Speaking of aerating lawns (dog safe fertilizer) has anyone ever tried
those strap on aerating shoes? I have been intimidated to try them as
1) my feet are a size 6.5 and I just don't see any of the "one size fits
most" models fitting my tiny feet and 2) last year the yard was so hard
after the drought I thought if I was able to puncture the ground I would
never get past the first step.

My questions: has anyone tried them? Would anyone recommend using
them? And if so, has anyone seen a model that comes in various sizes?
If not the shoes do most folks pay a company to come out and aerate the
lawn, or rent the machine from a home improvement type store, etc...?

Thanks in advance for you advice!
Heidi
Raleigh, NC

Hi Heidi,

They're not worthless, but only slightly less so. )

Your best bet is to rent a mechanical core aerator in which plugs of soil
are removed and deposited on the soil surface. Tines that do not do that can
cause more harm than good as they further compact the soil around the tine
as it plunges into the soil. Sure, you're created a 'hole', hwoever the soil
around the hole has been compacted in order to creat that space, Not good,
imho.

I usually rent the machine, and then do my neighbor's lawns as well, thereby
mitigating the cost of the rental somewhat.

Dave

"Heidi" wrote in message
om...
Speaking of aerating lawns (dog safe fertilizer) has anyone ever tried
those strap on aerating shoes? I have been intimidated to try them as
1) my feet are a size 6.5 and I just don't see any of the "one size fits
most" models fitting my tiny feet and 2) last year the yard was so hard
after the drought I thought if I was able to puncture the ground I would
never get past the first step.

My questions: has anyone tried them? Would anyone recommend using
them? And if so, has anyone seen a model that comes in various sizes?
If not the shoes do most folks pay a company to come out and aerate the
lawn, or rent the machine from a home improvement type store, etc...?

Thanks in advance for you advice!
Heidi
Raleigh, NC

Heidi wrote:
Speaking of aerating lawns (dog safe fertilizer) has anyone ever tried
those strap on aerating shoes? I have been intimidated to try them as
1) my feet are a size 6.5 and I just don't see any of the "one size
fits
most" models fitting my tiny feet and 2) last year the yard was so
hard
after the drought I thought if I was able to puncture the ground I
would
never get past the first step.

My questions: has anyone tried them? Would anyone recommend using
them? And if so, has anyone seen a model that comes in various sizes?
If not the shoes do most folks pay a company to come out and aerate
the
lawn, or rent the machine from a home improvement type store, etc...?


As David already mentioned, if you do manage to get them to poke holes
in your lawn, they'll compress the soil around the tiny, narrow, and
must too shallow hole they'll make. Don't waste your money on them.

I usually rent a core aerator myself. It punches open corers into the
ground. Those corers pull out a core of soil (sort of like a bulb
planter). When the corer reaches the top of it's path, the soil falls
out the back, and drops to the ground leaving the corer empty, and ready
to pull out another core.

The rental place a couple miles down the road charges about $35 for two
hours, which is just about what I use it for. The machine itself is
about the same size as a medium-duty roto-tiller. In addition to the
machine, there are two 50 lb weights that slide onto the machine when
you're using it, and slide out completely so two people can hoist the
machine with ease.

I've heard of some people who'll rent the machine for a day, and then go
around the neighborhood offering to aerate lawns for $20-$25 a crack.
And at the right time of the year, your weekly community newspaper ought
to have a few ads for the service. The community bulletin board at the
local mega-mart ought to have a few ads, too.

You don't want to aerate too soon if it's been a hot, dry summer. Even
with those weights on the machine, if the ground is too hard, it's
possible to just bounce on top of it. You could also squash the corers
this way, too.

The first time you do it, don't make the mistake of running the engine
too fast. Unlike a tiller which has a brake that drags, and keeps the
ground speed slow, the aerator essentially moves as fast as the cores
rotate. Slower is good until you have the confidence to handle any
corners at a higher speed. You might even want to just watch someone
else do it before you try.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug:
Support me at: http://www.holzemville.com/mall/

On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 00:06:23 GMT, "Warren"
wrote:

Heidi wrote:
Speaking of aerating lawns (dog safe fertilizer) has anyone ever tried
those strap on aerating shoes?

As David already mentioned, if you do manage to get them to poke holes
in your lawn, they'll compress the soil around the tiny, narrow, and
must too shallow hole they'll make. Don't waste your money on them.

I usually rent a core aerator myself.

Latest issue of 'Organic Gardening' had a note on aerating, agreeng
completely with David and Warren. They further mentioned leaving the
extracted cores to dry a few days, then mowing over them to break up
and redistribute this material.

And, if you're feeling *really* adventurous, laying down a good top dressing
of high quality top soil either before or just after you core aerate (I
can't decide which is best, yet) will really improve the soil as well.

"Frogleg" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 00:06:23 GMT, "Warren"
wrote:

Heidi wrote:
Speaking of aerating lawns (dog safe fertilizer) has anyone ever tried
those strap on aerating shoes?

As David already mentioned, if you do manage to get them to poke holes
in your lawn, they'll compress the soil around the tiny, narrow, and
must too shallow hole they'll make. Don't waste your money on them.

I usually rent a core aerator myself.

Latest issue of 'Organic Gardening' had a note on aerating, agreeng
completely with David and Warren. They further mentioned leaving the
extracted cores to dry a few days, then mowing over them to break up
and redistribute this material.

On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 10:58:17 GMT, Frogleg wrote:


Latest issue of 'Organic Gardening' had a note on aerating, agreeng
completely with David and Warren. They further mentioned leaving the
extracted cores to dry a few days, then mowing over them to break up
and redistribute this material.

If people don't want the bother of renting, it truly is very inexpensive to have
done by someone who comes and goes. Price may vary by state, but it's not an
expensive thing (we paid 40 dollars) and you really only need do it about once
every two years. More often is better, but even with that, one time a year is
truly enough. To make it a far more benefit, topdressing with compost is an
excellent way to add organic matter to turf and tree roots.

I wouldn't use topsoil. I'd use compost. To be very specific, I'd use fungal
compost, instead of bacterial. Trees and turf do much better when you can add
mycorrhizae, and when you add fungal based compost, you do just that. Or, buy
some of the mycorrhizae which is easy to buy these days and put a small amount
into the holes, or mix with the compost before spreading it to fill the core
holes. I don't recommend doing this before aerating. I do it after I've
aerated.

Victoria


On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 12:49:51 GMT, "David J Bockman" wrote:

And, if you're feeling *really* adventurous, laying down a good top dressing
of high quality top soil either before or just after you core aerate (I
can't decide which is best, yet) will really improve the soil as well.

"Frogleg" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 00:06:23 GMT, "Warren"
wrote:

Heidi wrote:
Speaking of aerating lawns (dog safe fertilizer) has anyone ever tried
those strap on aerating shoes?

As David already mentioned, if you do manage to get them to poke holes
in your lawn, they'll compress the soil around the tiny, narrow, and
must too shallow hole they'll make. Don't waste your money on them.

I usually rent a core aerator myself.

Latest issue of 'Organic Gardening' had a note on aerating, agreeng
completely with David and Warren. They further mentioned leaving the
extracted cores to dry a few days, then mowing over them to break up
and redistribute this material.

Yes, if you could find it in sufficient quantities I would use that myself,
no question.

Dave

"animaux" wrote in message
...
I wouldn't use topsoil. I'd use compost. To be very specific, I'd use
fungal
compost, instead of bacterial. Trees and turf do much better when you can
add
mycorrhizae, and when you add fungal based compost, you do just that. Or,
buy
some of the mycorrhizae which is easy to buy these days and put a small
amount
into the holes, or mix with the compost before spreading it to fill the
core
holes. I don't recommend doing this before aerating. I do it after I've
aerated.

Victoria


On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 12:49:51 GMT, "David J Bockman"
wrote:

And, if you're feeling *really* adventurous, laying down a good top
dressing
of high quality top soil either before or just after you core aerate (I
can't decide which is best, yet) will really improve the soil as well.

"Frogleg" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 00:06:23 GMT, "Warren"
wrote:

Heidi wrote:
Speaking of aerating lawns (dog safe fertilizer) has anyone ever
tried
those strap on aerating shoes?

As David already mentioned, if you do manage to get them to poke holes
in your lawn, they'll compress the soil around the tiny, narrow, and
must too shallow hole they'll make. Don't waste your money on them.

I usually rent a core aerator myself.

Latest issue of 'Organic Gardening' had a note on aerating, agreeng
completely with David and Warren. They further mentioned leaving the
extracted cores to dry a few days, then mowing over them to break up
and redistribute this material.

Heidi wrote:

Speaking of aerating lawns (dog safe fertilizer) has anyone ever tried
those strap on aerating shoes? I have been intimidated to try them as
1) my feet are a size 6.5 and I just don't see any of the "one size fits
most" models fitting my tiny feet and 2) last year the yard was so hard
after the drought I thought if I was able to puncture the ground I would
never get past the first step.

My questions: has anyone tried them? Would anyone recommend using
them? And if so, has anyone seen a model that comes in various sizes?
If not the shoes do most folks pay a company to come out and aerate the
lawn, or rent the machine from a home improvement type store, etc...?

Rent the machine; it will actually pull little plugs out of your
lawn. I once spent an hysterical afternoon watching my neighbor
compact his soil with a set of the shoes; that is, when he wasn't
falling over every other step. Unlike the 'so easy'
demonstrations on TV, he found that the only way he could
actually walk in the things was to do a 'knees up' with every
step.

But, before you spend the money at all, make sure your lawn
actually needs aerating. IME, this is one of the most over-rated
treatments for lawns. I've always found that improving the soil
by applying top dressings of compost worked just as well, was
cheaper, and one heck of a lot easier. The only time I've ever
seen aerating actually be worth the effort was when you're
talking about really, really compacted soil with scraggly grass
just barely surviving in it. And, even then, if you don't
improve the soil, the aeration is going to be of limited effect
and value.

Chris Owens


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