# Lawn aerator



## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

Any budding gardeners on here ? I need to aerate my lawn as it’s heavily waterlogged. Any advice on a cheap but good one to buy. Hand operated as no room or spare cash for an expensive powered one


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## shep (6 Jan 2021)

https://www.roov.co.uk/household-to...mi07s8g-gh7givcuztch0y7qfqeaqyasabegi1bvd_bwe


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## Archie_tect (6 Jan 2021)

Trip, you could get some spikes to attach to your wellies?

https://www.roov.co.uk/household-to...xgbzs6gvawxovsruyjtef0cd-1fhes_qaatl6ealw_wcb

Edit: beat me to it shep!
They work really well!


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

shep said:


> https://www.roov.co.uk/household-to...mi07s8g-gh7givcuztch0y7qfqeaqyasabegi1bvd_bwe


It’s Pukka !! But does it work


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## Slick (6 Jan 2021)

I hire one every 2 years to get sand in to the soil. Not cheap but a lot less effort with much better results than spikey shoes.


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

Slick said:


> I hire one every 2 years to get sand in to the soil. Not cheap but a lot less effort with much better results than spikey shoes.


Can I ask which you hire and where from ? Im guessing make the holes and then put horticultural sand in ?


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## Randomnerd (6 Jan 2021)

Just go over it with a garden fork pushed deep, and rake in some sharp sand. Good work-out. Wouldn’t be paddling on it if wet though. Defeats the objectI’ve


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## Darius_Jedburgh (6 Jan 2021)

Retired (sort of)gardener here. 
Forget those spikes on your feet. Useless. You will get tired long before your lawn is finished. 
Forget those hand held spikes, garden forks etc. Yes, they do the job but its damded hard work and will take a long time. 
You won't/shouldn't need to do this every year. 
Best, by far, option is to go to your local tool hire shop. They will have a petrol driven machine. They will deliver. Choose the hollow spikes. Shouldn't cost more than £20 for a morning (unless you are in London where the sky is the limit!).
Machine will pull plugs of soil out of your lawn. Sweep these up and they make excellent loam to use on your garden. 
Recommendation is to brush sharp sand into the holes that are made. At this time of year good luck trying to do that. But I seldom bother; I leave the holes for aeration and drainage. The sides knit together quickly and the grass regrows in no time. 

You could ask someone like Green Thumb. They will do it for you, but obviously they will want paying. 

I always just hire a machine for a morning. If you know anyone locally who wants their lawn doing then that splits the cost. 

Manually aerating a lawn? No thank you.


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## PaulSB (6 Jan 2021)

Can I state the obvious please. Use a fork. Push in vertically to the depth of the fork and then pull the tines out vertically. Don't rock it back and forward though a little wiggle to help loosen is fine.

It's time consuming but cheap and will give a good result. You could also brush sand in to the holes to improve drainage.

Don't do this until your lawn has dried out.


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## Slick (6 Jan 2021)

Tripster said:


> Can I ask which you hire and where from ? Im guessing make the holes and then put horticultural sand in ?


This one. 
https://www.hirestation.co.uk/tool-hire/Landscaping/Lawn-Aerator-Hire/140190/

Not lawn sand as it's far too fine for drainage. I used quite rough washed builders sand but a greenkeeper advised to rotavate tons of rough sand into my lawn and start again. A bit extreme but I wished I just bit the bullet and done it.


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## Randomnerd (6 Jan 2021)

View: https://youtu.be/uQ6v3DG2bHM


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

Slick said:


> This one.
> https://www.hirestation.co.uk/tool-hire/Landscaping/Lawn-Aerator-Hire/140190/
> 
> Not lawn sand as it's far too fine for drainage. I used quite rough washed builders sand but a greenkeeper advised to rotavate tons of rough sand into my lawn and start again. A bit extreme but I wished I just bit the bullet and done it.


Many thanks


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

PaulSB said:


> Can I state the obvious please. Use a fork. Push in vertically to the depth of the fork and then pull the tines out vertically. Don't rock it back and forward though a little wiggle to help loosen is fine.
> 
> It's time consuming but cheap and will give a good result. You could also brush sand in to the holes to improve drainage.
> 
> Don't do this until your lawn has dried out.


I gather the holes close quickly. The lawn is on clay soil and heavily waterlogged. Live on a hill and the garden is stepped down from house, split level house over 4 floors, so getting heavy aerator down steps not easy but doable. Forking is simpler but not working. Also have flocks of starlings feeding on crane fly larvae in soil


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Retired (sort of)gardener here.
> Forget those spikes on your feet. Useless. You will get tired long before your lawn is finished.
> Forget those hand held spikes, garden forks etc. Yes, they do the job but its damded hard work and will take a long time.
> You won't/shouldn't need to do this every year.
> ...


Thanks for the advice, very much appreciated


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## BoldonLad (6 Jan 2021)

It depends on the size of your lawn.

We have a two small (approx 6m*2m) at back of house, I can aerate those with a hollow tine fork, but, our front lawn is approx 7m * 8m, I have done it with a hollow tine fork, but, it is really tedious and hard work.

I have this type of thing, cheap, but, not really unto the task for a large lawn. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lawn-Gra...578482&hash=item447043569d:g:-VsAAOSwtBZf1-Of


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

BoldonLad said:


> It depends on the size of your lawn.
> 
> We have a two small (approx 6m*2m) at back of house, I can aerate those with a hollow tine fork, but, our front lawn is approx 7m * 8m, I have done it with a hollow tine fork, but, it is really tedious and hard work.
> 
> I have this type of thing, cheap, but, not really unto the task for a large lawn. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lawn-Gra...578482&hash=item447043569d:g:-VsAAOSwtBZf1-Of


Probably 3m x 6m


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## Darius_Jedburgh (6 Jan 2021)

Bite the bullet and put some drainage in the lawn. Perforated plastic drain is cheap. 
Hard work digging the ditches at least 12 inches deep. Get a trenching shovel. Fill will sand and then 6 inches of non clay soil. 

Problem will be finding somewhere to let the drains empty.


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Bite the bullet and put some drainage in the lawn. Perforated plastic drain is cheap.
> Hard work digging the ditches at least 12 inches deep. Get a trenching shovel. Fill will sand and then 6 inches of non clay soil.
> 
> Problem will be finding somewhere to let the drains empty.


Neighbours houses over back in village. They are another step down so be like a water fall 😊


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## Darius_Jedburgh (6 Jan 2021)

Tripster said:


> Neighbours houses over back in village. They are another step down so be like a water fall 😊


Shucks. 
Back to the drawing board.


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## shep (6 Jan 2021)

shep said:


> https://www.roov.co.uk/household-to...mi07s8g-gh7givcuztch0y7qfqeaqyasabegi1bvd_bwe


I was taking the p**s to be fair.


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Shucks.
> Back to the drawing board.


I was thinking I could use them ?? A nice water feature


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

shep said:


> I was taking the p**s to be fair.


Oh The snap cabin would be reaming my arse right now for falling for that one.


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## Darius_Jedburgh (6 Jan 2021)

Tripster said:


> I was thinking I could use them ?? A nice water feature


Would they be interested in a pond?


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## Tripster (6 Jan 2021)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Would they be interested in a pond?


Sell it better as a lakeland waterfall


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## Dayvo (6 Jan 2021)

If you could hire, borrow or buy one of these it would be of great benefit to your lawn (and exercise for you). If done 4-5 times from early spring to late autumn, as well as dressing (applying a light covering of sand) you will have a sward to be proud of.


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## Dayvo (6 Jan 2021)




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## irw (6 Jan 2021)

Dayvo said:


> View attachment 567594


Blimey @Dayvo , did you commission that image artist's impression from the Bristol Post?


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## Archie_tect (6 Jan 2021)

If you have heavy clay subsoil then any rain'll just pond no matter how much you aerate it so I agree with Darius- you need to shift the standing water with permeable drainage and a silt trap [or even large storage crates underground]. Best let the building inspector know before connecting to any adopted surface water drain as they object to draining surface water run-off into adopted public sewers and they may have a better local solution..


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## Archie_tect (6 Jan 2021)

Tripster said:


> It’s Pukka !! But does it work


Depends on how heavy you are to be able to lean on the spikes to press the times in to the lawn.


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## jowwy (7 Jan 2021)

Tripster said:


> Probably 3m x 6m








about 25 bucks in argos


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## Tripster (7 Jan 2021)

jowwy said:


> View attachment 567673
> 
> 
> about 25 bucks in argos


Less labour intensive....I like that because I don’t want the wife to get a bad back doing the lawn aeration. Only start moaning when she moves on to washing cars


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