Yet more Aerator use questions

hazmat · Sep 23, 2002

Well, the wife came thru for me & I've ordered a first Choice 60" Aerator. She is even paying for it (it is my wedding present)/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif Although I am quite certain that this is the last tractor attachment untill the house is painted./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

I've done a search on aerating (here and on lawnsite). But still have a couple of questions.

I know that fall is the best time to do it. I have a couple areas that seem rather hard, should I hit them again in the spring? I've seen conflicting recommendations on this.

It seems that multiple passes are recommended. Being an engineer I'd like this quantified. How many holes per square foot do I need?

Is deeper better? The first choice aerator has provisions for adding weight, what should my goal depth be?

Last one. My lawn is due for its fall fertilization (I'm trying to only do it once per yer, no 12 step program here). What order? Aerate then fertilize or fertilize then aerate?

I'll be sure to post some pictures for you guys when I get the aerator.

JackIL · Sep 23, 2002

Haz,

I don't recall seeing any specs on desired number of holes per square foot. The most important factor is to do the aeration when the soil is soft. This usually means just after it has rained. I heard one turf expert this summer recommend aeration while it is raining. He was a specialist on sports turf and golf courses. You don't want to aerate in sticky mud, but the soil must be just moist enough so that you pull out clean cores about 3-4 inches long that push through the tubes without packing them tight. If the soil is very hard and dry, the aerator may not penetrate much no matter how much ballast weight you add. You will just have to experiment in your soil conditions as to how much ballast to add in order to penetrate 3 inches or so into soft soil.

Normally aeration is done before application of fertilizer, but I have not read anything that would indicate it is essential.

You also want to do the aeration when there is a strong prospect of rain within a day or two after so that the roots that are pulled loose but not severed will have a chance to start growth again. If it remains dry you will see brown grass around each puncture.

Good luck.

Jack

Turfman · Sep 23, 2002

Several passes are in order. I did my front 5 times last spring and the back 2 times. You could see the difference. Aerate, then fertilize. Lets the fert get to the roots. Aeration is for the plant roots and to reduce thatch. Deeper is better and deeper with closer patterns, via multiple passes is best. 3" deep is great.

I fert four or five times per year, but we live in a low fertility area.

hazmat · Sep 23, 2002

Thanks for the info guys.

Turfman, do you water your lawn? I was under the impression that if there wasn't enough water, that the fertilizer would burn up the lawn.

With 2 acres of grass, its a bit much to drag the sprinkler around. An irrigation system is pretty near the bottom of capital improvement projects.

Turfman · Sep 23, 2002

We have to water. Your fert needs to go on and then be watered in. Leaving on the surface can cause burning (it is a salt) and also causes it to volatize into the atmosphere.

hazmat · Sep 23, 2002

Turfman,

I guess I better coordinate my application with the weatherman. Hopefully he will be right.

My question actually was more, do you water on a regular basis? I've heard / read that if you want to do a 4-6 step fert program, you need to be sure that the lawn has enough water or it is stressed, too much nutrients not enough water.

I'm not saying you shouldn't fert 4 times (obviously you know what you are doing with your hort degree & landscape business). I guess the follow up question is, can I fertlize fall & spring or more? If I don't water the lawn? My soil seems to be pretty fertile (judged by the color of the grass & growth rate). I do have some dandelions & clover that I'd like to get under control. My plan was weed & feed this fall & weed control again in the spring. Or is it better to do weed & feed in the spring?

hazmat · Sep 23, 2002

Well, Just got off the phone with Sweet Tractors. The aerator should be here thursday. I am going to pick it up at a Freight terminal (Only 10 minutes from work, 20 from home /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif). I'll post my experiences with it once I get to use it. Also some pics with my cheap-o camera.

Turfman · Sep 24, 2002

do you water on a regular basis? I've heard / read that if you want to do a 4-6 step fert program, you need to be sure that the lawn has enough water or it is stressed, too much nutrients not enough water.

We water regularly. We have an automatic sprinkler system. It will actually handle the nutrients. The salts that the fet is based on will burn the turf, as will too much nitrogen. Applying a correct application and not watering it in is wasteful, the nitrogen will move in the soil and into the ground water after time. Here we use a complete fert (all three numbers) twice a year (spring and fall) and just apply nitrogen (in its cheapest form) the rest of the time. The phosphorus and potash will not move much in the soil so they only need to be applied twice per year. Nitrogen will volatize and leach into the soil, so it needs to be applied more frequently at reduced rates. Kentucky Blue grass will easily handle 5 lbs of elemental nitrogen per year. Fine fescue needs quite a bit less and too much can damage it.

I'm not saying you shouldn't fert 4 times (obviously you know what you are doing with your hort degree & landscape business).
I know just enough to be dangerous.

I guess the follow up question is, can I fertilize fall & spring or more? If I don't water the lawn? My soil seems to be pretty fertile (judged by the color of the grass & growth rate). I do have some dandelions & clover that I'd like to get under control. My plan was weed & feed this fall & weed control again in the spring. Or is it better to do weed & feed in the spring?

My feeling is that you should do a soil test and tailor the fert program to the test results. They will test for major nutrients and some of the minors, but generally not nitrogen, because it is to mobile to give a meaningful result. The local ag college will have a kit and do the test for $10-20 and you can tailor your program to the test results.

As far as weed and feed go I have a personal preference for using a small portable back-pack sprayer and liquid herbicide. I can put the mix where I want it without doing the whole lawn. I think I get a better job done (spray where it's needed) for less money invested and I don't pollute by applying where it's not needed. With weed and feed you spread it everywhere, even in places that it's not needed. Also, you pay more per unit to have it blended into the fert. 2-4, D based herbicides should not be used where the temperature will be above 85 degrees F for 3 days. Springtime is good, and I do it then, but fall is the best. The plants are storing carbs in their roots for winter so they absorb the herbicide readily. I like to apply when the weather is really cooling off, just after the first frost, but while the weeds are still growing. Be cautious with products containing Dicamba, as they can damage trees through root absorption. If you apply correctly this should not be a problem. Don't forget to read the label and follow it to the letter. Check application rates, target plants and for listed locations on the label.

I don't have my commercial pesticide applicators license any longer and it's been years since I did anything besides my own lawn (with herbicides) but that's two semesters of herbicide, two of turf and many more of fert rolled into one long post. Just remember the above is just my humble opinion and I'm just a tired, old gardener.

Best of luck and don't hesitate to ask if you have other questions.

hazmat · Sep 24, 2002

Turfman,

Thanks for the info! It's a big help. I got my soil test results back for the part of the lawn that I am renovating. They included recommendations on how much lime & fert per 1,000 sq feet. I suppose I should collect some samples from the rest of the lawn for analysis before I do the fall fert.

hazmat · Sep 26, 2002

Just found a great link on aeration from Kansas State it is a pdf <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf2130.pdf>KSU Aeration</A>