Lawn aerator

A lawn aerator is a garden tool designed to create holes in the soil in order to help lawn grasses grow.^[1] In compacted lawns, aeration improves soil drainage and encourages worms, microfauna and microflora which require oxygen.^[2]

Lawn problems

Lawn aeration involves controlling lawn thatch and reducing soil compaction, making grass roots multiply. Aerating either by coring or spiking causes the roots to divide or sever apart, which rarely happens naturally. Severing the roots causes them to multiply and thus the blades of grass multiply, keeping the lawn thick and deeply rooted as the holes become engorged with roots. Lawn thatch is a layer of dead organic tissue that can protect the lawn by moderating temperature and reducing evapotranspiration when it is a reasonable thickness, but too much thatch can limit soil oxygenation and reduce watering effectiveness. Soil compaction makes it difficult for grass to develop long roots and disturbs both natural rainwater and artificial irrigation.^[3]

Types of aerators

There are two types of lawn aerators:

spike aerators use wedge shaped solid spikes to punch holes in the soil
core aerators have hollow tines that pull out plugs (or "cores") from soil

Core/plug aerator vs. spike aerator

A spike aerator creates holes in the ground by pushing the soil sideways as wedge-shaped spikes penetrate the soil. Since there is no soil removed from the ground, watering will cause the compacted soil around the holes to expand and close. A core/plug aerator removes soil from the ground and leaves the core on the turf. This reduces compaction in the soil, and the holes can stay open for a long time allowing air, fertilisers, and water to reach the roots. Core aeration is suitable for heavy clay soils, and spike aeration is more suited to sandy or loamy soils.

Powered aerator vs. manual aerator

Powered aerators employ the power from ground propulsion to drive multiple tines into ground. The machines can aerate a large lawn in a relatively short time (similar to mowing speed).

Manual aerators usually have two to five hollow tines mounted on a step bar. The operator puts one foot on the step bar and push it downward, forcing the tines to penetrate into the soil. Then he pulls the handle on the step bar upward to remove the soil cores out of the ground. By repeating the same operation, the cores left in the tines will be pushed out by the next ones. Manual aerators are much cheaper than powered ones. The trade-off is the speed. For a typical residential lawn (1/4 acre lot), it will take hours to finish. Some products also have issues with the tines becoming clogged with soil, which can slow down the operation even more. However, a well-made manual aerator offers advantages such as ease of use, selective aeration, and economy.

Guidelines

Grass type determines the best time of year for aeration. Cool-season grasses (bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass) should be aerated in early spring or fall (March, April or September). Warm-season grasses (Bermudagrass, buffalograss, zoysiagrass) should be aerated in May through July.^[4]

It is recommend to space aerator holes 3 inches or less apart. Given the spacing of tines on many aerator machines this means several passes could be necessary.

References

^ Sarah Mason (Feb 11, 2014). "How to Use a Gas Aerator". Hearst Communications, Inc.
^ Lauderdale, Danny; Roberson, Sarah. "Happy Gardening! You Have Earthworms!". NC Cooperative Extension. North Carolina State University. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ Tukey, Paul (2007). The Organic Lawn Care Manual. Storey Publishing. pp. 97-98. ISBN 978-1-58017-649-1. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^ Jared Hoyle; Ross Braun (February 2018). "Aerating Your Lawn" (PDF). K-State Research and Extension. MF2130.

External links

Media related to Lawn aerators at Wikimedia Commons

Read other articles:

Eugen Fischer

Untuk sejarawan, lihat Eugen Fischer (sejarawan). Eugen FischerEugen Fischer dengan foto-foto wanita pribumi Afrika, sekitar 1938.Lahir(1874-07-05)5 Juli 1874Karlsruhe, Keadipatian Agung BadenMeninggal9 Juli 1967(1967-07-09) (umur 93)Freiburg im Breisgau, Jerman BaratKebangsaanJermanPekerjaanProfesorDikenal atasEugenik NaziPartai politikPartai Nazi Eugen Fischer (5 Juli 1874 – 9 Juli 1967) adalah seorang profesor Jerman dalam bidang pengobatan, antropologi dan eugenik. Ia adalah direkt...

Aksara Sunda

Aksara Sunda Baku beralih ke halaman ini. Untuk bentuk lain aksara Sunda, lihat Aksara Sunda (disambiguasi). Aksara Sundaᮃᮊ᮪ᮞᮛ ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓHuruf-huruf konsonan dasar dalam aksara Sunda. Huruf konsonan baru tidak dimasukkan.Jenis aksara Abugida BahasaSundaPeriodesekitar abad ke-17 hingga sekarangArah penulisanKiri ke kananAksara terkaitSilsilahMenurut hipotesis hubungan antara abjad Aramea dengan Brahmi, maka silsilahnya sebagai berikut: Abjad Proto-Sinai Abjad Fenisia Abjad Arame...

2018 New Hampshire Executive Council election

2018 New Hampshire Executive Council elections ← 2016 November 6, 2018 2020 → All 5 seats on the Executive Council of New Hampshire3 seats were needed for a majority Majority party Minority party Party Democratic Republican Last election 2 seats 3 seats Seats won 3 2 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 282,602 259,384 Percentage 50.90% 46.72% Results of the elections: Democratic hold D...

2022 New Mexico Secretary of State election

2022 New Mexico Secretary of State election ← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 → Nominee Maggie Toulouse Oliver Audrey Trujillo Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 384,526 300,763 Percentage 54.5% 42.6% County results Precinct resultsOliver: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% &#...

Operation Wigwam

1955 U.S. nuclear test See also: Wigwam (disambiguation) Operation WigwamWigwam test detonation.InformationCountryUnited StatesTest sitePacific Ocean off CaliforniaPeriod1955Number of tests1Test typeUnderwaterMax. yield30 kilotonnes of TNT (130 TJ)Test series chronology← Operation TeapotProject 56 (nuclear test) → Map all coordinates in Operation Wigwam using OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as: KML GPX (all coordinates) GPX (primary coordinates) GPX (sec...

أوراق البتراء البردية

هذه المقالة يتيمة إذ تصل إليها مقالات أخرى قليلة جدًا. فضلًا، ساعد بإضافة وصلة إليها في مقالات متعلقة بها. (مايو 2020) فسيفساء لامرأة على أرضية كنيسة البتراء البيزنطية، وهي موقع اكتشاف أوراق البتراء البردية. أوراق البتراء البردية والمعروفة أيضًا بأرشيف البتراء، هي مخزونٌ من ...

Josh Williams (racing driver)

American racing driver (born 1993) NASCAR driver Josh WilliamsWilliams at Martinsville Speedway in 2024Born (1993-08-03) August 3, 1993 (age 30)Port Charlotte, Florida, U.S.NASCAR Cup Series career4 races run over 2 yearsCar no., teamNo. 16 (Kaulig Racing)2022 position54thBest finish54th (2022)First race2022 Food City Dirt Race (Bristol Dirt)Last race2024 Ambetter Health 400 (Atlanta) Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0 NASCAR Xfinity Series career192 races run over 9 yearsCar no., teamNo. 11 (Kau...

أحمد المعتمد على الله

أحمد المعتمد على الله أحمد بن جعفر بن محمد بن هارون بن محمد بن عبد الله بن محمد بن علي بن عبد الله بن العباس بن عبد المطلب دينار في عهد المعتمد ضرب في عام 271هـ معلومات شخصية الميلاد 844 (229 هـ)سامراء الوفاة 892 (279 هـ) (50 سنة)سامراء مكان الدفن سامراء مواطنة الدولة العباسية ...

约翰斯顿环礁

此條目可参照英語維基百科相應條目来扩充。 (2021年5月6日)若您熟悉来源语言和主题，请协助参考外语维基百科扩充条目。请勿直接提交机械翻译，也不要翻译不可靠、低品质内容。依版权协议，译文需在编辑摘要注明来源，或于讨论页顶部标记{{Translated page}}标签。约翰斯顿环礁Kalama Atoll 美國本土外小島嶼 Johnston Atoll 旗幟颂歌：《星條旗》The Star-Spangled Banner約翰斯頓環礁�...

Palung Sunda

Peta menunjukan aktivitas gempa bumi di sekitar palung Sunda sekitar waktu saat Gempa bumi samudera Hindia 2004. Palung Sunda adalah palung yang terletak di timur laut samudra Hindia dengan panjang 2.869 kilometer membentang dari Pulau Sumatera bagian utara hingga Kepulauan Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat dengan kedalaman maksimum 7.126 meter. Palung ini merupakan palung terdalam yang terletak di Samudera Hindia. Artikel bertopik geografi ini adalah sebuah rintisan. Anda dapat membantu Wikipedia ...

Buddhist influences on Christianity

Hypothesized impacts See also: Buddhism and Christianity and Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: Buddhist influences on Christianity – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) A Greco-Buddhist statue of Siddartha Gautama (Buddha) preaching...

一中同表

一中同表，是台灣处理海峡两岸关系问题的一种主張，認為中华人民共和国與中華民國皆是“整個中國”的一部份，二者因為兩岸現狀，在各自领域有完整的管辖权，互不隶属，同时主張，二者合作便可以搁置对“整个中國”的主权的争议，共同承認雙方皆是中國的一部份，在此基礎上走向終極統一。最早是在2004年由台灣大學政治学教授張亞中所提出，希望兩岸由一中各表�...

Peterborough Petes

Ontario Hockey League team in Peterborough Peterborough PetesCityPeterborough, OntarioLeagueOntario Hockey LeagueConferenceEasternDivisionEastFounded1956 (1956)–57Home arenaPeterborough Memorial CentreColoursMaroon, black, cream, white General managerMike OkeHead coachRob WilsonAffiliateLindsay MuskiesWebsitewww.gopetesgo.comFranchise history1951–1954Kitchener Greenshirts1954–1956Kitchener Canucks1956–presentPeterborough PetesChampionshipsPlayoff c...

Private equity

Type of financing Financial market participants Organisations Credit unions Development finance institution Insurance companies Investment banks Investment funds Pension funds Prime brokers Trusts Terms Angel investor Bull (stock market speculator) Finance Financial market Participants Corporate finance Personal finance Public finance Banks and banking Financial analyst Financial planner Financial regulation Fund governance Stock Market Super angel Part of a series onCapitalism Concepts Auste...

English landscape garden

Style of garden English park redirects here. For the stadium in New Zealand, see English Park. For the public park in Armenia, see English Park, Yerevan. English garden redirects here. For the public park in Munich, Germany, see Englischer Garten. For the album by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, see English Garden (album). Rotunda at Stowe Gardens (1730–1738) The paintings of Claude Lorrain inspired Stourhead and other English landscape gardens. The English landscape garden, also called ...

1916 United States presidential election in Idaho

Main article: 1916 United States presidential election 1916 United States presidential election in Idaho ← 1912 November 7, 1916 1920 → Nominee Woodrow Wilson Charles Evans Hughes Allan L. Benson Party Democratic Republican Socialist Home state New Jersey New York New York Running mate Thomas R. Marshall Charles W. Fairbanks George Ross Kirkpatrick Electoral vote 4 0 0 Popular vote 70,054 55,368 8,066 Percentage 52.04% 41.13% 5.99% County Resu...

Trilli e il segreto delle ali

Trilli e il segreto delle alifilm d'animazione direct-to-video Trilli e Pervinca in una scena del film Titolo orig.Secret of the Wings Lingua orig.inglese PaeseStati Uniti d'America RegiaBobs Gannaway, Peggy Holmes Produttore esecutivoJohn Lasseter ProduttoreMichael Wigert SceneggiaturaBobs Gannaway, Peggy Holmes, Ryan Rowe, Tom Rogers MusicheJoel McNeely StudioDisneyToon Studios 1ª edizione23 ottobre 2012 Rapporto1,78:1 Durata75 min Editore it.Walt Disney Studios Hom...

Guerra polaco-soviética

Para la guerra polaco-soviética desarrollada en 1939, véase Invasión soviética de Polonia de 1939. Guerra polaco-soviética Parte de la Guerra civil rusa Límites al final de la guerraFecha 14 de febrero de 1919-18 de marzo de 1921Lugar Centro y Este de EuropaResultado Decisiva victoria polacaConsecuencias Paz de RigaCambios territoriales Se repartieron los territorios en disputa entre Polonia y la Rusia SoviéticaBeligerantes Segunda República Polaca República Popular Ucraniana(desde ...

Giustizia

Disambiguazione – Se stai cercando altri significati, vedi Giustizia (disambigua). Disambiguazione – Se stai cercando la giustizia nel senso di ordine giudiziario, vedi Ordinamento giudiziario in Italia. Questa voce o sezione sull'argomento teoria del diritto non cita le fonti necessarie o quelle presenti sono insufficienti. Puoi migliorare questa voce aggiungendo citazioni da fonti attendibili secondo le linee guida sull'uso delle fonti. Giustizia, di Piero del Pollaiolo (1470) La ...

Roti lapis keju panggang

Roti lapis keju panggangPotongan melintang sebuah roti lapis keju panggangNama lainGrilled cheese sandwich, Grilled cheeseBahan utamaKeju, rotiBahan yang umum digunakanMentega, margarin, mayonesVariasicheese dream, cheese on toastSunting kotak info • L • BBantuan penggunaan templat ini Media: Roti lapis keju panggang Roti lapis keju panggang (bahasa Inggris: Grilled cheese sandwich atau lebih singkatnya cukup Grilled cheese) adalah roti lapis yang secara umum dibu...