Land Pride Aerator

[TresCrows]

Getting back to aerators, Jim, so you mean that Midwest no longer makes stuff for First Choice? I assume Midwest built my aerator, it was drop shipped from some place in Ill I think I recall. Do you provide parts for these units? -- things like the spoons etc? Are you guys still making the 52/54 inch brush cutter? and who is marketing them for you? I wish you would market an estate cutter.
Aerating, when do people usually do their first aeration? Last year I think I did it in April. This year I am going to aerate and then spread some sand since I have such heavy soil. I was thinking the sand would work it's way into the plug holes--maybe? I can put a lot of weight on my aerator (whoever made it and whatever it is), it is quite heavy duty and I think I have had as much as 500 lbs on it plus it's weight. (don't remember for sure). With that much weight the 2410 pulls pretty hard if there is any grade. Anyway, I am glad i got the thing, I am the envy of everyone who sees it. It really has made a difference in my lawn with only a few uses. I think an aerator is one of those things though where there is no inbetween, either get a heavy built quality unit or don't bother. For the prices I was quoted by the pros to aerate my yard once I could buy a truck load of the things. J

 

[hazmat]

Tres,

Check out this link Re aerating your lawn (best one I've found to date) <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf2130.pdf>Kansas State Lawn Aerating (pdf) </A>

I'm loving mine too (Midwest Built for First Choice)

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Seems to me that the standard recommendation is twice a year.

The quoted prices for aerating is exactly why I am going to buy one(looking at long term use)

 

[JimMc]

Midwest built all the box blades, rear blades, aerators, landscape rakes, and rotary cutters for First Choice. Some of that product was routed through NC and some was shipped direct. All had the First Choice logo. So, if yours was drop shipped, it probably came from Harrisburg, IL where we are located. We also direct shipped for several First Choice dealers with customers located at a distance from the dealer's location. This was a freight savings to customer and dealer alike and worked out fairly well. We have not shipped any product to First Choice since late fall 2002.

Some First Choice dealers are aware of the situation and are placing orders with us directly with our label "Midwest". Most First Choice dealers are not aware of the situation and we have not made much effort to contact them in the hopes that they will buy the remaining FC inventory. I do not wish to cause any difficulties for FC by leaving them with unsold inventory.

We will continue to support products labelled First Choice with parts and components. We are still manufacturing all the products and several others.

I have played around a bit with an estate cutter, but the next product lineup to release is a finish mower and tiller series. (And before Inspector gets upset, the quick hitch and top and tilt are a done deal for public release at Louisville)

Now back to aerating. I have placed a link to the KS State pdf on our manuals page. It has a lot of good information. Personally, I aerate twice in the spring when the grass really begins to grow to promote root growth and then again in the fall. I have been known in a dry season to punch a few holes before a rain forecast to minimize the amount of rain water leaving my yard, but have no hard data that it helps, other than the subjective "my yard was the last in the area to turn brown". I'm not so certain that I didn't inadvertantly cause a weed population increase with that strategy, so don't try that one because I mentioned it. I do know I have a few more broadleafs scattered across the lawn now.

Our local schools use them on their football and baseball fields. On the baseball fields, they aerated and swept up the cores. Then they got all the kids to scatter sand on the fields and swept them again to get the sand swept into the holes. They repeated this a couple of weeks apart. I can tell you those fields will take a lot of rainfall and be playable very quickly. So topdressing can provide several benefits.

 

[Gfranklin]

In a turf class at the local college here in North Carolina where tall fescue is the preferred grass, the instructor asked the assorted people in the class about aeration. The general consensus was to aerate in the fall immediately prior to overseeding. They further indicated that virtually all of them didn't promote spring aeration because it pulls crabgrass seeds to the surface and creates a weed problem. I have absolutely no experience to support or refute this.

I do remember the instructors comment that core aeration on a yard was the most bang for the buck that one could do to improve lawn quality. We have brick quality clay in our area so that certainly makes sense.

Greg

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Here is some informationn from the University of Kentucky's Agriculture College: Aerification/Coring
Aerification is a term used interchangeably with the terms core cultivation or coring. This method of turf cultivation involves using equipment with hollow tines or spoons to remove soil cores from the top 2 to 3 inches of soil and redepositing the soil cores on the surface. Good aerifiers are sometimes available from rental agencies, and most lawn care companies offer aerification.

Coring machines remove plugs of soil and grass and open up the soil for improved aeration and water infiltration.


The cores will disappear after significant rainfall or irrigation.

In contrast to aerification, cultivation practices that do not remove soil (i.e., spiking and slicing) do not improve the surface. They give little or no benefit and may increase surface compaction.

Coring helps:

relieve surface compaction in the top 1 to 2 inches of soil, which is especially important on heavily used sports turfs but seldom a benefit to home lawns.
improve soil aeration and water infiltration, especially on heavily used sports turf and occasionally on moderate-to-steep lawn slopes where water runoff is rapid.
reduce thatch accumulation and/or increase microbial decomposition of thatch. The cores that remain on the surface as a result of aerification will gradually be melted down by rainfall or irrigation.
Thatch reduction occurs because the extracted soil mixes with the dead organic matter to create a natural compost. During wet weather, however, the cores from heavy clays will be very sticky on shoes, clothing, and mowing equipment.


To make aerification worthwhile:

Use the largest available tines or spoons, i.e., 3/4 inch to 1 inch in diameter.
Force the tines to penetrate 2 to 3 inches deep.
Make 20 to 30 holes per square foot.
Repeat the entire process two or three times per year. A single aerification is practically useless.
Carry out this process only when active turf growth is occurring. Since coring increases light penetration into the canopy, crabgrass and other weeds may germinate if quick grass recovery and fillin does not occur.

 

[Gfranklin]

<font color=blue>Make 20 to 30 holes per square foot.
</font color=blue>

I guess this is talking about those crank driven golf course type aerators?

I have one of those small homeowner type water drum pull behind cheap coring style aerators. I pull it with my 318 lawnmower. It will pull a plug out of the ground about a half inch in diameter and about 3/4 inch long. I may get 3 per square foot per pass so I drive all over a lot. I laugh at it's areation abilities but darn if it doesn't seem to make a perfect seedbed. I broadcast the seed and nothing grows that is not in one of those shallow holes but every hole sprouts!

Greg

 

[Anonymous Poster]

That sounds like it makes for a lush lawn for sure!

Mine has never been aerated since the home was built 7 years ago ,So I suspect aeration and overseeding will benefit it greatly.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I take that to mean any aerator Greg.

This article was for Ky lawns and we do have a lot of clay soil.

Here is the complete addy:

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr54/agr54.htm>http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr54/agr54.htm</A>

 

[Gfranklin]

You are correct. I overlooked the fact that this hole density can be obtained with multiple passes just like I do with mine/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif.

Greg