
This will give the lawn a better, more uniform appearance. Once you have gone over the entire yard with the aerator, you may want to break up the soil plugs that have been left on the ground. Next, you raise a handle that pulls the tines back out of the soil, taking the soil plugs along with them.Īs you repeat this process, the next set of soil plugs will push the first ones out of the aerator, and the plugs will be left behind on the lawn. To use it, you step down on the step bar with one foot, driving the tines into the soil.
Plug aerator manual#
A manual aerator generally has a step bar with several tines attached to it. It will generally take several hours to aerate a standard lawn. Here is a picture of the Agri-Fab Plug Aerator (tow behind model)Ī manual plug aerator is fairly simple to use, although it can be a slow process. They should be spaced about 2 or 3 inches apart. The plugs should be about 2 or 3 inches long and half an inch in diameter. It has sharp metal tines that penetrate the soil and remove small cores or plugs, leaving holes in the soil. It is also referred to as a core aerator – which I consider to be the best type of lawn aerator. The deeper the plugs and the uglier it looks, the better! Types of AeratorsĪ plug aerator is usually a wheeled machine that can be pushed across a lawn.

If the grass is growing, it will easily recover and fill in the holes left behind by aeration. When you are using a plug aerator, you will be pulling small amounts of soil out of the ground. Newly built homes may also have soil that has become compacted due to the equipment used during the instruction phase.įor cool season grasses, aeration should be done during the fall.
Plug aerator full#
Soil can become compacted through heavy use.įor instance, if your yard is frequently full of children or pets playing, or gets a lot of foot traffic, chances are it needs to be aerated yearly. Aerating allows water to drain properly and prevents the soil compaction that can damage the grass.

Water can be trapped in the fine soil layer. These layers can interfere with drainage. Some lawns are more likely to need aeration than others.įor instance, a lawn that has grown from sod may have a layer of fine soil that was added with the sod and a layer of coarse soil underneath it. It also cuts through the thatch layer that can build up and interfere with the grass’s roots. Aeration breaks up soil that has been compacted – which happens to almost all lawns. When the soil has been aerated, it is easier for nutrients, water, and air to get down into the roots of the grass. Soil aeration is a term that describes the process of making small holes in the soil. What is Soil Aeration & Why Do You Need To Understand It? In order to understand what a plug aerator is and when you should use one, let’s first talk about the basic idea of soil aeration. These deliveries are “curb-side” only, please read the details about curb-side, lift-gate and residential freight deliveries.A plug aerator is one of several machines (but the one that I recommend you use) that can be used for soil aeration.Īeration is an essential part of a good lawn care program and helps to encourage the growth of attractive, healthy grass. Shipping to a business is your best choice if possible saving you the liftgate fee.

You will not have to pay the liftgate charge if you can ship to a business and you can unload the crate off the back of the freight truck. Please note about lift gate delivery: You must select the lift gate option if you can’t unload the crate off the freight truck. Rolls on 1" grease-able pillow block bearings.Wheels are bolted in place with no pins or latches to rotate the tow bar 180 degrees while lowering or lifting the drum.Tank can be filled with water for added weight.We also carry Maxim® tow-behind spike aerators here at WSD as well, which are also available in a 36" version and a 48" version. The MSP36 tow-behind plug aerator by Maxim® is the little brother of the MSP48, a 48" tow-behind plug aerator by Maxim®.
