Tuesday

So 'Ya Wanna Aerate Your Lawn?


What is this big orange contraption?  Well let me just tell 'ya.......

It's called a plug aerator. 

Our lawn wasn't looking so great the past couple years and one supposed answer for that problem is to aerate it.  There are a couple different kinds of aerators, the plug aerator that pulls out hunks of dirt about 3" deep and chucks them all over your grass, or the kind with spikey things that leave little divots all over your yard.


The plug kind was what the rental place had - $50 for three hours - so that's what I got. 

Yes me.  I made the decision to aerate the lawn. 

Because it just made sense last weekend, with a to-do list of 30 things, to do something that wasn't even on the list.

And I also had to clean the dirt back out of those plugs to return it back to the rental place.  Pain in the you know what.   All the pressure washer did (FYI that's my all time favorite outdoor tool to use) was splatter me from head to toe with mud.


There were five of these big jugs that had to be filled with water to weigh down the big orange thing so the plugs could dig down into the ground.  Then you drive your lawn mower all over your yard and make holes in it. 

By the time I was done I was wondering why no one tried to stop me.

Don't drive on cement, or over landscape rock, or anything else you don't want a plug to put a hole in.


As each kid came out of the house, or in the driveway, I got the same question....

"WHAT did you DO to the LAWN?".  

I was asking myself the same question.

I'll tell you right now they don't think I'm Einstein.


THIS is suppose to help FIX my lawn?????

I read up on the process and the lumps should melt back in to the ground, but do they melt right back in the 3 inch holes they left?  I'm thinking no.  So will I be getting a big toe stuck in a three inch hole every time I run around barefoot?

 I am well aware what that looks like smeared all over my yard. 

The jury is out on whether or not aerating the yard will actually help it.  A layer of fertilizer gets put on, and some weed killer, so in a month I'll have to let you know if I see any difference I can directly attribute to the aeration. 

I'll also let you know if I get a big toe stuck in the ground.

Because nothing says "welcome" to a house like dirt clods all over the nice green grass.





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34 comments :

  1. LOL! So funny! I hope it helps and I can't wait to find out!

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  2. Hehe...is there such a thing as aerator's remorse? I'm sure it will green up nicely. They do it at the golf courses all the time and look how nice they look! If not, you could always add a few hogs to the ranch. oink oink

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  3. We bought an aerator a couple years ago and I pull it around every year. Haven't done it yet this year, but will soon.

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  4. The Mr. does it every year and it does seem to make a big difference. That and de-thatching which leaves a lot of dead, dry grass that the kids and I rake up and haul off. Hope yours pays off!

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  5. Oh my! I do think this is supposed to work. I believe my father in law had this done to his lawn before and he always has a beautiful lawn every year. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

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  6. Oh my goodness. That is hilarious. When I first started reading your post, I nodded in agreement. Our yard looks terrible too...but when I read about how much work it took to do it and the 'before' pictures, I think I'll just resort for praying for a nicer yard :)

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  7. I probably wouldn't even notice the lawn... I'd have my eyes focused on the pretty Welcome sign on your front door!
    (Good luck with the lawn, ours is filled with weeds)
    Susan

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  8. Well aren't you the supreme diyer doing it on your own. Ours is terrible during Summer 110f most days and we can't water but it always comes back in Spring

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  9. Wow I'm impressed at the lengths you will go to avoid finishing your projects! Maybe I'll try this before I paint my bedroom furniture.

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  10. You're brave!! I'm sure it will yield great results though! Love your welcome sign--is it a silver plate with chalkboard paint?

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  11. You're a brave soul to do this yourself. It will work! Have had lawns in the past but I didn't do the deed. :) Just ignore the way it looks and pray for rain.

    xo
    Pat

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  12. LOL! My hubby just did this to our lawn a couple weeks ago - He used an aerator that you walk behind and it pulls smaller plugs - like about 2 inches around and 5 inches long - imagine what that looked like all over the yard! Seriously I was questioning his sanity! But you know what? they did melt back into the yard and I don't even notice them at all. Not sure yet if it really helped the yard but at least it doesn't look like a huge pack of dogs hung out here for a weekend anymore!

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  13. Do you have a dog? Experience taught me that for a couple of weeks you won't be able to differentiate worked soil and dog turds.

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  14. Or dirt clods in your house! Ha! Sorry but that does look like the worst lawn in the neighborhood! But I am sure it will all come out in the wash, that is after you hose yourself down. Pray for rain....

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  15. If they don't melt themselves back into your yard, you could just get a big hat like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and stomp them back down in your heels.

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  16. Oh you silly goose. Hire someone to do it next year. Yes, I promise it will help the lawn. We do it every spring and fall. The clumps do break up eventually! You just have to live with the ugly for a little while. This year I asked Mike if he wanted me to rake up the clumps. He laughed at me! In KC we had a friend with a machine so we did it ourselves. Our first years here we rented. But we found out getting the damn machine in and out of the SUV was not worth doing it ourselves. We pay our next door neighbor's gardener to do ours whenever he brings out his machine.

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  17. Yes, but don't tell me you didn't have fun, driving around on a lawn mower with an attachment !
    I just used a pressure hose on my car today, for the first time. Best £2.00 I'd ever spent (£1.00 for 2 minutes, so I did it twice because I liked it THAT much!)

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  18. Yeah...I've always thought when we aerate, it looks like every dog in the two surrounding counties decided to visit our yard. Hope it helps!

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  19. Definitely will help your yard, but in the meantime you'll enjoy your cow patty lawn.

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  20. I'm happy to report that YES you should be happy with the results of all your hard work doing this to your yard. My husband runs his own lawn business on the side. He has been doing it for a long time and let me tell you, aeration is the way to go if you're planting seed. Otherwise, it just runs off the yard.

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  21. Hahaha! Yard work is so hard! I hope this actually works out and your big toe doesn't sink in the yard! ;)

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  22. I would definitely avoid running around barefoot for a while!

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  23. Aerating is supposed to be great for the lawn so I bet you will see a huge improvement. Don't forget to let us know. Give us a before and after.

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  24. I need to do this to my lawn. Did you know they make aerating shoe attachments? It's true! I doubt they work very well but you put them on and walk around forever and a day to aerate the lawn. Your way looks faster and more effective though.

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  25. Well I have a dog so that mud looks like ....anyway better mud than the other right? I did this to my lawn and it helped. We usually do it in the early spring before the grass is green. It helps blend the mud a little. I think your hard work will be worth it.

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  26. yeah, it will help. It's one of those things that looks worse before it will look better. But yay for you! You aerated your lawn!

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  27. Hi Bliss...I haven't checked in with you in ages it seems. We turned our small yard over to a lawn service for that kind of thing so I am proud of you for taking it on. You will be happy in the long run I think. Have a happy Sunday!

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  28. Very brave to take that on, it looks like a lot of work! But I commend you for trying something new and I bet you'll be proud when your lawn perks up, though it looked lovely to me already, plug holes, and all ~ Amy

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  29. hahaha! It looks hilarious, not gonna lie. But you have to report back on whether it works! We'll take whatever help we can get on our tragic lawn. And our neighbors will thank you.

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  30. Good for you getting done what wasn't on the list. I think that's what lists are for, so we can get other things done. Now, where's the picture of you covered in mud?!
    Liz

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