Do you feel like it's time to aerate your lawn, but you're not sure what tools you need to get the job done? It will help to know the difference between these three tools that are at your disposal and when they are appropriate to use.
Solid Tine Aeration
You will want to use a solid tine aerator when you have soil that is a bit sandy because it allows you to easily make holes in it. A solid tine aerator is going to be able to make the necessary holes in the lawn that allow water and air to get to the roots and help it grow. This type of aerator compacts the soil downward just enough so that the hole is made, and you do not have any of the dirt cores that are pulled out of the lawn as a result. This method is also a very clean way to aerate your lawn, which may be a concern if you have pets or children that frequently play outside.
There are many manual solid tine aerators that you can purchase that have several tines on them, and you simply step on the tool to force the tines into the ground.
Hollow Tine Aeration
If you have soil that is more clay-based, then you are going to want to use a hollow tine aerator. This is because the soil is often too hard to compress down into the ground, so you actually remove a small amount of the soil to create the hole. The manual tool looks very similar to the solid tine aerator, but the tines have holes in them that allow the soil to become trapped inside them. You step on the tool to make the next set of aeration holes, and it pushes the soil in the tool out through the top and leaves the soil cores on the ground.
Machine Aeration
A machine aerator helps perform the job of aerating your lawn by running the machine over the lawn like a lawnmower. There are often different types of blades that you can put on the bottom of the aerator, but it typically works by slicing through the soil with spinning blades. You can also install blades that have hollow tines on them, which automate the process of creating the aeration holes in your lawn. You'll likely want to rent this type of equipment from a local home improvement store since you won't be using it that often.
For more information, contact a company like Soil Service Inc.
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