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#1
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Lawn aerators
Our 'lawn' needs serious attention. I scarified it last autumn, and,
just as previously about three years ago, the moss is significantly worse this spring (and it's been a dry winter!). The large number of mossy patches suggest aerating the soil for a start would do no harm. I fancy getting one of those three-pronged spring-loaded corer things that removes plugs of soil. I certainly don't fancy stamping all over the lawn wearing crampons, and I doubt that those little spiky roller jobs would penetrate tissue paper, let alone our lawn. In the past I've used a fork, driving it in and wiggling it, but the argument against that method is that it compacts the soil in the immediate vicinity of the hole. No, I want one of those corer thingies! But I have some questions. Are the springs on them really strong enough to expel the plug of soil removed from the lawn (I assume that's what they're supposed to do)? Has anyone got one that they're happy with? If so, who made it and do they know an on-line source? (If I took the rubber foot of the bottom of a pogo-stick, would it work as an aerator? The mind boggles!) -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
#2
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Lawn aerators
Chris Hogg wrote in
: I fancy getting one of those three-pronged spring-loaded corer things that removes plugs of soil. I certainly don't fancy stamping all over the lawn wearing crampons, Tried it, failed. and I doubt that those little spiky roller jobs would penetrate tissue paper, let alone our lawn. That's my experience. In the past I've used a fork, driving it in and wiggling it, but the argument against that method is that it compacts the soil in the immediate vicinity of the hole. No, I want one of those corer thingies! I'm using what is effectively a fork with five hollow times. No springs, but the previous plug is (in theory) expelled when it is next pushed into the soil. Currently it is extremely easy to get it into the soil, but it is significantly more difficult when the soil is hard and dry. Once there's a hole, I'm filling it with horticultural sand using a crude homemade funnel. Hopefully this will keep the drainage channel open over time. Will it work? I wish I knew. But I'm also spreading sand and mosskiller. I'd appreciate other people's experience... |
#3
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Lawn aerators
Chris Hogg wrote:
Our 'lawn' needs serious attention. I scarified it last autumn, and, just as previously about three years ago, the moss is significantly worse this spring (and it's been a dry winter!). The large number of mossy patches suggest aerating the soil for a start would do no harm. I fancy getting one of those three-pronged spring-loaded corer things that removes plugs of soil. I certainly don't fancy stamping all over the lawn wearing crampons, and I doubt that those little spiky roller jobs would penetrate tissue paper, let alone our lawn. In the past I've used a fork, driving it in and wiggling it, but the argument against that method is that it compacts the soil in the immediate vicinity of the hole. No, I want one of those corer thingies! But I have some questions. Are the springs on them really strong enough to expel the plug of soil removed from the lawn (I assume that's what they're supposed to do)? Has anyone got one that they're happy with? If so, who made it and do they know an on-line source? (If I took the rubber foot of the bottom of a pogo-stick, would it work as an aerator? The mind boggles!) If you really want one of the corer thingies, nothing I could say would stop you! But, in my opinion, only bits of lawn which have suffered serious compaction need the aeration treatment, and it won't make the slightest difference to the moss. Otherwise, grass roots and soil organisms are better at it than any machine could ever be. I'd put the money into special plants. -- Mike. |
#4
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Lawn aerators
Chris,
The hollow tine aerator works well. I guess this is the type of thing you are on about http://www.mower-magic.co.uk/acatalog/hand_tools.html The springs don't actually push the plug out, its the next impression that does, they aid the movement of the trough, which rides up and down. You can get some that areound the £20 mark, that dont have the collector trough, that just act as borers, which work just as well. After making your holes every 6ins you will be fed up! Then having gone to the trouble of making holes you fill them in - you want to use a sand mix to improve the drainage. You can mix your own - anywhere from 60-80% sand. You can use loam / coir / peat or a combination thereof for the remainder. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...utumn_lawn.asp Clifford Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
#5
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Lawn aerators
"Tom Gardner" wrote in message 3.37... I'm using what is effectively a fork with five hollow times. No springs, but the previous plug is (in theory) expelled when it is next pushed into the soil. Currently it is extremely easy to get it into the soil, but it is significantly more difficult when the soil is hard and dry. Once there's a hole, I'm filling it with horticultural sand using a crude homemade funnel. Hopefully this will keep the drainage channel open over time. Will it work? I wish I knew. But I'm also spreading sand and mosskiller. I'd appreciate other people's experience... I scarified. I hired a machine that went over the lawn pushing its hollow tines into the soil and dumping plugs of soil on the lawn. I topdressed. I fed the grass. I used moss killer. I cursed. I prayed. Then I learnt to love moss. Ah well, sometimes nature wins the battle. Lyndon |
#6
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Lawn aerators
"Lyndon" wrote in
: "Tom Gardner" wrote in message 3.37... I'm using what is effectively a fork with five hollow times. No springs, but the previous plug is (in theory) expelled when it is next pushed into the soil. Currently it is extremely easy to get it into the soil, but it is significantly more difficult when the soil is hard and dry. Once there's a hole, I'm filling it with horticultural sand using a crude homemade funnel. Hopefully this will keep the drainage channel open over time. Will it work? I wish I knew. But I'm also spreading sand and mosskiller. I'd appreciate other people's experience... I scarified. I hired a machine that went over the lawn pushing its hollow tines into the soil and dumping plugs of soil on the lawn. I topdressed. I fed the grass. I used moss killer. I cursed. I prayed. Then I learnt to love moss. Ah well, sometimes nature wins the battle. Whoops, I forgot that I have a cheap scarifying machine. My hopes a - it has only had too much moss in the last two years - I'm on the side of a hill (but then I've seen full-blown bogs on the sides of hill) - I'm going to halve the size of the tree at the bottom of the garden, so less shade I live in hope. |
#7
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Lawn aerators
Thanks for those very helpful replies. The mower-magic one is a bit
pricey IMO. I'll see what's available elsewhere. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
#8
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Quote:
Chris, After going through the whole areator headache lat year in which i bought a push along spiker for 20 odd quid, then a hollow tine for about 20 odd quid. only to find the spiker is pretty crap and my soil that tough that the "foot powered" hollow tine needed some real tough action to get it in the ground, so much so i bought some rubber mallets and started hitting the thing into the ground. I went thru about 5 rubber mallets before the hollow tine device snapped on me. (and only halfway down my lawn) So after nearly £50 and the time and heartache of trying to manually aerate my 5m x 15m lawn i would recommend going to your local HSS Hire shop and getting one of these things for the weekend. http://www.hss.com/g/62326/Powered_L...r__Petrol.html If it comes to having to do the same again this coming autumn, then thats what i'm gonna get. Maybe get it for the weekend and see if your mates need theres doing and get them to chip in? |
#9
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Lawn aerators
On Sun, 2 Apr 2006 13:19:42 +0000, Zarch
wrote: Chris, After going through the whole areator headache lat year in which i bought a push along spiker for 20 odd quid, then a hollow tine for about 20 odd quid. only to find the spiker is pretty crap and my soil that tough that the "foot powered" hollow tine needed some real tough action to get it in the ground, so much so i bought some rubber mallets and started hitting the thing into the ground. I went thru about 5 rubber mallets before the hollow tine device snapped on me. (and only halfway down my lawn) So after nearly £50 and the time and heartache of trying to manually aerate my 5m x 15m lawn i would recommend going to your local HSS Hire shop and getting one of these things for the weekend. http://tinyurl.com/sx3ky If it comes to having to do the same again this coming autumn, then thats what i'm gonna get. Maybe get it for the weekend and see if your mates need theres doing and get them to chip in? Thanks Zarch, but too late! I've just got a Yeoman 5-tined aerator for about GBP17. I'll see how I get on with it. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
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