manual v. power aerator
July 12, 2011 7:22 AM Subscribe
Aside from uniformity, is there any difference between using a power core aerator and a manual one?
I have two sections of my property where the soil is badly compacted heavy clay. I've been told that the way to remedy it is to aerate the sections thoroughly and then put a top dressing of top soil, compost and sand.
Renting and transporting a power core aerator is going to be a total hassle not to mention expensive, when I've got a perfectly good 2 core manual "pogo stick" aerator. The areas I'm talking about total only 80 square feet.
I have two sections of my property where the soil is badly compacted heavy clay. I've been told that the way to remedy it is to aerate the sections thoroughly and then put a top dressing of top soil, compost and sand.
Renting and transporting a power core aerator is going to be a total hassle not to mention expensive, when I've got a perfectly good 2 core manual "pogo stick" aerator. The areas I'm talking about total only 80 square feet.
Response by poster: Yeah, I read somewhere to thoroughly water the areas a couple days before I was going to work them, and then do a "screwdriver test" where the soil is ok if you can stab a screwdriver in. We got a good soaking rain last night, on top of the 1 hour I spent watering the areas yesterday afternoon, so I think I'm good on that front.
posted by crunchland at 8:31 AM on July 12, 2011
posted by crunchland at 8:31 AM on July 12, 2011
If you can deal with the manual, use that as it generally compacts the soil less than a heavy power aerator. Be careful with working clay soil when wet, because you can just compact it more, only with holes. It's best if it's allowed to dry somewhat and not be soggy wet. You also want to make as few passes as possible and not walk back and forth repeatedly over wet clay soil.
Sand won't do anything to help with the clay situation. Some people like to say that it goes into the holes created by the aerator and allows water and air to penetrate, but what often happens is that the little sand holes fill up with minute clay particles and become little cement plugs. Organic material helps clay aggregate around humic acids (increasing soil porosity), provides aeration, and increases cation exchange capacity. Sand doesn't do any of these things, and there's no way to ever add enough sand to tip the balance to a nice loam.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:27 PM on July 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Sand won't do anything to help with the clay situation. Some people like to say that it goes into the holes created by the aerator and allows water and air to penetrate, but what often happens is that the little sand holes fill up with minute clay particles and become little cement plugs. Organic material helps clay aggregate around humic acids (increasing soil porosity), provides aeration, and increases cation exchange capacity. Sand doesn't do any of these things, and there's no way to ever add enough sand to tip the balance to a nice loam.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:27 PM on July 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Clay soil is a problem in my area, so I'm going on the advice of the people who delivered the soil/compost/sand mix we'll be spreading. Someone suggested I rent a tiller, but someone else said that with compacted soil, at least at first, it's better to aerate and then put a 3 or 4 inch top-dressing of the soil/compost mix, so that's what we'll be doing. I expect tilling it would just make one big mess, and it's been my experience that anywhere on my property that's been radically disturbed (like for digging drainage trenches or for power lines, what ends up happening is the soil just turns practically solid.
posted by crunchland at 8:46 AM on July 13, 2011
posted by crunchland at 8:46 AM on July 13, 2011
Clay soil is a problem in my area, so I'm going on the advice of the people who delivered the soil/compost/sand mix we'll be spreading.
Yeah, clay soil is a problem in my area too, and the bad information about sand is widely disseminated here as well. I've worked in horticulture for years, and a lot of popular information, particularly about soil, is not based in fact. However, soil science is part of my field of study, and if you call your local extension they will give you the lowdown. Sand doesn't do diddly, but rockeries like to sell it to people.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:11 AM on July 13, 2011
Yeah, clay soil is a problem in my area too, and the bad information about sand is widely disseminated here as well. I've worked in horticulture for years, and a lot of popular information, particularly about soil, is not based in fact. However, soil science is part of my field of study, and if you call your local extension they will give you the lowdown. Sand doesn't do diddly, but rockeries like to sell it to people.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:11 AM on July 13, 2011
Response by poster: Well, crap. So compost, compost, compost, then? I'd also heard that gypsum is also supposed to work well, but I've only been able to find it, very expensively, in 5lb bags. Is that bunk, too?
posted by crunchland at 2:39 PM on July 13, 2011
posted by crunchland at 2:39 PM on July 13, 2011
Oops, sorry, not paying attention to recent activity.
Gypsum works to deflocculate the Na (sodium) from cation exchange sites on soil particles. When soil porosity has been reduced by Na and water infiltration is greatly affected, gypsum works very well. However it does not work in heavy clay soils that are not sodic (not to be confused with alkaline, as some gardening sites do). Nor does it work where soils are compacted for other reasons, or even in sodic soils if there is nowhere for the newly leached Na and water to drain.
In short, most of the time gypsum for heavy soil is bunk. It's good for adding calcium to the soil without changing the pH, though most clay soils are generally high in calcium already.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:56 PM on July 15, 2011
Gypsum works to deflocculate the Na (sodium) from cation exchange sites on soil particles. When soil porosity has been reduced by Na and water infiltration is greatly affected, gypsum works very well. However it does not work in heavy clay soils that are not sodic (not to be confused with alkaline, as some gardening sites do). Nor does it work where soils are compacted for other reasons, or even in sodic soils if there is nowhere for the newly leached Na and water to drain.
In short, most of the time gypsum for heavy soil is bunk. It's good for adding calcium to the soil without changing the pH, though most clay soils are generally high in calcium already.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:56 PM on July 15, 2011
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posted by le morte de bea arthur at 7:57 AM on July 12, 2011