Lawn Aeration..?

Question

Spike, or Plug aerators? I bought a spike one but I'm worried I wasted my money....are they really all that bad? Thanks.

What are the advantages of Spike aeration opposed to Plug aeration? Plug aeration puts little wads of dirt throughout your yard, perhaps Spike is better in terms of cosmetic....idk....what are your thoughts?

Another question....I bought several items for my lawn.

A spike aerator, grass seed(The lawn is already planted, it just has some bare spots..), and some Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium fertilizer. I have a question, in what order should I apply these things to my yard?

Answer 1

Spike aerators are less effective than plug aerators! But still, spike aerators do relieve some compaction issues and transferal of moisture and nutrients to a wider spread depth! The advantage of plug aerators is that they relieve compaction without creating any (due to removing the dirt in which the hole is created), And that is the main advantage since spike aerators creat a hole but displace no dirt therefore compacting soil around the hole created!
Nonetheless, spike aeration is still much better than none at all that is for certain!

Answer 2

Plug (or core) aeration is much, much better. In fact, many people argue that spike aerating actually further compacts your soil. Think about it. You stick a spike into the ground and it displaces soil. Where does that soil go? It gets crunched into the soil surrounding the spike. Plug aerating also removes a core and puts it on top of your grass. This brings beneficial microbes to the surface.

But spike aerating is better than not aerating at all.

Of the things you're wanting to do, I would aerate first, then put down starter fertilizer, then seed. Your new seed will need to be watered briefly twice a day until it germinates. When the new grass is about an inch tall, cut back to once a day.

Answer 3

The problem with spike aerators is that the hole closes up very rapidly. With the plug aerator, seeds and nutrients can get down into the soil for quite a while. Spike is better than nothing but not much.

Answer 4

Simply use a three pronged garden fork spearing it into the lawn then rocking it back and forth to loosen the ground. Do this randomly all over for cheap, quick and effective method of aerating your lawn. Never fails.

Answer 5

The plugs all over my yard drive me crazy. The hunks of sod and soil become play toys for my doggies, too. Hence, I prefer the spike because there is no muss and no fuss.