Lawn Aeration Tools

Lawn aeration tools like garden fork, hollow tinder, scarifier, seed sitter, spiked shoes, plug aerator and spike aerator helps in aerating your lawn. This aeration process is important as it allows key nutrients, oxygen, sunlight and water to sink in and reach the root system of your lawn grass. This will benefit your lawn with a deep root system, keeping it lush green and healthy and prevent it from unwanted weeds and grasses. 

In this article, Edenapp has highlighted the various tools used for lawn aeration and how to use them. Furthermore, you will know the tools that are user-friendly and if it is possible to aerate your lawn without aeration tools. Finally, you will know if Edenapp is able to assist with lawn aeration tools. So let’s start by having a look at various lawn aeration tools.

1. The Garden Fork

A garden fork is a large fork with four to eight tines in a square-shouldered head and a handle. The tines are shaped with a horizontal curve and a little upward curve at the bottom. These forks are used in gardening and farming for loosening, turning and lifting soil and to move compost and mulch. 

2. Hollow Tiner

Hollow tiners are metal tubes that can be let directly into the surface of your lawn to extract a plug of turf and soil. This tool can be used with a manual fork or a walk-behind mechanical aerator to easily lift out the plugs. It is strongly recommended for larger areas of lawn. 

Hollow-tine aeration is a good choice for lawn as it gives a long-lasting effect, and the holes stay open for weeks post treatment to provide it much time to receive the benefits.

3. Scarifier

A lawn scarifier is also known as a dethatcher. It is a garden tool that is created to cut through the soil and to help remove dead moss and other debris. It is either powered by electricity or a manual push action. It also helps to aerate the soil, makes it weed free and longer lasting. 

Follow these steps to when using a lawn scarifier:

1. Take out any debris from your lawn and spread a moss killer. Also, gather the dead moss before scarifying.
2. Mow your lawn on a dry day with the mower on a low setting. Doing it in advance of using the lawn scarifier will help you to collect the cut grass at the same time, before it can do any harm to your lawn.
3. Now use the lawn scarifier on a high setting and go over the surface many times. Then continue this step at angles but lessen the intensity by changing the settings on each pass.
4. At last, spread topsoil and grass seed to finish.

4. Seed Slitter

A seed slitter is an electric tool that uses knife blades to cut into the soil and another one to drop seeds into the newly-established slits in the ground. They are the most productive tools for reseeding excessively damaged or unmaintained lawns.

If you are not using a seed slitter then planting areas must be tilled which kills the existing grass. If your lawn looks spotty or thin, you need to consider buying or renting a seed slitter. Edenapp suggests moving over the lawn twice with the tool. When moving the second time, go perpendicular to the first line of rows. Water your lawn completely after seeding.

5. Spiked Shoes

Lawn aerator spiked shoes are typically shoes that have spikes on the bottom that help to aerate the lawn while you walk around the lawn doing yard work or mowing. The shoes aren’t actually shoes, but they are more like sandals you strap over your current shoes.

To use aerator shoes, you need to strap the soles onto your shoe, spikes down, and then walk around on your lawn. Due to your body weight the spikes drive into the lawn, creating small holes in the lawn when you lift your foot. 

6. Plug Aerator

Plug aerators remove the center or plug of grass and soil from the lawn. Use a plug aerator that removes plugs of soil. Only poking holes is less effective and can actually cause more compaction in the areas around the holes.

A plug aerator uses a hollow tube to effectively pull plugs of soil out of the lawn. If you use a solid spike that creates holes in the soil is not the right tool for this job. It will lead to more soil compaction. You can even rent a core plug aerator from your local garden center or hardware store, or you can hire a professional landscaping service provider to do the job for you. 

7. Spike Aerator

A spike aerator has sharp tines that penetrate the ground to make holes and aerate your lawn while a plug aerator has hollow tines that penetrate the core and pull out plugs of soil. Spike aeration is suitable for small lawns with mild compaction. A spike aerator is simply used to poke holes into the ground with a solid tine, or fork.

How To Use Lawn Aeration Tools?

Aeration helps the soil to loosen, makes drainage better and improves airflow around the plants, and it enables root depth and root growth. 

• Use a garden fork to improve air flow and to spread rain throughout your landscape. While using it, go over your lawn carefully with the fork.
• A hollow tiner is used in the same way as a garden fork and has the same spacing. It’s designed to lessen soil compaction.
• A scarifier removes leaves, moss and thatch from the base of grass blades. This helps air to circulate and water and fertilizer to get down into the root system.
• A seed slitter will help you to cut into the soil and to drop seeds into the newly-established slits in the ground.

Which Aeration Tools Are The Most User-Friendly?

Plug and spike aerators both are user-friendly. You can use plug aerators for heavy clay and compact soil and spike aerators for light aeration process. Plug aerators are available in battery operated, electric and gas powered models. You can choose the one based on your preference, requirements and size of the lawn. 

Is It Possible to Aerate a Lawn without Aeration Tools?

Yes, you can aerate your lawn without using any tools by doing it manually. You might be thinking how to aerate a lawn by hand. Manual methods are also capable of delivering excellent results but they can be quite tedious and laborious.

You can do it manually by pushing a hand aerifier’s hollow tubes into the soil and pulling them out of the soil. Leave the removed soil cores on the surface of your lawn. Repeat the process every 4 to 6 inches in the entire lawn. 

Is Edenapp Able To Assist with Lawn Aeration Tools?

Yes, Edenapp can assist you with aeration tools and help you determine what methods work best for your lawn. Edenapp provides professional aeration and all landscaping services all year round to make sure your lawn is at its best.