# Mechanically Aerate BEFORE Level?



## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Going to try to eke in some last-minute leveling. I haven't core aerated in about 3 years.
What are y'all's thoughts on collecting and removing cores and letting the sand fill-in the holes? I can wait if it's not advised to do this. &#129335;&#127997;

As an FYI: I leveled entire front & back lawns last year and used approximately 1.5 cub yds of sand per 1K to smooth out a poorly leveled lawn by the builder. All that to say that there's already quite a bit of sand on the property.)


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

From what I've learned from here and other places, I'll never aerate without removing the cores again. What's the point of aerating if you are just going to leave the cores there? It's just a temporary fix that will eventually be just like it was before you aerated. Aerate, remove cores and fill in with sand will be my process from here on out.


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## cutigers08 (Aug 16, 2019)

I aerated and removed the cores before sand leveling. Seemed like the most common practice when I was researching leveling.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

Gilley11 said:


> From what I've learned from here and other places, I'll never aerate without removing the cores again. What's the point of aerating if you are just going to leave the cores there? It's just a temporary fix that will eventually be just like it was before you aerated. Aerate, remove cores and fill in with sand will be my process from here on out.


I may be wrong but I believe the point is to relieve soil compaction and allow water, nutrients, and maybe seed to more easily reach down into the soil. Leaving cores on the lawn allows you to "aerate" *without* taking away nutrients and organic matter. On the other hand, immediately replacing the cores with sand might actually defeat the purpose of aerating-because you'd be recreating compaction and absorption problems while *taking away* nutrients and organic matter.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

I plan to gather up the cores into a plastic dump cart, break them up with my little 12" electric Mantis-style tiller, mix in some sand, and then use the resulting "topsoil" to build up the bad areas that are more than 2" deep. I have a LOT of those. The tilling idea may be crazy, but I want to try anyway. In my imagination, it works like a charm and I get perfect topsoil.


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## kmw (Jun 27, 2020)

hsvtoolfool said:


> I plan to gather up the cores into a plastic dump cart, break them up with my little 12" electric Mantis-style tiller, mix in some sand, and then use the resulting "topsoil" to build up the bad areas that are more than 2" deep. I have a LOT of those. The tilling idea may be crazy, but I want to try anyway. In my imagination, it works like a charm and I get perfect topsoil.


To me this seems like the ideal approach


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## DuncanMcDonuts (May 5, 2019)

kmw said:


> I may be wrong but I believe the point is to relieve soil compaction and allow water, nutrients, and maybe seed to more easily reach down into the soil. Leaving cores on the lawn allows you to "aerate" *without* taking away nutrients and organic matter. On the other hand, immediately replacing the cores with sand might actually defeat the purpose of aerating-because you'd be recreating compaction and absorption problems while *taking away* nutrients and organic matter.


Sand doesn't really compact as much as dirt and also allows better filtration of water to allow it to get deeper to the roots. I picked up my cores and threw them into my compost bin to be recycled into the yard after leveling.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Gilley11 said:


> From what I've learned from here and other places, I'll never aerate without removing the cores again. What's the point of aerating if you are just going to leave the cores there? It's just a temporary fix that will eventually be just like it was before you aerated. Aerate, remove cores and fill in with sand will be my process from here on out.


The point of aerating is to reduce compaction allowing oxygen, water, and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil and gasses to escape. Leaving the cores or not will not affect the benefit of aerating and is a personal decision usually based on the cores not being dry enough to break up during leveling or not wanting to hit them with a reel if not leveling.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

DuncanMcDonuts said:


> kmw said:
> 
> 
> > I may be wrong but I believe the point is to relieve soil compaction and allow water, nutrients, and maybe seed to more easily reach down into the soil. Leaving cores on the lawn allows you to "aerate" *without* taking away nutrients and organic matter. On the other hand, immediately replacing the cores with sand might actually defeat the purpose of aerating-because you'd be recreating compaction and absorption problems while *taking away* nutrients and organic matter.
> ...


Sand compacts better than dirt in the context used here, but has no cohesive strength.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

Yes but if you leave them, they'll break down and eventually your soil will be exactly the same as it was before aeration. Removing and filling will sand will allow the aeration to be a more permanent solution for water and nutrient infiltration deeper into the root zone.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Gilley11 said:


> Yes but if you leave them, they'll break down and eventually your soil will be exactly the same as it was before aeration. Removing and filling will sand will allow the aeration to be a more permanent solution for water and nutrient infiltration deeper into the root zone.


Agree to disagree. The composition of soil will change from the decomposing of organic matter and nutrients even if sand was never added.


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

Another reason to aerate is to prevent layering in the soil, especially if you have already topdressed before. This is a cool video on soil layering.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

adgattoni said:


> Another reason to aerate is to prevent layering in the soil, especially if you have already topdressed before. This is a cool video on soil layering.


Aeration relieves compaction in the top two inches of soil. Beyond that, it provides very little else. The soil naturally moves whether it is aerated or not.


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## Wenglehaupt (Jul 7, 2020)

As for what to do with the cores, while laborious, sweeping up keeps them from compacting on the top of the lawn creating dead spots. when you walk over the lawn.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Wenglehaupt said:


> As for what to do with the cores, while laborious, sweeping up keeps them from compacting on the top of the lawn creating dead spots. when you walk over the lawn.


Your lawn must be waaaaay more fragile than mine. :lol: Welcome aboard.


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

Mister Bill said:


> adgattoni said:
> 
> 
> > Another reason to aerate is to prevent layering in the soil, especially if you have already topdressed before. This is a cool video on soil layering.
> ...


If you watch the video, you'll see that stacking different soil media on top of each other creates barriers to water penetrating the soil. Aerating will create channels for your topdressing media to connect with the lower levels in the soil structure, ensuring water can follow these channels quickly down into the soil. Fast forward to 11:45 in the video.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

adgattoni said:


> Mister Bill said:
> 
> 
> > adgattoni said:
> ...


Bon Jour. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## LoCutt (Jul 29, 2019)

While I've never done this, I believe running over cores from aeration with a mulching rotary mower might provide most of the benefit mentioned by @hsvtoolfool .


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

I understand folks mentioning letting the cores break back down into the lawn because of the organic aspect. But in Central Texas we have clay soil of the worst kind. It's super deficient &#128169;&#128078;&#127995; in everything except for the "off the chart" calcium rating and a Phos rating that is just shy of optimal.

I've managed to adjust my lawn's pH from 7.7 down to 6.8 over the last 4 years by adding elemental sulfur, but it is still deficient in most of what it needs.

My thinking with regard to removing the cores and filling in with sand stems from the idea that maybe sand would help a bit with drainage and even help a bit with reducing compaction. But I know that sand has absolutely no nutritional value (except for whatever amendment manages to hold in it long enough for the turf to take it up). I start to second guess my logic when I begin to wonder if there'd be too much sand with the amount it took just to smooth out the lawn last year and hen with what I'd be adding to fill in the holes and level as well.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Aerating is effective by pulling cores, typically 3/4" X 2" deep. That alone does not relieve soil compaction, it is the crumbling and caving in of the sides of the core hole over time that relieves the compaction of the soil resulting in a 3-4 inch area of relieved compaction around each core hole. Filling the core holes with sand defeats aerating due to the sides of the core hole not being able to cave in and relieve the surrounding soil. Sand does allow water to travel down to the bottom of the core, but only within the 3/4" diameter of the core, whereas an open core that has filled in from its surrounding soil will allow water to seep down in a 3-4" diameter area. The distance apart designed into the aerator tines is for a reason, each core will relieve compaction to the distance of the adjoining relieved core area as long as the core hole is left open for the soil to expand into.

The soil from the cores finding its way back into the core holes and compacting back to its original state is not going to occur. What will occur is the cores will dry, crumble, and disperse over the turf area naturally. Technically, if the cores are removed from the lawn, the grade will become lower when the core holes cave in. If the cores are left on the turf, the grade will remain the same as no soil is being removed. Leaving the cores or not on the lawn has zero affect on compaction or soil composition. As for whether or not to remove or leave the cores on the lawn, the correct answer is yes.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

@JayGo - So which is better, leave the cores or remove the cores?

@Mister Bill - Yes.

I love it!!! :lol:


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

@Redtwin, I'm inclined to remove them at this point. I've always left cores to break down and work back into the profile, but I'm curious if using sand to fill in the holes would help or not. Moreover, I won't have a bunch of "turds" all over the lawn for a couple of weeks.

I still have a couple of days to mull it over a bit more.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I would remove them and place in a compost pile.


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Redtwin said:


> I would remove them and place in a compost pile.


Now that's a great idea that feeds my curiosity for composting. Been meaning to look more into that. I recently visited an arborist at his home that had a an elaborate composting set-up where he used grass clippings, tree leaves, and other stuff like banana peels, etc...

Any tips for a beginner?


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

JayGo said:


> Redtwin said:
> 
> 
> > I would remove them and place in a compost pile.
> ...


Sorry... I'm not very elaborate. I just have a corner of my garden that gets all the coffee grounds, insect damaged vegetables, banana peels and grass clippings. It all gets turned in together at the end of each season.


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## FedDawg555 (Mar 19, 2020)

I use an old rotary mower and mow those little Core bastards into dust! Wear a mask it's gonna get dusty.


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## DuncanMcDonuts (May 5, 2019)

I bought a used 80 gallon compost tumbler off Facebook marketplace. It gets all the old mulch, cores, clippings/thatch, produce waste, and branches. I recently bought a Sun Joe chipper/shredder to process pruned branches and shrubs so it'll compost quicker. Made a screener with 1/4" mesh that fits over my Gorilla cart last year. I've only added more to it for the past 10 months, so I need to empty it out, screen it, and spread it. They say it takes 1-2 months to make good compost if you have the right mix of browns and greens.


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

@Redtwin 👍🏻 Thanks. Seems like many of us have "that one corner" in our property.

@FedDawg555, for some reason I can never remember that that is an option. I have an old set of blades I can throw on, too. You da' man.

@DuncanMcDonuts, sounds like you're doing the same thing my arborist friend does. I was pleasantly surprised when we got near his compost barrels how it did NOT smell bad like compost usually does. He elaborated a bit on how there's no smell when it's done right. Thanks, man.


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## FedDawg555 (Mar 19, 2020)

JayGo said:


> @Redtwin 👍🏻 Thanks. Seems like many of us have "that one corner" in our property.
> 
> @FedDawg555, for some reason I can never remember that that is an option. I have an old set of blades I can throw on, too. You da' man.
> 
> @DuncanMcDonuts, sounds like you're doing the same thing my arborist friend does. I was pleasantly surprised when we got near his compost barrels how it did NOT smell bad like compost usually does. He elaborated a bit on how there's no smell when it's done right. Thanks, man.


Yep I have last years blades bust up cores tear up blade and replace with new blade for season. Rinse and repeat Next year.


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## DuncanMcDonuts (May 5, 2019)

Yeah, it really doesn't smell at all when it's in an elevated tumbler. It keeps the pests and critters away. You also don't add any meat products because that'll attract the flies and maggots making it smell all rotten.


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## RDZed (Jul 13, 2018)

I remove the cores for 1 reason and 1 reason only... Dormant Weed Seeds.


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## Beerman219 (Apr 20, 2020)

FedDawg555 said:


> I use an old rotary mower and mow those little Core bastards into dust! Wear a mask it's gonna get dusty.


+1. If someone thinks I'm picking up cores across 26,000sf of lawn they are nuts.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

DuncanMcDonuts said:


> Yeah, it really doesn't smell at all when it's in an elevated tumbler. It keeps the pests and critters away. You also don't add any meat products because that'll attract the flies and maggots making it smell all rotten.


I forgot to add chicken manure to my list of things that go into my compost pile. I cover it with grass clippings so that it doesn't smell or attract flies. My wife was digging through the pile this afternoon to fill some pots and told me that it smelled like chicken poop. I explained why and she got all excited about her potted plants. Luckily, she was digging from the "mature" side of the pile so it shouldn't burn her plants.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Core aeration also helps dethatching, probably the only thing a 'residential'' machine does ....at 2-3 inches


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Redtwin said:


> DuncanMcDonuts said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah, it really doesn't smell at all when it's in an elevated tumbler. It keeps the pests and critters away. You also don't add any meat products because that'll attract the flies and maggots making it smell all rotten.
> ...


I've bought enough lawn equipment over the last 4 years. Now I need to convince the wife to let me buy some chickens. 🐔 How many does it take to produce the right amount of chicken poop for a compost barrel? 🤣


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

JayGo said:


> Redtwin said:
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> 
> > DuncanMcDonuts said:
> ...


I only have 4 but I get plenty of eggs per week. The poop is a bonus...


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