Localised Lawn Aeration
Spiker Aerator Shoes*The above Lawn Aeration Equipment products are available in the Lawnsmith Shop and discussed below:
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Some areas of your lawn need more aeration to relieve compaction than others. These may be around the clothes line or the postman’s short cut across the front lawn. Relieving compaction by spiking with a garden fork or aerator sandals* is not that difficult. The secret is to do it frequently, preferably every month. Alternating the aeration with a hollow tine aerator or fork* will considerably relieve the compaction. Afterwards, put the sprinkler on the area for 30 minutes and stay off it for a day or two.
If the area gets worn out as well as compacted put a little grass seed in every time you aerate. Not much seed will germinate because of the traffic but enough will grow to keep it looking fairly respectable.
The Air Lift
An alternative to just spiking with a fork is to ‘lift’ the turf. This is where the fork, once inserted, is levered backwards using your foot or a board behind the fork as a fulcrum. As the fork is pulled backwards the pointy end moves forwards and upwards inside the turf slightly lifting it.
This is very slow and hard work but is very useful for heavily trod areas or where slight depressions have developed and you need to bring the surface level back up to match the surrounding turf.
