug 2014 08:55:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"

wrote:



"Oren" wrote in message ...

On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 22:56:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"

wrote:



snipped



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0



[...]



Are you sure that video shows an aerator attachment? Good try but stupid idea.



It is aerating, just a different approach. The Mantis is cutting slits

in the ground (3 inches deep ?), instead of pulling core plugs out. It

achieves basically the same thing. Breaks up the compacted soil,

allows oxygen and micro nutrients, and water to penetrate deeper.



I'd not use the Mantis on large lot, but would for a small area to

break up compacted clay. For a large lot, I'd use a real coring

machine. Both will remove some thatch.



Slitting is not good for this situation. It would do does a lot more damage to the roots and generally makes a muddy mess. Slits close up quickly.. Holes from plugs give water somewhere to drain and filter. Same for fertilizer & grass seed. Slitting is always a stupid idea.





It works well for "renovating" a lawn - slit seeding if done properly

DOES work - it is like using a seed drill

I agree. Slit seeding type device is useless for aeration, but it is very
effective for seeding.

On Thu, 07 Aug 2014 08:42:13 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 22:56:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

snipped

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0

[...]

Are you sure that video shows an aerator attachment? Good try but stupid idea.

It is aerating, just a different approach. The Mantis is cutting slits
in the ground (3 inches deep ?), instead of pulling core plugs out. It
achieves basically the same thing. Breaks up the compacted soil,
allows oxygen and micro nutrients, and water to penetrate deeper.

I'd not use the Mantis on large lot, but would for a small area to
break up compacted clay. For a large lot, I'd use a real coring
machine. Both will remove some thatch.

The Mantis aerating tines do a great job of thatching, for weeding
simply reverse the tilling tines, works well. And depends what you
mean by a "large" lot... the Mantis can handle any size lot one would
normally push mow... I'd say it could handle a 1/4 acre, for anything
much more than a 1/4 acre I'd prefer a riding mower.

"Not-Home" wrote:
Guv Bob wrote:
Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head? The one I'm looking for is pulled by hand. I have too much area to cover for the foot-stomper type, but don't need to get a motorized version.

Tool and equipment rental shops sometimes have them. Most people don't
want to buy something so big and so rarely used.

Very true, and you certainly wouldn't use it to aerate only 1,000 sq
ft.

On Thu, 7 Aug 2014 08:55:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

"Oren" wrote in message ...
On Wed, 6 Aug 2014 22:56:01 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

snipped

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zl9duO1o0

[...]

Are you sure that video shows an aerator attachment? Good try but stupid idea.

It is aerating, just a different approach. The Mantis is cutting slits
in the ground (3 inches deep ?), instead of pulling core plugs out. It
achieves basically the same thing. Breaks up the compacted soil,
allows oxygen and micro nutrients, and water to penetrate deeper.

I'd not use the Mantis on large lot, but would for a small area to
break up compacted clay. For a large lot, I'd use a real coring
machine. Both will remove some thatch.

Slitting is not good for this situation. It would do does a lot more damage to the roots and generally makes a muddy mess. Slits close up quickly. Holes from plugs give water somewhere to drain and filter. Same for fertilizer & grass seed. Slitting is always a stupid idea.

If you know so much WTF are you asking for advice?!?!? Duh

On Fri, 15 Aug 2014 15:50:37 -0800, "Guv Bob"
wrote:

"Guv Bob" wrote in message news Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.

Magically someone was passing out flyers to do aeration in the neighborhood this week. This is the just the 2nd time I've seen someone come by in 20 years.
Prices listed vary from $80-160 front and back, depending on any extra services.

Let us know what you finally decide. How old is this thread now?

"Guv Bob" wrote in message news Now that we have all the comments and theories about aeration......

Anybody know where to get an aerator that's basically a 20-gallon barrel filled with water with a row of aerator tubes fastened around each head pulled by hand? Less than 1000 sq ft and too hard for foot-stomper aerator.

Magically someone was passing out flyers to do aeration in the neighborhood this week. This is the just the 2nd time I've seen someone come by in 20 years.
Prices listed vary from $80-160 front and back, depending on any extra services.