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Lawn Aerator
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.
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Lawn Aerator
"Guv Bob" wrote in message ...
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. |
Lawn Aerator
On Friday, July 18, 2014 3:32:23 PM UTC-4, Guv Bob wrote:
"Guv Bob" wrote in message ... 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 just rent a motorized one for about $60 if I need it. Local rental shop or HD. I can't imagine trying to pull a barrel filled with water that's poking holes in the ground around by hand. Even the motorized ones are a bitch to turn around. You sure what you think is for use by hand isn't meant to be pulled by a tractor? |
Lawn Aerator
"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 |
Lawn Aerator
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. |
Lawn Aerator
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. Worms will do that for you unless you've poisoned the ground with chemical insecticides . -- Snag |
Lawn Aerator
trader_4 wrote:
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 believe the next plug forces the previous plug out. The plug cutter is slightly tapered so they push out easily. |
Lawn Aerator
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? |
Lawn Aerator
On 7/18/2014 6:36 PM, HomeGuy wrote:
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? Spike aerators do more damage than they correct. They compact the soil around the holes they create. Plugging aerators loosen the soil by removing plugs. Where the soil is heavy clay, this can be a great benefit. The holes permit water to penetrate the surface, carrying nutrients towards roots. Believe it or not, roots also benefit from the increase in oxygen reaching them. Spike aerators prevent all this instead of permitting it. Aeration can be important wherever there is foot traffic across a planted area. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean, see http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary |
Lawn Aerator
"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. |
Lawn Aerator
"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. PS - This is out near the desert - not anywhere close to Long Beach. |
Lawn Aerator
On 7/18/2014 8:19 PM, Guv Bob wrote:
"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. I suggest you apply a thin layer of gypsum over the area and dampen it. Then, over the next 2-3 weeks, slowly rinse it into the soil. This will start to break up the clay so that however you aerate it, you will get good results. Yes, I am a big fan of gypsum. No, I do not have any direct investment in any company that mines, processes, or sells gypsum. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean, see http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary |
Lawn Aerator
On Friday, July 18, 2014 9:36:13 PM UTC-4, H o m e G u y wrote:
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? This coming from the genius that buys ready-to-use Roundup on sale for $20 a gallon and thinks he got a great deal. And is equally clueless about how to apply it. Yes folks, listen to him for lawn and garden advice..... |
Lawn Aerator
In article ,
"David E. Ross" wrote: I suggest you apply a thin layer of gypsum over the area and dampen it. Then, over the next 2-3 weeks, slowly rinse it into the soil. This will start to break up the clay so that however you aerate it, you will get good results. Yes, I am a big fan of gypsum. No, I do not have any direct investment in any company that mines, processes, or sells gypsum. Which answers te question I was going to ask. We are quite rightly called "Clay Township" and even aerating once a year for 5 years and twice for the last 3 haven't made any noticable improvement in problem areas. Gypsum now and then aerate in the fall? -- ?Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.? ? Aaron Levenstein |
Lawn Aerator
On Saturday, July 19, 2014 9:53:32 AM UTC-4, Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article , "David E. Ross" wrote: I suggest you apply a thin layer of gypsum over the area and dampen it. Then, over the next 2-3 weeks, slowly rinse it into the soil. This will start to break up the clay so that however you aerate it, you will get good results. Yes, I am a big fan of gypsum. No, I do not have any direct investment in any company that mines, processes, or sells gypsum. Which answers te question I was going to ask. We are quite rightly called "Clay Township" and even aerating once a year for 5 years and twice for the last 3 haven't made any noticable improvement in problem areas. Gypsum now and then aerate in the fall? I'd do the gypsum right after aerating. With open holes, some of the gypsum will make it a few inches into the soil. |
Lawn Aerator
On 7/19/2014 6:53 AM, Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article , "David E. Ross" wrote: I suggest you apply a thin layer of gypsum over the area and dampen it. Then, over the next 2-3 weeks, slowly rinse it into the soil. This will start to break up the clay so that however you aerate it, you will get good results. Yes, I am a big fan of gypsum. No, I do not have any direct investment in any company that mines, processes, or sells gypsum. Which answers te question I was going to ask. We are quite rightly called "Clay Township" and even aerating once a year for 5 years and twice for the last 3 haven't made any noticable improvement in problem areas. Gypsum now and then aerate in the fall? In my area, rain (if it ever falls again :( ) is in the winter. I apply gypsum in November. Not having small children any more to run across my small lawn, I do not need to mechanically aerate. (Visits from grandchildren are an occasional treat.) When I had a larger lawn and small children, I would mechanically aerate about two weeks after applying gypsum. This would mean that I maximized the penetration of rain. The answer to your question thus depends on your climate. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean, see http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary |
Lawn Aerator
On Fri, 18 Jul 2014 21:26:56 -0700, "David E. Ross"
wrote: 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. I suggest you apply a thin layer of gypsum over the area and dampen it. Then, over the next 2-3 weeks, slowly rinse it into the soil. This will start to break up the clay so that however you aerate it, you will get good results. Yes, I am a big fan of gypsum. No, I do not have any direct investment in any company that mines, processes, or sells gypsum. +1 on using gypsum. Use a coring aerator that removes the 2" plugs. Scatter the gypsum and water the area. The gypsum helps break down the clay so water can penetrate the soil - in my experience. Coring also allows plenty of oxygen into the soil. Even a good time to over seed with grass seed. Leave the plug cores on the ground and they eventually break down in a week or so. |
Lawn Aerator
Oren wrote:
+1 on using gypsum. Use a coring aerator that removes the 2" plugs. Scatter the gypsum and water the area. The gypsum helps break down the clay so water can penetrate the soil - in my experience. Coring also allows plenty of oxygen into the soil. You guys (particularly you Oren) are full of so much **** on this topic it's beyond belief. Your ideas especially about oxygen are pulled straight out of your ass. You have absolutely no idea what the gas permeability is of soil, especially given all the different conditions you're going to encounter. This guy (Bob) lives in what is becoming a desert (California, Long Beach). His soil will be very dry and porous and this is not an issue of getting more atmospheric gas in contact with roots. The accepted treatment for patchy lawns growing in clay is to top-dress frequently with top soil and throw in grass seed and fertilizer. AND LOTS OF WATER - something the OP will not be able to do. There are con artists that troll neighborhoods in the spring with aerators they rent from Home Despot. I garantee you they do not bring top soil or gypsum with them to rake into the holes as part of their con jobs. And they set their plugs to barely reach 1.5 or 2" so they don't cut any in-ground infrastructure (irrigation lines, telephone or RG-6 coax cable). The OP has primarily a water problem, and either too much or too little shade for his lawn to thrive. Throwing down a good amount of fertilizer and water can do amazing things for a lawn, even in clay. I live in the middle of the great lakes - this is clay central. My own property is in an area that was once dug up decades ago for clay to make bricks. I have never once aerated my lawn in 15 years of ownership. My grass does very well in the areas I bother to take care of it. And here I will give you one expert who is basically saying that adding gypsum after the fact to an established lawn is full of ****: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/as...AskSiteI D=34 ============== We often get this question about how to improve the structure of a soil after plants or in your case a lawn has been installed. It is not easy and often there is not a very efficient way of doing this because you don't want to start over. Ideally we like to see soil improvement done before planting and the best way is to incorporate a lot of organic matter into the soil. Many people think that gypsum is the magic cure for clay soils. While gypsum is often suggested to help loosen up clay soil by getting between the particles and helping to floculate or open up the soil for better air and ater movement it often takes time and if a plant is there again it can't be incorporated the way it should be. The only way I think you can help a tight clay soil under sod is to do vigorous core cultivation. This means using a machine that puts holes into the ground that are at least 4 inches deep and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter with the holes being no more than 2 inches apart. After that you can topdress with good soil that is worked into the holes and allows air and water to start moving down and supporting good root structure. Gypsum could be added but it isn't going to do the job as well as if it were to be fully incorporated. Doing this coring regularly will eventually start to "replace" the soil one core at a time allowing a better soil environment for root development. ================ FOUR inches deep. Take note of that. Half inch to 3/4 diam, NO MORE THAN 2 INCHES APART. Your lawn is going to look like swiss cheese after that. If you're going to do that, you might as well rototill the whole thing, and ADD SAND. Playground or brick sand. That will probably work better (and cheaper) than gypsum. "Doing this coring regularly ..." Who the hell wants to break their back doing that "regularly" ? Either just top-dress once or twice a year, or rototill the whole dam lawn, truck a good amount of the clay away and replace with some good black earth and load it with some good grass seed and fertilize. But again, maybe you're just wasting your time since you're in the middle of a drought and who knows when it will end. Probably not a good time (or a good decade) to try to do any lawn rehabilitation in California. |
Lawn Aerator
trader_4 wrote:
On Friday, July 18, 2014 3:32:23 PM UTC-4, Guv Bob wrote: "Guv Bob" wrote in message ... 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 just rent a motorized one for about $60 if I need it. Local rental shop or HD. I can't imagine trying to pull a barrel filled with water that's poking holes in the ground around by hand. Even the motorized ones are a bitch to turn around. You sure what you think is for use by hand isn't meant to be pulled by a tractor? Hi, +1, specially when area to cover is large. |
Lawn Aerator
On 7/19/2014 9:50 AM, HomeGuy wrote:
Oren wrote: +1 on using gypsum. Use a coring aerator that removes the 2" plugs. Scatter the gypsum and water the area. The gypsum helps break down the clay so water can penetrate the soil - in my experience. Coring also allows plenty of oxygen into the soil. You guys (particularly you Oren) are full of so much **** on this topic it's beyond belief. Your ideas especially about oxygen are pulled straight out of your ass. You have absolutely no idea what the gas permeability is of soil, especially given all the different conditions you're going to encounter. This guy (Bob) lives in what is becoming a desert (California, Long Beach). His soil will be very dry and porous and this is not an issue of getting more atmospheric gas in contact with roots. The accepted treatment for patchy lawns growing in clay is to top-dress frequently with top soil and throw in grass seed and fertilizer. AND LOTS OF WATER - something the OP will not be able to do. There are con artists that troll neighborhoods in the spring with aerators they rent from Home Despot. I garantee you they do not bring top soil or gypsum with them to rake into the holes as part of their con jobs. And they set their plugs to barely reach 1.5 or 2" so they don't cut any in-ground infrastructure (irrigation lines, telephone or RG-6 coax cable). The OP has primarily a water problem, and either too much or too little shade for his lawn to thrive. Throwing down a good amount of fertilizer and water can do amazing things for a lawn, even in clay. I live in the middle of the great lakes - this is clay central. My own property is in an area that was once dug up decades ago for clay to make bricks. I have never once aerated my lawn in 15 years of ownership. My grass does very well in the areas I bother to take care of it. And here I will give you one expert who is basically saying that adding gypsum after the fact to an established lawn is full of ****: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/as...AskSiteI D=34 ============== We often get this question about how to improve the structure of a soil after plants or in your case a lawn has been installed. It is not easy and often there is not a very efficient way of doing this because you don't want to start over. Ideally we like to see soil improvement done before planting and the best way is to incorporate a lot of organic matter into the soil. Many people think that gypsum is the magic cure for clay soils. While gypsum is often suggested to help loosen up clay soil by getting between the particles and helping to floculate or open up the soil for better air and ater movement it often takes time and if a plant is there again it can't be incorporated the way it should be. The only way I think you can help a tight clay soil under sod is to do vigorous core cultivation. This means using a machine that puts holes into the ground that are at least 4 inches deep and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter with the holes being no more than 2 inches apart. After that you can topdress with good soil that is worked into the holes and allows air and water to start moving down and supporting good root structure. Gypsum could be added but it isn't going to do the job as well as if it were to be fully incorporated. Doing this coring regularly will eventually start to "replace" the soil one core at a time allowing a better soil environment for root development. ================ FOUR inches deep. Take note of that. Half inch to 3/4 diam, NO MORE THAN 2 INCHES APART. Your lawn is going to look like swiss cheese after that. If you're going to do that, you might as well rototill the whole thing, and ADD SAND. Playground or brick sand. That will probably work better (and cheaper) than gypsum. "Doing this coring regularly ..." Who the hell wants to break their back doing that "regularly" ? Either just top-dress once or twice a year, or rototill the whole dam lawn, truck a good amount of the clay away and replace with some good black earth and load it with some good grass seed and fertilize. But again, maybe you're just wasting your time since you're in the middle of a drought and who knows when it will end. Probably not a good time (or a good decade) to try to do any lawn rehabilitation in California. You -- HomeGuy -- have just joined Todd in my filter system. Good-bye. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean, see http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary |
Lawn Aerator
HomeGuy wrote:
Guv Bob wrote: Anybody know where to get an aerator ... Lawn aeration is a crock. Hi, Not really, depends on where you live due to difference in soil condition. I admire people talking in definitive and subjective terms. When I lived in ON. I never used aerator. |
Lawn Aerator
David E. Ross wrote:
On 7/18/2014 6:36 PM, HomeGuy wrote: 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? Spike aerators do more damage than they correct. They compact the soil around the holes they create. Plugging aerators loosen the soil by removing plugs. Where the soil is heavy clay, this can be a great benefit. The holes permit water to penetrate the surface, carrying nutrients towards roots. Believe it or not, roots also benefit from the increase in oxygen reaching them. Spike aerators prevent all this instead of permitting it. Aeration can be important wherever there is foot traffic across a planted area. Hi, +1. Definitely beneficial for healthy lawn in our locale. |
Lawn Aerator
HomeGuy" "Home wrote:
Oren wrote: +1 on using gypsum. Use a coring aerator that removes the 2" plugs. Scatter the gypsum and water the area. The gypsum helps break down the clay so water can penetrate the soil - in my experience. Coring also allows plenty of oxygen into the soil. You guys (particularly you Oren) are full of so much **** on this topic it's beyond belief. Your ideas especially about oxygen are pulled straight out of your ass. You may (or may not) be the world's greatest authority on lawns but there is no reason to be so rude regardless of your expertise. Try and learn from those who know more and teach those who know less without struting your ego so much. David - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A better world requires a daily struggle against those who would mislead us. |
Lawn Aerator
David E. Ross wrote:
You -- HomeGuy -- have just joined Todd in my filter system. Good-bye. Good luck on that. |
Lawn Aerator
David E. Ross wrote:
You -- HomeGuy -- have just joined Todd in my filter system. Good-bye. You -- David Ross - you'll read my posts when and if I want you to. Bob F wrote: Good luck on that. Yes, that's what I'm thinking. |
Lawn Aerator
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. |
Lawn Aerator
On Saturday, July 19, 2014 12:50:50 PM UTC-4, H o m e G u y wrote:
Oren wrote: +1 on using gypsum. Use a coring aerator that removes the 2" plugs. Scatter the gypsum and water the area. The gypsum helps break down the clay so water can penetrate the soil - in my experience. Coring also allows plenty of oxygen into the soil. You guys (particularly you Oren) are full of so much **** on this topic it's beyond belief. Your ideas especially about oxygen are pulled straight out of your ass. You have absolutely no idea what the gas permeability is of soil, especially given all the different conditions you're going to encounter. This guy (Bob) lives in what is becoming a desert (California, Long Beach). His soil will be very dry and porous and this is not an issue of getting more atmospheric gas in contact with roots. The accepted treatment for patchy lawns growing in clay is to top-dress frequently with top soil and throw in grass seed and fertilizer. AND LOTS OF WATER - something the OP will not be able to do. There are con artists that troll neighborhoods in the spring with aerators they rent from Home Despot. I garantee you they do not bring top soil or gypsum with them to rake into the holes as part of their con jobs. And they set their plugs to barely reach 1.5 or 2" so they don't cut any in-ground infrastructure (irrigation lines, telephone or RG-6 coax cable). The OP has primarily a water problem, and either too much or too little shade for his lawn to thrive. Throwing down a good amount of fertilizer and water can do amazing things for a lawn, even in clay. I live in the middle of the great lakes - this is clay central. My own property is in an area that was once dug up decades ago for clay to make bricks. I have never once aerated my lawn in 15 years of ownership. My grass does very well in the areas I bother to take care of it. And here I will give you one expert who is basically saying that adding gypsum after the fact to an established lawn is full of ****: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/as...AskSiteI D=34 ============== We often get this question about how to improve the structure of a soil after plants or in your case a lawn has been installed. It is not easy and often there is not a very efficient way of doing this because you don't want to start over. Ideally we like to see soil improvement done before planting and the best way is to incorporate a lot of organic matter into the soil. Many people think that gypsum is the magic cure for clay soils. While gypsum is often suggested to help loosen up clay soil by getting between the particles and helping to floculate or open up the soil for better air and ater movement it often takes time and if a plant is there again it can't be incorporated the way it should be. The only way I think you can help a tight clay soil under sod is to do vigorous core cultivation. This means using a machine that puts holes into the ground that are at least 4 inches deep and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter with the holes being no more than 2 inches apart. After that you can topdress with good soil that is worked into the holes and allows air and water to start moving down and supporting good root structure. Gypsum could be added but it isn't going to do the job as well as if it were to be fully incorporated. Doing this coring regularly will eventually start to "replace" the soil one core at a time allowing a better soil environment for root development. ================ FOUR inches deep. Take note of that. Half inch to 3/4 diam, NO MORE THAN 2 INCHES APART. Your lawn is going to look like swiss cheese after that. If you're going to do that, you might as well rototill the whole thing, and ADD SAND. Playground or brick sand. That will probably work better (and cheaper) than gypsum. What a buffoon. You especially have to love how he cites as a reference a guy that gives advice close to what many others here, including I said. Which is that aerating followed by gypsum will help. Yet the ignoramus somehow turns that completely around and bleets out "Your lawn will look like swiss cheese! You might as well rototill it all up" Just some of the highly credible experts who also say HomeLessGuy once again doesn't know what he's talking about: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgi.../hgic1200.html http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-002/430-002_pdf.pdf http://www.walterreeves.com/lawn-care/lawn-aeration/ http://olympiawa.gov/city-utilities/...ration-program http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6749 HomeLEssGuy, I hear HD has Ready-to-USe Roundup, which you told us you like to buy at $20 a gallon, because it's a good deal, waiting for you. Yes indeed, lawn advice from a guy who buys RTU roundup. That speaks volumes about knowledge, experience and good judgement. "Doing this coring regularly ..." Who the hell wants to break their back doing that "regularly" ? Either just top-dress once or twice a year, or rototill the whole dam lawn, truck a good amount of the clay away and replace with some good black earth and load it with some good grass seed and fertilize. But again, maybe you're just wasting your time since you're in the middle of a drought and who knows when it will end. Probably not a good time (or a good decade) to try to do any lawn rehabilitation in California. |
Lawn Aerator
trader_4 full-quoted:
What a buffoon. You especially have to love how he cites as a reference a guy that gives advice close to what many others here, including I said. Which is that aerating followed by gypsum will help. http://web.extension.illinois.edu/as...AskSiteI D=34 Is english your second language? Do you have a reading comprehension problem? Look again at what that guy said: ============== The only way I think you can help a tight clay soil under sod is ... ============== He says "I think". He thinks gypsum can help. His entire slant is that it's a crap shoot to use gypsum that way to improve an existing lawn. He also said this: ----------- After that you can topdress with good soil ----------- Which is what I also said and for which NOBODY ELSE has said. Yet the ignoramus somehow turns that completely around and bleets out "Your lawn will look like swiss cheese! I dare you to explain how your lawn wouldn't look like swiss cheese after this: ========= FOUR inches deep. Take note of that. Half inch to 3/4 diam, NO MORE THAN 2 INCHES APART. ========= HomeLEssGuy, I hear HD has Ready-to-USe Roundup, which you told us you like to buy at $20 a gallon, because it's a good deal, waiting for you. Yes - it was a good deal, because I've already told you that retail availability of concentrated Roundup is not available to me - but you've got a short attention span and probably dementia as well. Also - the 5-liter hand-pump sprayer the Roundup came in now functions very well as the applicator for the concentrated mix of Ortho Weed B Gon that I now use. Yes indeed, lawn advice from a guy who buys RTU roundup. That speaks volumes about knowledge, experience and good judgement. How many times are you going to keep beating that horse to death? Do you know how stupid you look harping on that silly point, a point you *think* you hold the logical high-ground on? |
Lawn Aerator
HomeGuy wrote:
Guv Bob wrote: Anybody know where to get an aerator ... Why do you think your residential front or back yard needs plugs of turf to be removed from it? Plugs are NOT removed, they are extracted and returned to the lawn. Plug aeration is a mild form of tilling that doesn't disturb the turf, an excellent practice for ALL established lawns. I do not recommend aeration for non-lawns, then rototilling with added amendments is highly recommended. Aerating poor soil will not improve it, may even make poor soil worse by accelerating erosion. |
Lawn Aerator
On Sun, 20 Jul 2014 09:22:21 -0400, H o m e G u y
H o m e @ g u y . c o m 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. Poor analogy. Frost heaving may break up pavement but does nothing to improve compacted soil, in fact when it finally dries it will be more compacted. In spring as soon as soil is friable is the best time to till/aerate before soil dries. Garden soil is not pavement. |
Lawn Aerator
David E. Ross wrote:
You -- HomeGuy -- have just joined Todd in my filter system. Good-bye. Usenet Rule No. 106: Those who publicly announce killfiling do not. Best to simply ignore the douchebags without comment. |
Lawn Aerator
On Sunday, July 20, 2014 10:17:57 AM UTC-4, wrote:
trader_4 full-quoted: What a buffoon. You especially have to love how he cites as a reference a guy that gives advice close to what many others here, including I said. Which is that aerating followed by gypsum will help. http://web.extension.illinois.edu/as...AskSiteI D=34 Is english your second language? Do you have a reading comprehension problem? No but clearly you do, because the guy didn't say that aeration followed by gypsum would not help. Idiot. I dare you to explain how your lawn wouldn't look like swiss cheese after this: Obviously you've never done core aeration, so how would you even know? And it's supposed to look a bit like swiss cheese, that's precisely the point, idiot. Is your web browser broken: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgi.../hgic1200.html http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-002/430-002_pdf.pdf http://www.walterreeves.com/lawn-care/lawn-aeration/ http://olympiawa.gov/city-utilities/...ration-program http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6749 HomeLEssGuy, I hear HD has Ready-to-USe Roundup, which you told us you like to buy at $20 a gallon, because it's a good deal, waiting for you. Yes - it was a good deal, because I've already told you that retail availability of concentrated Roundup is not available to me - but you've got a short attention span and probably dementia as well. I'd suggest it's you who's the idiot, otherwise you'd have figured out you can also buy Roundup online from many sources and it would cost you 20 or 50 times less. But hey, continue to buy it at prices equal to paint, because you *are* the village idiot. Also - the 5-liter hand-pump sprayer the Roundup came in now functions very well as the applicator for the concentrated mix of Ortho Weed B Gon that I now use. Yeah, I'm sure it's a real gem. OF course for the same or less, you could have bought a 2 gallon tank sprayer that's a hell of a lot better and filled it up for 50 cents. Yes indeed, lawn advice from a guy who buys RTU roundup. That speaks volumes about knowledge, experience and good judgement. How many times are you going to keep beating that horse to death? As many times as I feel like seeing the monkey dance. |
Lawn Aerator
On Fri, 18 Jul 2014 19:18:31 -0700, "David E. Ross"
wrote: Spike aerators do more damage than they correct. They compact the soil around the holes they create. Plugging aerators loosen the soil by removing plugs. Where the soil is heavy clay, this can be a great benefit. The holes permit water to penetrate the surface, carrying nutrients towards roots. Believe it or not, roots also benefit from the increase in oxygen reaching them. Spike aerators prevent all this instead of permitting it. Aeration can be important wherever there is foot traffic across a planted area. "Plugging" aerators also remove thatch in the lawn turf at the same time (two birds - one stone). Here in the desert, we live on "hard pan" / compacted soil. Much of the reason we have flash floods from water not soaking into the ground. Dust is like talc powder. Gypsum is used to break down the difficult soil - reducing compaction. Many home gardens are in raised beads vs fighting the soil without a back-hoe. Golf course greens are aerated or thatched. |
Lawn Aerator
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, Completely absurd. A simple search of the effects of freeze-thaw cycles on soil quickly gave me this: ================== Secondary Frost Heave in Freezing Soils by Christopher Noon A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Oxford 1996 Frost heave is responsible for numerous environmental problems including damage to roads, pavements and the foundations of buildings. Other less obvious problems are caused by the weakening of ground when a frozen soil, especially one which has heaved, thaws. This occurs because frost heave and freezing of soil in general, induces a moisture flow up towards the freezing front thereby increasing its frozen water content and dramatically decreasing the frozen soil’s permeability due to a decrease in water fraction and the presence of ice lenses. Thawing occurs naturally from the soil surface downwards and hence the thawed soil can become saturated causing it to suffer a complete loss of strength. http://eprints.maths.ox.ac.uk/27/1/noon.pdf ================= 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. It is a complete crock of **** to think that aerating your lawn does anything to "break up" or "loosen" your soil under those conditions. And take a look at this: http://www.scotts.com/smg/goART2/Inf...myths/12300004 ====================== Myth #2: You Need to Aerate Your Lawn Every Year Aerating is hard work that requires expensive machinery. Fortunately, you may not have to do it. Aeration is helpful when your lawn has a lot of foot traffic that compacts the soil. Also, if you have a lot of thatch, or if you need to amend the soil, you may want to aerate. If not, save yourself some time and money, not to mention an aching back. Myth #3: Gypsum Aerates Your Lawn Somebody made a lot of money with this one. If you spread gypsum on your lawn, you'll end up with some very nice pebbles, but not an aerated lawn. ======================= Thatch removal or management is frequently mentioned as a byproduct of core aeration. What is never mentioned is that if you always bag and remove your grass clippings, you'll never have a thatch problem (and all associated problems that come from harboring various turf insects and diseases). And to some degree the raking of the plugs that happens by people who take more of an interest in lawn care and succumb to the placebo effect of thinking their lawns looks better after coring are really just seeing the effect of thatch removal which can make an early spring lawn look much better. |
Lawn Aerator
trader_4 wrote:
Is english your second language? Do you have a reading comprehension problem? No but clearly you do, because the guy didn't say that aeration followed by gypsum would not help. Idiot. He also said (and which you, like the intellectual coward that you are, did not quote): ============== The only way *I think* you can help a tight clay soil under sod is ... ============== Do you not understand that when someone says "I think" that they're just parroting the so-called typical practice and they themselves have not seen it work first-hand? I dare you to explain how your lawn wouldn't look like swiss cheese after this: Obviously you've never done core aeration, so how would you even know? I've seen how the scammers do it, and it's nothing even close to what the so-called expert described. And it's supposed to look a bit like swiss cheese, that's precisely the point, idiot. It's not how most people *think* they need to do it to have the desired effect. Yes - it was a good deal, because I've already told you that retail availability of concentrated Roundup is not available to me - but you've got a short attention span and probably dementia as well. I'd suggest it's you who's the idiot, otherwise you'd have figured out you can also buy Roundup online from many sources Shipping alone would cost me $20 for a 1 or 2 lb package, and I'm not even sure that there are online retailers who will ship Roundup within (or to) Canada. and it would cost you 20 or 50 times less. What kind of jack ass are you exactly that keeps thinking I need a barrel full of Roundup? 20 times less than $20 is what - $1 ? So with all costs factored in, you keep foolishly asserting that I could have bought all the roundup that *I need* for a grand total of One Dollar? (and no - my neighbors have no need for the stuff). How many times are you going to keep beating that horse to death? As many times as I feel like seeing the monkey dance. The only jack ass around here is you - and you prove it with every post. Obviously like many of your countrymen you're so dirt poor that you take every opportunity to froth at the mouth at how you can save a buck. Some of us can afford the conveinence of pre-mixed chemicals like Roundup. So get over it. |
Lawn Aerator
On Sunday, July 20, 2014 12:36:37 PM UTC-4, wrote:
trader_4 wrote: Is english your second language? Do you have a reading comprehension problem? No but clearly you do, because the guy didn't say that aeration followed by gypsum would not help. Idiot. He also said (and which you, like the intellectual coward that you are, did not quote): ============== The only way *I think* you can help a tight clay soil under sod is ... ============== Do you not understand that when someone says "I think" that they're just parroting the so-called typical practice and they themselves have not seen it work first-hand? Do you not understand that if you believe some "expert" is just parroting something and don't have first-hand experience, that you shouldn't be using them as a reference? Good grief. I dare you to explain how your lawn wouldn't look like swiss cheese after this: Obviously you've never done core aeration, so how would you even know? I've seen how the scammers do it, and it's nothing even close to what the so-called expert described. Obviously what scammers do has nothing to do with doing the job correctly. Following your logic, because you see scammers doing a crap job painting a house, that;s an indictment against painting your house. Go figure. And it's supposed to look a bit like swiss cheese, that's precisely the point, idiot. It's not how most people *think* they need to do it to have the desired effect. I have no way of knowing what "most" people think about aeration. Neither do you, nor does it matter. Yes - it was a good deal, because I've already told you that retail availability of concentrated Roundup is not available to me - but you've got a short attention span and probably dementia as well. I'd suggest it's you who's the idiot, otherwise you'd have figured out you can also buy Roundup online from many sources Shipping alone would cost me $20 for a 1 or 2 lb package, and I'm not even sure that there are online retailers who will ship Roundup within (or to) Canada. How can that be in that utopia of a country, Canada? And even if it's true, if you do the math, you'd still be getting it at 20 to 40 times less cost than buying ready-to-use Roundup. and it would cost you 20 or 50 times less. What kind of jack ass are you exactly that keeps thinking I need a barrel full of Roundup? 20 times less than $20 is what - $1 ? Correct, I can see you can do math. So with all costs factored in, you keep foolishly asserting that I could have bought all the roundup that *I need* for a grand total of One Dollar? (and no - my neighbors have no need for the stuff). No, I just said you have to be an idiot to buy ready-to-use. It's orders of magnitude worse than buying ready-to-use antifreeze. How many times are you going to keep beating that horse to death? As many times as I feel like seeing the monkey dance. The only jack ass around here is you - and you prove it with every post. Obviously like many of your countrymen you're so dirt poor that you take every opportunity to froth at the mouth at how you can save a buck. Some of us can afford the conveinence of pre-mixed chemicals like Roundup. So get over it. So, you do buy ready-to-use antifreeze too! It's not that you can afford it, it's that you're the village idiot! Great idea. Take tips on core aeration from a guy that buys ready-to-use Roundup. Good grief. |
Lawn Aerator
On Sun, 20 Jul 2014 08:26:57 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote: Obviously you've never done core aeration, so how would you even know? And it's supposed to look a bit like swiss cheese, that's precisely the point, idiot. Is your web browser broken: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgi.../hgic1200.html http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-002/430-002_pdf.pdf http://www.walterreeves.com/lawn-care/lawn-aeration/ http://olympiawa.gov/city-utilities/...ration-program http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6749 The OP must be sitting back laughing at canadian home boi. Added to your list. _The "hole" truth about aerating your lawn_ Aerating your lawn is a great way to reduce thatch, loosen up compacted soils and make it easier for water and nutrients to reach the roots of your turf. http://www.american-lawns.com/lawns/aeration.html _Why do lawns need to be aerated?_ http://home.howstuffworks.com/lawn-garden/professional-landscaping/basics/lawn-aeration.htm _Gypsum Helps Recondition Clay And Hardpan Type Soils_ http://www.humeseeds.com/gypsum.htm Supports what I said the first time, before canadian home boi went stupid! -- "It's the animatronics horse's head in the bed" -- Charles Krauthammer |
Lawn Aerator
H o m e G u y H o m e @ g u y . c o m wrote:
David E. Ross wrote: You -- HomeGuy -- have just joined Todd in my filter system. Good-bye. You -- David Ross - you'll read my posts when and if I want you to. So you admit to being a morphing peice of **** troll. Got it, glad that you finally can admit for all to see POS |
Lawn Aerator
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 |
Lawn Aerator
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. I feel vindicated when home boi attacks me. I've got some **** for him, but it isn't worth my time. -- "Woman up, stand your ground, and fight like a girl!" -- Sarah Palin |
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