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Compacted soil cause shallow roots in grass plants. When you make holes in the soil’s surface, air, water, and light reach the roots, encouraging deeper penetration into the earth. It’s worth noting that this aerator isn’t ‘hollow-tined’. The 8 cm spikes don’t remove any earth, so the ground isn’t any less compact. However, it’s still very effective. The spikes are 6 mm wide and create holes that allow air, water and nutrients to get deeper into the soil. This type of aerator has an additional benefit over hollow tine models – there’s no need to remove plugs of soil from the tines after use. Instead, simply insert the spikes into the soil and remove.
By appearance, the Kingfisher RC401 resembles a pitchfork. However, there are certain features that make it different. First things first, unlike regular pitchforks, the tines on this tool are hollow inside and have pointed tips, which allows you to push them deeper into the ground for better aeration. And secondly, it has a sturdy horizontal crossbar above the spikes where you can rest your foot to push the fork, making the whole process much more convenient. They are simple, cheap and work really well if you get a decent pair and the only thing that lets them down is that they require you to walk around the garden for quite a long time and it can be quite tiring – from my perspective as I mention above it’s a great opportunity for exercise and clearing a chore. I like the look of the ABREOME Lawn Aerator Shoes. Fork aerators will hollow tinesIt has 30 metal spikes in total, which are each 45 mm long, and works well to aerate moist ground. Alongside this, the rolling lawn aerator is 30 cm wide, so it’s narrow enough to manoeuvre around smaller areas. As a result, this is one of the best aerators for small gardens. There are different types of lawn aerator available, which can produce different results. Below, you will find information about how and when to use an aerator, as well as how to choose the best aerator for your garden. Benefits of Aerating the Lawn Sometimes with these kinds of products, the prongs or nails are not up to much, but these are made of good quality metal and are over 2 inches long. As long as you water the lawn the night before, you will have no problems walking on these lawn aerator shoes as they will dig in very well.
Finally, there are spiked aerator shoes. These are definitely the best option for those who are looking to up their step count! They’re worn on your feet and will aerate your lawn as you walk around. They could also be worn whilst doing other jobs, like hanging out the washing. There are 13 metal spikes on each shoe, approximately 5 cm long, which penetrate into all types of soil for efficient aerating. These spikes are also replaceable, just in case any get lost. Powered aerators can aerate a large lawn in a relatively short time, with minimal effort from your side. For this kind of work you need something more subtle, and you need to be more in control, and that is why a hand powered lawn aerator like this one is perfect for the job. One major benefit of hand tools like this is they require very little setting up. This product arrives pretty much completely assembled and only requires you to fit the rear metal guard and handle on to it and you are ready to go. It should go without saying that the following tools, even though they are sharp, won’t penetrate hard lawns, but then little will! In these cases you’ll need to water first or wait for rain. Lawn Aerator Sandals or ShoesAside from the plug (core) handheld aerator, Yard Butler offers a spike handheld aerator which is better for sandy or loamy soil. The plug type has two tines that will penetrate up to 3.5 inches. The spike aerator has four 3-inch spikes. Both aerators are made of rust-resistant powder-coated steel, measuring 37 inches high and weighing around 4 pounds. Each has rubber padded handles and a footrest for ease in pushing the aerator into the soil. If you have hard, clay soil or water puddles in the grass after rain, then you should choose a plug aerator like our best overall, the Brinly-Hardy 40-inch Tow Behind Plug Aerator. By removing larger pieces or plugs of dirt, plug aerators can help nutrients penetrate more easily into the roots of the grass. If the soil is sandy or loamy, then the more narrow puncture of a spike aerator will give you the aeration needed. For example, the Agri-Fab Spike Aerator is a great tow-behind spike option. Electric or petrol-powered aerators are the least physically demanding aerators. The motor will do the brunt of the work. However, they are generally more expensive, and require more maintenance, so they’re only worthwhile if you intend to aerate frequently over larger areas. To help make your decision little easier, we have chosen a selection of different aerator types that are currently among the most popular in the UK and tested and reviewed them for you. Here’s what I came up with from a combination of years of experience and some personal testing: What does aerating a lawn do?
Loosening the soil, improving the supply of oxygen, and creating good drainage creates a good environment for new grass seed, whilst benefitting any existing lawn. Larger gardens will probably require you to get a rolling aerator, whether that is electric or push powered. You could use aerator nail shoes for any sized garden as long as you are prepared to do the exercise. Type of soil Wait until the next snow. Then walk to the shed. Do it without thinking, and you’ll always follow the same route – made more evident from the path you create in the snow. This lawn aerator has a 1500 W motor, five adjustable heights and a 10 m power cable. It’s designed to revitalise lawns, with the 20 hardened steel blades able to remove moss, lawn thatch and dead grass. The 36 cm working width will work efficiently across a large lawn.There’s no need to overcomplicate things when it comes to some gardening tools, and the Ames 4-Spike Lawn Aerator is a great example of when simplicity works well. The 1400 watt electric motor delivers plenty of power for scarifying, but maybe a little too much for Aerating if you already have a beautiful lawn , as it will tear up some of the surface while doing its job. For a lawn that is in need of help though, a little bit of surface damage that eventually leads to a more beautiful lawn later is probably worth it. In this case, air circulation means allowing stale carbon dioxide to leave the soil to make room for fresh oxygen to take its place.
Using a rolling lawn aerator is less physically demanding than a plug aerator, as long as the ground is sufficiently soft. They can still be relatively hard work to push, especially as they need to be driven into the ground. As mentioned above, putting weights on a spiked lawn aerator can help, but of course this will make it more taxing to push. We love hearing from you. If you have any further questions about aerating (or anything else lawn-related), get in touch, and we’ll gladly help! Changing from one roller to another is fairly straightforward and can be done by using the supplied Allen key which can be attached to the handle for safe keeping and to keep it handy. Great if you’ve got the lawn size that warrants it. Anything over about 500 square metres is going to be tough with manual aerators. Your choices whether buying or hiring are:
Rolling Lawn Aerator | Lawn Aerator Roller | Push Aerator
Before you consider what type of Lawn Aerator is best suited for you, you should take into consideration that there are two main methods – Spike Aerators While it is acceptable to aerate when damp, don't do it after heavy rains; you'll end up with a muddy mess that makes it hard for the lawn to recover. Aerating the lawn can be beneficial in several ways. The effects can also vary depending on what type of lawn aerator you are using. The scarifier function works very effectively as well, successfully pulling moss and thatch out of the grass. It has a 45 L collection bag which is a good size for larger spaces. Whilst it collects some of the debris, it’s often necessary to go over the lawn with a rake afterwards (as is the case with many electric scarifiers). The size of your lawn will play a big part in what kind of aerator you should buy. If you only have a small area to deal with, then a hollow tine aerator can give you great holes before you get too tired. It would be worth taking a look at our article on aerating your lawn for more information.