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Old 17-05-2011, 05:45 PM posted to alt.home.lawn.garden
[email protected][_2_] trader4@optonline.net[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2011
Posts: 237
Default Does spiking the lawn help?

On May 17, 9:47*am, "Don Phillipson" wrote:
"Duncan Munday" wrote in message

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I have read somewhere that it is good to spike the lawn every so often,
is this correct?


I must admit our lawn is rock hard at the moment so i assume like to
borders need digging over the lawn would need the same.


"Lawn aerators" as sold in N.America are wheeled
tools. *The cheap ones merely drive spikes or knives
into the soil: *the better ones drive in tubes that remove
a plug of soil (rather than compacting the soil either
side of the spike or blade. *This is all theory because
the substrate of our lawn is sand, not clay.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)


+1 to that. I would not waste my time with the spike
type. The holes are too small and it just compacts
the soil around where the spike goes in. A core
aerator removes plugs that are about 5/8" diameter
and 2" long. You can then optionally top dress it with humus
or similar to get ammendments into the soil.

How much it will help or if it's needed at all depends
on the soil. If it's compacted, then it will definitely
help. I'd prefer to do it in the Fall, to minimize weed
problems, but you can do it anytime.