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