The best way to overcome soil compaction and improve the growing conditions of your grass is to aerate your lawn with a lawn aerator. But which type of lawn aerator should you use? Well, you have two different directions that you can go, powered and non-powered. Basically, one type has some type of motor, and the other doesn’t.
So, how do you know if a manual aerator will be right for your lawn? Well, we need to take a closer look at several scenarios and find out how to aerate a lawn by hand. This will tell you if aerating your lawn by hand is the right choice. So, let’s take a look.
Aerating Your Lawn By Hand (The Short Explanation)
Non-powered aerators rely on the power of the operator to drive the aerating mechanism. Therefore this method requires the operator to aerate the lawn manually or by hand. The results of manual aeration are the same regardless if you use a powered or non-powered aerator. Here are five different types of manual aerators you can use if you choose to aerate by hand.
- Hand Held Core Aerators
- Hand Held Spike Aerators
- Manual Walk-Behind Spike Aerators
- Spike Aerating Shoes
- Garden Fork
When Manual Aeration of a Lawn Makes Sense (5 Scenarios)
So why would you want to use a manual or non-powered aerator? Well, there are several scenarios where a manual aerator makes more sense than using a powered version. Here are five situations where it makes sense to aerate by hand. Let’s take a closer look.
Lawn Size
The first reason you might want to choose a manual aerator over a powered version is the size of your lawn. If your lawn is a smaller size, then aerating by hand could be just as quick as using a powered version. I think using a powered aerator on a small lawn is overkill. It’s kind of like using a riding lawn mower in a little backyard.
Convenience
Powered aerators require quite a bit of setup, which includes tasks like running an electric cable, heading out to get gas, and just getting the machine ready for use. Whereas all you need to do with a manual aerator is pick it up, and off you go. If you want to try the aerating shoes, then it’s just a case of putting them on and walking around your lawn. So, if you only have a small area to aerate, then you’ll be up and working in seconds with a manual aerator.
Tricky Locations
Sometimes you’ll find that some aerators are just too big for the area you want to aerator. For example, I have a strip of grass about a foot wide between my house and one of my paths. So, even if I wanted to use a powered aerator in this area, I wouldn’t be able to because my powered aerator is simply too wide.
Aerator Storage
I know that for a lot of people, finding storage for their gardening tools can be a bit of an issue. So, adding another large machine, such as a large walk-behind aerator, can be a problem. Thankfully, manual aerators are pretty small, including the walk-behind versions. So, if your garage is already full or you are limited in space, then a manual aerator could be a wise choice.
Cost of the Aerating Machine
Finally, manual aerators are significantly cheaper than powered versions. Good quality hand-held aerators start at about $30-40, whereas a cheap powered version, which, to be honest, won’t last many seasons, averages around $150-200. If you wanted to get hold of a deep professional core aerator, you would be looking at costs of around $3,000-4,000 compared to a pair of aerating shoes starting at around $20. So, manual aeration is definitely budget-friendly.
What You’ll Need to Aerate Your Lawn By Hand (Equipment List)
So what do you need to get going with manual aeration and aerating your lawn without a machine? Well, all you need is the manual aerator. You don’t need electricity, gasoline, or technical knowledge of how to operate a powered machine. It’s pretty simple once you understand the method of aerating.
How to Aerate Your Lawn Without a Machine (5 Different Methods)
The first thing you’ll need to consider when using any type of lawn aerator is the amount of aeration you need to achieve. I would say that you need at least 20 penetrations per square foot. So depending on the type of manual aerator you will use, you’ll need to adapt your method to achieve this level of aeration. So, let’s go over how to aerate a lawn by hand.
Single Row Hand-Held Core Aerators & Spike Aerators
Hand-held core and spike aerators are both used in the same way. You place the spikes/cores vertically on the lawn, then use your foot to press the aerator down into the ground while holding the tool’s handle. Once the spikes/cores fully penetrate the soil and the tool can’t go any further, you pull the tool from the ground.
Then you move the aerator backward and repeat the process. This is where the spacing comes into play. So, if you are using a core aerator with two cores spaced 6 inches apart, I recommend moving the aerator forward 3 inches. This will give you a total of five rows per foot and ten penetrations. So, keep moving backward 3 inches with each penetration until you reach the end of your lawn. Then head back to the starting point.
Now you want to create an overlap with your aerator so that one of the spikes sits between the first two penetrations you made. Then repeat the aeration process until you complete the length of your lawn the same as you did before. This fills in the gap between the first two penetrations that are spaced 6 inches apart and gives you four penetrations spaced at 3 inches. And that is all there is to it.
So, what do I think about single-row core and spike aerators? Well, out of all the manual aerators, I definitely believe these two tools give the best results because they both create large penetration into the ground. Now, only having a couple of spikes or cores makes aerating a pretty time-consuming job, but I believe a job worth doing is worth doing right. So, the extra time really pays off and gives you long-lasting results. This is why I have both of these tools in my shed.
Multi-Row Spike Aerators
A multi-row spike aerator is made up of several rows of spikes at the head of the hand-held aerator. Therefore with this type of tool, you won’t need to worry about overlapping and spacing, as there are usually enough spikes to achieve the required level of aeration.
So, place the aerator vertically on the lawn and use your weight to penetrate the tool to the ground until it can’t go any further. Then, remove the tool and take a step backward. Repeat this process of penetrating and removing until you complete the full length of your lawn. Then go back to the starting point and repeat the process creating a new row of penetration adjacent to the original row. Again, that’s all there is to it.
So, what are the results of a multi-row spike aerator like? Well, they are not as good as single-row aerators because the spikes are much smaller, but they still create a void for air, water, and nutrients to travel through. So, while they do work, the effects are not as long-lasting, which means you’ll need to use the multi-row aerator more often.
Manual Walk-Behind Aerators
Manual walk-behind aerators consist of a series of blades attached to a drum that rotates as the aerator moves forward and backward. The blades cut into the ground to create aeration. So all you need to do is walk up and down your lawn, making sure that you pass over your entire lawn just the same as if you were mowing.
These machines are lightweight, so you’ll need to add downward pressure to the aerator to ensure that the blades actually cut into the ground. Now, this requires quite a bit of extra effort, so you should add some weight to make it easier.
For example, I have seen people add a concrete block to their manual walk-behind aerator to create this downward force. So, you can either customize your aerator to take some extra weight or buy an aerator with provisions for additional weight, such as concrete block mounts or a water tank that you can fill.
So, should you give this type of manual aerator a try? Well, this type of aerator allows you to cover a large area quickly, but the extra weight can be hard work. Also, the cuts the aerator makes in the ground are pretty shallow, limiting the amount of aeration you can achieve.
My personal experience is that this type of aerator doesn’t give me the results I need. The deeper single-row core aerator digs down to about six inches, whereas the walk-behind can sometimes struggle to make even an inch. Personally, this type of aerator would not be my first choice.
Spike Aerating Shoes
Well, this one doesn’t really fall into the category of how to aerate a lawn by hand. It’s more like how to aerate by foot. The spike aerator is basically a pair of shoes with a bunch of spikes attached to the bottom that penetrate the ground as you walk. Kind of like a pair of golf shoes or cleats. So, like the other manual aeration methods, you make passes across your lawn, making sure to aerate the whole lawn. So, if you like walking, these might be right up your alley.
But are they any good? Well, the walking method you have to use with spike aerating shoes isn’t the same as if you were taking the dog for a walk. It’s a very unnatural walking method that requires you to lift your knees very high and then press down pretty hard. After about five minutes of trying this method, my legs were burning. These would be ideal if you are looking for a workout or you’re training for a marathon. But for me, they are just too much hard work. Also, it’s easy to lose balance when pushing the spikes into the ground. I think I spent more time falling over than actually aerating.
Garden Fork
If you look around your garden tools, you’ll probably have a garden fork already, which is a perfect way to aerate without an aerator or a machine. If you compare it with a single-row spike aerator, you’ll notice that a garden fork looks pretty much the same other than the spikes of your garden fork are a bit longer.
So, do you need to use a manual aerator if you already have a garden fork? Nope, a fork will work just fine. So let’s look at how to aerate a lawn with a garden fork.
Well, all you need to do is use the same method as if you were using a single-row manual spike aerator and make passes across your lawn. The only difference is that you don’t need to dig the fork into the ground fully. A good six inches will work just fine.
Before I purchased a dedicated aerator, I used a regular garden fork for a number of years, and I couldn’t see much of a difference. The results were great because of the extra depth available, and I didn’t need to spend additional money on more tools.
So, regardless of which manual tool you use, it’s good to remember that any aeration is good aeration.
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