Lawn aeration tools and when to use - How to manually aerate your lawn

Hey Everyone,
In this video I will be going over 4 different lawn aeration tools and when to use them. I will show you how you can manually aerate your lawn and which tool is actually the best. I will also go into why and when you should aerate your lawn and what the difference is between solid tine and hollow tine aeration.
Here are some affiliate links to the tools i will be testing:
Lawn roller with spikes: amzn.to/2VWvaii
Garden fork: amzn.to/3ApWMf4
Draper fork aerator: amzn.to/3xNe2Jd
Drill bit: amzn.to/3skX2c9
Swardman fork aerator:
www.swardman.com/int/fork-aer...
or
www.gardenimports.co.uk/produ...
If you find value in this video, make sure to subscribe and follow me here on the channel where I will post videos weekly and help you get the best lawn.
Subscribe: kzbin.info/door/0Ys...
Follow me on instagram: / samslawn_sweden
Thanks for watching.
/Sam

[@Thelawncarenut]

First!

[@SamsLawn]

Haha Thanks alot Allyn, I love you channel and watch every video you post, real honor to have you commenting my video, made my day man, thanks a bunch!

[@johngaspar4425]

In my country a guy comes around every year in the fall and offers to aerate one's lawn in the whole street where I live (and all around) for about 30 bucks ...depending.

[@SamsLawn]

Hoooooly, now that's a bargain! Ask if Sweden is on his way home, he is more than welcome to my lawn! :)

[@slappyabromowitz]

Very lucky

[@Northern-Light]

Brilliant tip to use the drill for specific areas of the lawn-thank you. 😊

[@SamsLawn]

Hey mate, glad you found it helpful, it works awesome!

[@rodgersandrodgers8191]

Thank you for your great videos. I really do appreciate them.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Mate, thanks a lot appreciate it, hope you find some value in them

[@MikeHIMH]

Very well made, informative video... thank you!

[@SamsLawn]

Hey mate, thanks a lot, appreciate it, glad you found some value in the video.

[@lindamarconi2913]

Just discovered your channel! I clicked like, subscribed and clicked the notification bell. Thank you for all the Great information, I learned a lot. Watching in Arizona USA, Thank you and have a Great wonderful Day 👋😁🌷

[@SamsLawn]

Hi Linda, thank you very much for the support! 🙏 I hope you find the videos helpful. Have an awesome day! 🥳🤙🏼

[@lindamarconi2913]

@@SamsLawn Thank you Sam 👋😁 I'll be looking forward to watching all your upcoming videos. You're a great teacher 🌷 Wishing you a fabulous day !

[@ErsinGokay]

Absolutely great video very good information. Thank you for taking the time and put this together and sharing it with the interested audience. God bless you and your family my friend. Keep up the good work.

[@SamsLawn]

Thanks Emo for the support, really appreciate it!

[@corytoews5222]

This video was SUPER helpful. I feel like I'm pretty sold on the Swardman, even if it will take me hours.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Cory, thanks mate, I really am sold on it, my father in law who is 70 used it on his entire lawn, it's a lot of work but doing a little bit every day works fine :)

[@stilllifeproductions5017]

From this excellent video, I've become a fan of the silver hollow tine, better design, aerator...Thank you!

[@SamsLawn]

Awesome mate, glad you found some value in the video. Also a big fan of it! At least for smaller areas, doing an entire lawn with a manual aerator is not happening, at least not for me, maybe 20 years ago :D

[@danielaruta8816]

Thanks for the great video. I'm going to search for a manual core aerator for my lawn.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Daniel, sounds good mate, glad you found it helpful. Just a word of caution, it's a lot of work to do the entire lawn manually, if you have a big lawn that is :) I see it as a workout though, judging by my belly now a days, I could do with aerating more often 😂😂

[@kevpage]

Great tips Sam, I have heavy clay and hope to try a hollow core aerator with some gypsum added after, love your channel

[@thomearle652]

Well done. Thank you!

[@SamsLawn]

Thanks Thom, appreciate it mate 🙏

[@broxibearz]

Hey Sam great video, i've been doing a bit of aerating this week, my lawn is about 25 square meters , I used the Draper aerator & it took me about an hour to do & there was a lot of sweat & a couple of days later i'm still feeling stiff. My tines are blocked solid I have clay soil & never had a single plug, think i'm going to have to change tools, I did like the look of the Swardman but stills looks like a lot of hard work but hopefully worth it in the end

[@SamsLawn]

Hey man, thanks alot, appreciate it. You actually got the Draper to work? Good job man! I've tried it a couple of more time and still it's almost impossible for me haha. I do like the Swardman, works so easily, however, as you say, no matter how easy these manual tools are, it's still alot of work, I don't think I would have the energy to do my entire lawn. You could always trick your kids with sweets to do it for you :D

[@bb5242]

I have a fork type non hollow, but it's only good for small areas

[@SamsLawn]

I like the fork, especially for raly spring aeration, but as you say, it's not easy work if doing a larger area, quite the workout 😊

[@NickB-Philly-UI-Guy]

Great video! I’m going to have to see what’s available in my area. If a lawn service can do it for a good price, I might opt for that, it not, then I’d go for one of these. Thanks!

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Nick, thanks mate, yeah, if you have a lawn service that provides core aeration as a service I would go for that. Doing it manual works but it takes forever :)

[@Frankyfromnj]

Great idea with drill!

[@SamsLawn]

Thanks Kirk, it really does work well for smaller areas, was surprised myself, but if you are doing a larger area, let the kids do it and save your back :D

[@Stevebriggs293]

Great video thanks for uploading. I bought the Draper a few years ago and had the same problem as you, the fact is the tool isn't up to the job and Draper know it but they make it and sell it anyway. Probably the reason you couldn't push it into the ground is that five hollow tines becomes five solid tines and at that point becomes almost impossible. I recently purchased the Swardman, I literally can't fault it, works absolutely perfectly and will literally last you a lifetime. Thanks again for the video and great channel.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Steve, agree 100%, even though the draper is cheaper, the swardman is going to last you a lifetime, that's value for me. I actually tried the draper several more times and still haven't gotten it to work.

[@jxj2684]

I have a Draper tool and can agree these are useless.

[@aussernllc]

Your last tip, the "free" tip, is the one I tried first. I have a long drill bit and a cordless drill. It's work. Not gonna sugar coat anything. I was able to drill 6" in to ground and get the bit to come back with the drill. I looked up the other options. Just not going to work in Las Vegas Nevada. Not even sure a lawn company would be interested in doing anything with my yard.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey mate, that's the best way if you want to aerate smaller areas, or get a manual aerator like the Swardman. Unfortunately it's the same here, any "smaller" jobs no company will even return your calls, they all want bigger jobs.

[@tradingsystemsgroup5312]

Strangely, I have the best success with the ones with only 2 tines. They put less holes, but you move nice and fast, they go in without much effort.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Mate, I have actually heard several people who said the same thing, the two tines are easy and fast, needs less pressure for two tines I guess. I might try to find one to compare. Thanks for dropping by dude, appreciate it!

[@meanodustino9563]

I just got mine done by a landscaping company $100 front and rear lawn. I don’t have the patience or energy for this manual work. Done in 20mins better than i could ever do. Sometimes paying for something is worth the money.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Mate, I agree, I actually will pay to have it done this year, i's all well and good if you are doing smaller areas but man it takes a lot of time and energy to do the entire lawn manually. So if you have the means, then for sure, I would say it's worth it to having it done mechanically instead, I also think it's money well spent.

[@bcheung8297]

I should have watched this video before ordering a Meiiofs aerator which is similar to the Draper from Amazon. With my 74 kg bodyweight I cannot push the tines into the soil for more than an inch. I have been power drilling a small part of my lawn which has very compacted soil but of course it is not an easy job either. It is great to see that I am not the only one using the drill. 😂😂😂

[@SamsLawn]

Awesome mate, likewise it feels nice to know that someone else is doing the same thing, I thought I was crazy to use the drill, but it works really great for smaller areas :) Too bad the aerator didn't work out for you either, not sure why they sell them even.

[@susandouglas]

Thank you for this video

[@SamsLawn]

Hi Susan, glad you liked the video. Thanks for dropping by, appreciate it 🙏

[@susandouglas]

Thank you. This was like my last hope. Parts of my grass is dead, brown & yellow. I put pre & post emergent, fertilizer and it seems my grass is getting worse instead of better. I water regularly. Aeration, I’ve never tried. So, hopefully, this method will improve my grass.

[@SamsLawn]

@@susandouglas How is the climate where you are? Rough winters? Usually we tend to put too much on the lawn before it gets going after winter. The grass is under a lot of stress when recovering from winter dormancy so it´s often better to hold off on putting anything on it and just be patient and let it get going first. Light raking is the best early spring. But again, not sure how it looks weather wise where you are :) Let it get going, then start overseeding the dead patches you have, I also recommend to put as much organic fertilizer and soil improvements as you can.

[@susandouglas]

@@SamsLawn thanks again. I am in Houston, Tx. We have very short winters. It’s mostly hot. Thanks for your advice

[@georgeg5444]

Many thanks for this! Very informative. Especially the drill bonus tip. I am curious as to what drill bit size you are you using in the video and what range of sizes you recommend? Or were you simply simply sizing the drill bit to the size of a tine on the swartman, for example.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey George, exactly right, I just picked up the drill bit that was about the size of the Swardman, not sure what size it is exactly. Works great for smaller areas! Really does help relieve compaction and reduce thatch, only thing is that it really takes a toll on your back if you are doing larger areas. Thanks for watching mate, appreciate it.

[@martinsamuelsson7104]

The draper aerator works perfect after a litte fixing. To me, well worth 30 min with a grinder, especially considering the higher cost of the swardman. And after the fix, i can not beleave the swordman aerates better. I never get any plugs stuck. The problem is The straight cylinders on the draper with a dull edge. Impossible to get into the ground and the dirt gets stuck immediatly. What where they thinking.... After my fix it is great. Very effective and easy to use. And the best thing is that it creates whole Nice plugs that do not break up during the airation so they are very easy to collect if I do not want to leave them on the lawn. My fix? Sharpen the tip of the cylinders a bit. Cut Along the upper side of the cylinders only leaving half an inch by the tip uncut. Bend the cylinders open to make them a bit cone shaped. I have a picture but was un able to post it here.

[@SamsLawn]

Sounds like a good fix Martin, let's see if I can maybe do that too and test it again since I do agree the swardman is very expensive, I wish there was a draper price class aerator that worked, for the general public and not only expensive Swardmans which only are bought by us hard core lawn nuts 😅 I don't think they allow pictures to be posted here. But I guess you are in the Facebook group gräsmattans vänner? Maybe we get in touch there and you can walk me through the process for a future video 😁

[@danielbooth728]

Hi Martin do you cut a section of the cylinder out or just slit them

[@neocreont1]

Martin, thanks for sharing your experience. If you can take a video an upload it on your channel, I would appreciate it. 3rd step about bending the cylinders is not very clear to me.

[@danielbooth728]

I cut down from the top to and inch from bottom, then splay the cylinders open from the top to form a cone like shape, worked great.

[@jimmyandersson9938]

@@danielbooth728 hi, could you link a photo please?

[@jmango5370]

Dam bro, your lawn looks really good. 👌👌

[@SamsLawn]

Awwwh thanks dude, now that's a comment that warms a lawn nuts heart :D

[@kentaylor6304]

Thank you, a very useful video for all domestic gardeners. Same as you, I found that the aerator with no side soil discharge slots just compacted the soil quite solidly inside the tine tube so that absolutely no cores were extracted from the lawn, the "aerator" resisted my weight in forcing it down and so the "extractor" just made shallow holes - presumably with counterproductive tightly compacted walls. I even borrowed one of my wife's knitting needles to push the ever present compacted soil out of the tine tubes but that was necessary every other plunge so I very quickly gave up and scrapped the aerator. A complete waste of time and money!

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Ken, glad you found the video useful. As you say the one with no side discharge was a waste of time and money, I really don't see a scenario where it would work well. I wonder how they tested this product before selling it :)

[@kentaylor6304]

@@SamsLawn Thanks for getting back Sam. Having read all of your subscribers' views and in appreciation of your excellent video, perhaps we should start a campaign to further publicise and expose dysfunctional "lawn aerators" and the cruel, grasping, narcissists that produce and market them.

[@SamsLawn]

@@kentaylor6304 for sure Ken! Sounds like a plan :D

[@user-vp7cr3lm7c]

great informative video...I hope the kid gets a bonus on his allowance 😅

[@SamsLawn]

The kid is cleaning me out!!!! 😂😂 Thanks for dropping by mate, appreciate it 🙏

[@filipcza]

You're not doing it wrong. It's just that ground is hard and it is harder to push 5 spikes into the ground than 3. If you had softer ground, those 5 spikes would work just fine and it would be faster to use than the 3-spike one, but for your lawn, the 3-spike is way better. Also the 3 spike one has open spikes which allow the dirt to come out, which makes it even easier to use.

[@Grizzly_Adam]

I have a tow-behind core aerator I hook to my lawn mower, it works pretty well. You have to put concrete blocks on the top for weight.

[@SamsLawn]

I wish I could have one of those too, my lawn is too small so I don't have anything to tow it with. I bet that one is a lot easer than these manual hand aerators :D

[@Grizzly_Adam]

@@SamsLawn It sure is. I drop a cold drink in the cupholder and have a nice leisurely drive while listening to podcasts over my bluetooth enabled hearing protection.

[@kenmunger6110]

Check out the amick roll aerator. Its awesome!

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Ken, saw it, looks awesome, would love to try one out! Maybe I'll get one :)

[@danfossconsultant]

Great video - thanks for the information. In spring, would you de-thatch, scarify and then use the aerator or how would you do? I live in Denmark, so I imagine our lawns are very similar :)

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Peter, thanks for watching. I would aerate and then scarify, that way you break up the plugs and don't have to pick them up. But make sure you scarify ONLY if you really need it, if you have a lot of thatch, otherwise I would just aerate, no need to scarify :) I go to Denmark once a week, really like it down there :)

[@danfossconsultant]

@@SamsLawn Thanks for reply - I will do as you suggest. And enjoy your visits to Denmark :)

[@DevouringWhiteSpider]

Garden fork's good. I used it yesterday.

[@SamsLawn]

I agree, it works great, just hard work if you have a bigger lawn, same with the Swardman, thanks for dropping by mate!

[@galitovgervacio1688]

I just have a small front lawn so the garden fork will ok, been punching holes in my lawn last week end but I don’t know yet the result. I may repeat it again this week end after the 3 days long rain and this time will use the garden fork and more easier🤞🏼and hoping for a better front lawn this year🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

[@chriscole3624]

I purchased a yard butler 2 tine core aerator last year (it's £20 more expensive this year). one tine worked well, the other jammed up repeatedly. So I took a circular file and smoothed off the inside of both tines (weld points being an issue) & sprayed with WD40 silicon spray. I did 60m2 a few weeks ago with very little trouble. The silicon spray really helps.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Chris, that's awesome, I wonder if that would help with the draper?! I might give it a try this season. It the season ever start, this snow is really getting on my nerves 😅 Thanks for the tip!

[@chriscole3624]

@@SamsLawn Sharpening up the ends & using the silicon lubricant should help to a degree. The issue with those draper models is the tines are not tapered, so it's hard work. If only the silicon spray worked on your back after you've spent hours using the damn things! 😑. Just wanted to add I've really enjoyed watching your videos. I can relate to the issues you've had over the years and you made me chuckle on multiple occasions. I've got a large dog that seems to prefer a mud pit rather than a green carpet, but you've inspired me to keep at it again this season.

[@SamsLawn]

@@chriscole3624 Wow thanks man, such an awesome comment, really makes my day to hear someone enjoys the videos! I hope you keep at it this season, I will show you once the snow is gone how my lawn is looking, if I can get the lawn to look good this year, anyone can :) Thanks again mate!

[@chriscole3624]

@@SamsLawn Thoroughly deserved mate. It's a nice change to watch someone in the same position as most of us (e.g. home owners & not a commercial lawn care business owner) with an educated trial & error approach. You can watch every lawn care vid on YT, but when your faced with making a decision of what to buy/do with your own time/money it's great to have a good reference from someone in the same boat as us, who details any mistakes made along the way. No snow here, but I've got a lot of leveling to get done once things dry out properly. I'm trying to find a local supplier of 70/30 in the UK without paying more for delivery than the actual product itself!

[@y9art]

I started aerating with the fork, ok but as you said not really making deep holes, I bought a Draper aerator, my experience was the same as yours, very hard work with the tines continually blocking up ( it is presently at the bottom of my drive with a free sign on it ! ). I follow Matt The Lawncare guy and watched his review of the Swardman, a bit on the expensive side but does the job, I am 75 and I have done my approx combined 100sq of my 3 lawns, it took me some time but working until I was due a beer break I completed the work over 2 days 😃 thanks for the clear explanations particularly regarding the lawn rake/scarifier naming, i thought i was wrong after watching other You Tube videos.

[@SamsLawn]

Hi, thanks for sharing this, was really curios to hear if others had tried the draper. Really impressed you did the entire lawn, good job man! I'm too lazy to do the entire lawn :D but I use it fairly alot still, in certain areas. Really appreciate you watching and sharing your experience with the aerators.

[@AJ-sb8qk]

Great video, cool personality, side note: I got tired and watching you work, I think I would just rather have somebody do it and pay them, one more thing, you're gutters are dope, where did you get them, they're different

[@SamsLawn]

Thanks AJ, really means alot, appreciate it man. Yeah, if I wanted to do the entire lawn I would probably also just pay someone, I'm too lazy to do all 2000 sq ft by myself. Gutters came with the house, almost all Swedish houses have them :D

[@scruffyjohnson]

Yard butler works great

[@SamsLawn]

Actually wanted to have one of those for the review but couldn't get hold of one in time, I have heard from others as well that the Yard Butler works just as good as the Swardman, just one tine less. Thanks for watching Scott, appreciate it.

[@justuntheranderson3141]

Kinda don’t have a choice but I live in a bunch of soft dirt and my yard needs it bad and I’m unable to rent 1 so I got a hollow core 1 and just went to town it took forever 😂 like 3-4 hrs

[@SamsLawn]

Awesome job mate! 💪 I know, it takes forever doing it manually, but like you I also have no other options so once a year I just take the pain and do it 😅

[@TheFuzzy0ne]

With the manual hollow tine aerator, I find that standing on it and then rocking the handle bar from left to right works effectively with a lot less jumping up and down. However, it does block up often.

[@SamsLawn]

ahhh maybe that would work better, haven't tried that, Ill give it a go this season and see if that works better. Jumping up and down didn't work at all as you could see :D thanks for dropping by mate.

[@hectorpascale1013]

​@@SamsLawn Thank´s for the demo. Recently I am looking at "all" the models on the market, and thought of building one by myself. But when I think of my Level Rake DIY, this time it´s a buy decision ;) Here in southeast Germany there are no rental spot´s for a motorized aerator (some private ones jumped on the train but too far away an 80+ €/day), and even the Gardencare guys don´t have/use them. So I want to use manual labor (always accessible) for my heavy silt based soil with nearly 0% of sand in it. A Billy Goat at 3.500€ for a 5,5hp Motor with a spoon driving crankshaft an 4 Hollow tines is way to much ;( As i read a lot of comments on shops/videos, the Draper didn´t win a lot of prices. The tines are not conical, so the plugs will get stuck in the spoon regularly. Out of the box the spoons seem not to be sharpened. The painting outside (and inside?) doesn´t make things better. Some people wrote that after 50 m² the paint was scratched off and the pushing in was easier. Some use WD40 or PTFE based sprays on the "spoons", or something like Ballistol, which is biodegradeable. Welding spots are weak on the spoons and the footbar. So be careful when standing/jumping/wiggling on it. I read a comment about a bloody leg which needed 6 stiches to fix, but surely would be great for the future "bloody Draper review" video to go viral ;) There is another "portal" model like the Draper. It is called Kingfisher RC401. This one is about 45€ in DE, also has some welding issues, but the "spoons" are made a little bit conical at the tips so the plug has freedom to move in the rest of the spoon. The other "Portal" models (rebranded?) i could find were Oypla OYP-3887, Spear&Jackson 4063NB and Ambassador Lawn Aerator Ar5. After this video I am pretty sure that it will be a Swardman (119€ directly from Swardman). I would like to aerate a litte deeper than the 80-90 mm plugs coming out of the Swardman, but all the manual and even (small) motorized ones are at the max. 115mm core depth. So i will use an auger drill bit Ø30/40/50 mm L=800mm (~40€ each) by "hand" for 5-10 holes per m² for better drainage on the wet spots. And for the Swardman depending on the then experienced needed force, I think of builing longer DIY spoons out of Stainless by myself with the "ejection"/friction reducing window. The "Yard Butler" (~ 65€ California 128€ in Europe !?!) has only 2 spoons Ø13 mm , not replaceable/detachable and is too expensive in Germany. A good alternative would be the "Varomorus" ($55 from Florida) 2x 19mm, they would ship to Germany, but Import taxes will surely occur. For completion, there are some company´s in Germany with their approaches: "Rasenspecht" 2x or 3x 16/20 mm hollow spoons with a collection box for the cores, the spoon tips are made of Tool-Steel ~175€ "Aerifork" 3x 19mm hollow spoons they are a producer of spare spoons for the professional golfer tools (John Deere Aercore, Vertidrain, Toro...) 179€ "Frankenmölle Aerator" 2x or 3x 20mm hollow with Tool-Steel Tips 155-165€ Surely for the invested research time I could have bought 1-2 top models, but it is a kind of "hobby" to find the right tool and not have invested 40-50 € in a useless scrap metal object which needs rewelding and tinkering after/before the first use.

[@AJ_Lucas]

Sort of. You find yourself playing weird and daring balancing games like this.

[@teresapeterson2545]

I'm 68 and not all that srong, bought a 2 tine today, I hope it's a good one, I'm not that strong, but if I can't guess Im stuck paying to have someone do it for, my lowest bid I got was $100.00. Nothing cheap these days

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Teresa, the 2 tine one is the easiest one to get into the ground since less pressure is needed for "only" 2 tines. Also, it is way easier if the soil is moist. But it´s still hard work and none of these really good ones are cheap, that´s why I was hoping the green one would work, since it was really cheap.

[@teresapeterson2545]

@@SamsLawn yep gave it a try today after water some areas were pretty easy, I won't be able to do my whole yard it's to big, but I plan on getting the areas that are looking the worst. Thanks for the video it was very helpful.

[@Alan_Edwards]

I just picked up a Truly Holey manual aerator and it's a similar design as the Swardman. I did a few test tries with it today and it did okay, but my lawn is way to dry for it to really work properly. Not sure how much to water it, but plan to pick up a sprinkler tomorrow and keep adding water until I get decent plugs. I have about 2000 sq ft to do so it's going to take some time, but I like the workout so not a big deal. I weigh about 180 and even still it takes some to get it all the way in, so I would guess the Draper just needs some more weight behind it. Probably better for someone over 200 lbs at least. Cheers

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Alan, well, I'm a big boy, over 200 lbs, still it would't go down, I think 5 tines is just too much, you would need so much force to get it to go down and press the soil already in there out. As you say Alan, the Swardman works and I don't really mind the workout, keeps me from getting to 300 haha. Thanks for watching mate, appreciate it and keep aerating that lawn :)

[@Alan_Edwards]

@@SamsLawn I'm surprised you don't look like a 200 pounder - you carry it well. Anyway, I picked up a sprinkler today so going to let it run in one area and time it to see how long it takes to make it workable. Probably break the job into a few days, but for sure it's needed. The ground is like rock hard. Looks good but I'd like it a lot softer and thicker and I know the hard packed soil is holding me back. Thanks for the reply. Cheers

[@SamsLawn]

@@Alan_Edwards Sounds like a good plan Alan, curious to know how it works out, let me know if you don't mind :) cheers

[@Alan_Edwards]

@@SamsLawn I will let you know how it goes for sure.

[@wayneessar7489]

I have sandy soil and solid tines certainly relieve compaction in my soil type, especially when it is dry. It shatters it.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Wayne, sure thing, on sandy soils it does help more than clay based soils but in my lawn which is pretty sandy it never feels like it helps too much though. I'll try it out more. Thanks for watching man, appreciate it.

[@wayneessar7489]

@@SamsLawn Thank you for your reply! I am on the Pacific coast of Canada. My problem with hollow tines is the coring seems to bring up dormant weed seeds and there are not many choices of weed control products here. Enjoy your fall season and I wish you all the best!

[@peterjohnson350]

The Draper version is like mine. I have clay soil and the tines gum up easily. Perhaps I need to invest in a Swardsman. I have seen an auger that can be attached to a drill. Just need to watch out for pipes.

[@SamsLawn]

I think the Swardman is a great investment. I know the Garden Lawncare Guy did review of the Swardman on his lawn which is clay and it worked very well.

[@robinanderson2758]

Hi Have a bucket of water with a touch of washing up liquid and every now and then dip the tines into the bucket works like magic. R. A. 😋

[@Grizzly_Adam]

Subscribed.

[@SamsLawn]

Thanks alot Adam, appreciate it 🙏

[@philldavies7940]

I had one of those hollow tinned aerators, My soil is clay, if you could get the tines in at all, they always jammed up as the clay was so heavy to be pushed out, , then after some persistence, the tines bent, So I gave it away and use an ordinary garden fork now.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey, what type of aerator was it? One like the draper? That's why I like the Swardman, it just feels solid and good quality. I saw Matt the Lawncare Guy use it on his lawn, he has heavy clay, works great for him. Thanks for watching dude.

[@Dr.PlatoZorba]

I bought a core aerator without side ejectors and the dirt got stuck in it pretty much every time I inserted it in my lawn, so I sent away with one with side injectors and it's easy to remove the dirt when it gets clogged. It takes about five seconds per tine, give or take. A pebble got stuck in the one that didn't have the side ejector.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey mate, have the same experience, think the side ejectors are key, and not too many tines, 5 is maybe too much, need so much force/pressure to get it into the soil even.

[@Dr.PlatoZorba]

@@SamsLawn Both of mine have two tines. I only tested them out. I haven't used them much. They worked so much better some hours after it rained. I'm going to use the one with the ejectors on about 500-square feet of my lawn in a few days. I hope to do my whole lawn in spurts. The holes on the side make a world of difference with mine. I wonder how many tines it takes for a core aerator to start being too difficult to use?

[@SamsLawn]

@@Dr.PlatoZorba Wondering the same thing mate, if the draper had side ejectors, would it work better even though it has 5 tines?? Not sure, but I cannot find anyone with side ejectors and more than 3 tines, seems to be the max.

[@Dr.PlatoZorba]

@@SamsLawn I did about 500 square feet today. It didn't matter much that the dirt got stuck in the tines because the new dirt always pushed out the old dirt. I got a piece of flat metal lodged in a tine and I was very easily able to get it out. Maybe because of there being slits on the sides of the tines. Dirt got clogged on the very top of the tines, but most of it came out the sides. I didn't check to see if dirt got clogged on the bottom of the tines. Mine has two tines. Maybe if it had three tines, I would have finished a lot sooner? I mushed the dirt cores with my feet in order to not have to pick them up by hand. I hope that wasn't bad to do because I hope to plant grass seeds tomorrow. Some of the dirt cores had thatch in them and I picked the thatch out the cores and threw most of it in the garbage I moved to the suburbs four-something years ago after living in cities my whole adult life, so I'm not really too sure about what I'm doing. The one I have without the slits on the sides of the tines is harder to deal with. One reason is because they keep getting clogged with pebbles. I could be misremembering, but I think the one without the slits would sometimes only make holes in the ground without making dirt cores.

[@SamsLawn]

@@Dr.PlatoZorba Not sure if you would have finished sooner maybe it would have clogged and taken even more time to do ;) I think the time won't differ that much with two or three tines. The thatch in the plugs will break down over time so don't worry about that. The one thing I would say is that, make sure you don't step on them, making them flat and leaving them just sitting on top of the grass, that will block out sunlight and kill off the grass underneath. Better to run them over with the mower, scarifyier or something, to break them apart rather. Hope you are done with the entire lawn now :)

[@enricotobio2515]

Hi Sam. What kinda grass are you growing on your lawn in Sweden ? Happy to know this channel

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Enrico, nice of you to drop by, appreciate it. I have creeping red fescu, kentucky blue grass and some rye grass as well. Pretty much ALL Swedish lawns have some creeping red fescue, it suits our climate very well, but a it boring tbh :D It was a sod installation when I first moved into the house and they used the cheapest sod they could find so it's not the best quality grass. As soon as temps go up here in Sweden I am planning to kill it off and start again with other types of grass. Where in the world are you based?

[@enricotobio2515]

@@SamsLawn I'm italian n I live in the north of Italy (close to Venice). Temp here is still cold although we had no snow, just frozen morning with ice on the tips' plants grass. Your mix grass isn't very common here, 'cos tall fescue n KGB are stronger than fine fescue n rye. I'm not a professional garner, this is a hobby for me too.

[@SamsLawn]

@@enricotobio2515 Oh nice, can you grow warm season grasses over there or is it too cold for that?

[@enricotobio2515]

@@SamsLawn several pitches are already grown in warm grass, bermudagrass is the main choice. I also have got three different types of it. Obviously they turn to yellow in the fall, bur If they are oversowed with rye, they look nice all winter long. Warm grass is somehow easier than cold grass to be maintained in the summer, this is because of the temps (it's very hot and damp between June to September)

[@SamsLawn]

@@enricotobio2515 Man, sounds nice to have Rye during winter and have a green lawn all year round, I wish I could to that too :D

[@milecuvalo]

How about electric machines that have some spikes similar to this roller? Are they good to use? Some say they are just "power rakes" and do not aerate the lawn...

[@SamsLawn]

I've seen those and they do aerate but the problem with them as well as the roller I have is that the spikes don't go as deep as they would need really. But I would say it's better than nothing. Or we can just say screw it and buy one of those super machines golf courses have, those big john deere things for 100K? what do you say Mile, should we each get one of those?? I believe they come with a complementary divorce lawyer so let's go!! haha :D

[@quorthunsargeras7054]

Look Into the Amick RollAerator

[@SamsLawn]

Thanks for the tip. will do!

[@scottwilson2795]

Hi mate, great video, really insightful. I ended up getting a core aerator off the back of this as i've moved to a new house where the previous owners didnt really take care of the lawn. As soon as I used the aerator I noticed that in areas I was hitting stones and rocks not far under the soil bed. Obviously the grass isn't growing well there probably due to lack of nutrients soil etc. Should I top dress with top soil in order to bring the level up and give the grass more of a bed? Or would you do something else? Any help would really be appreciated. Many thanks.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Scott, congrats on the new house. I also had so many rocks when I moved in here, you could tell where the grass didn't really grow as much, I dug up the stones that I could manage myself and the really big ones I just added some more soil on top of it. Aim to have at least 20 cm of soil if you can to give the roots of the grass the best conditions to grow. Just ask if you have any other questions mate, happy to help.

[@scottwilson2795]

@@SamsLawn that's great, thanks for the confirmation. It doesn't drain well in one particular area either due to this so I used your drill bit in a drill technique! - it's a great idea.

[@SamsLawn]

@@scottwilson2795 Awesome man, glad you used the drill, it actually works surprisingly well :D

[@AJ_Lucas]

Same, cannot get my 4-prong aerator into the compacted soil.

[@SamsLawn]

Good to know it wasn't just me doing it wrong 😁 I have tried it on other lawns, other conditions since then and I still cannot get it to work 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@rodgersandrodgers8191]

I have 2 hollow spike aerator in Las Vegas and it's not easy using it.

[@SamsLawn]

They are really hard to use, even the Swardman which is really easy and smooth to use, still 20 min with that thing and I am struggling, taking the entire lawn is with one of these is not happening :)

[@tabban218]

So eloquent

[@SamsLawn]

Thanks, appreciate it :)

[@ColinWatters]

It's possible to pick up cheap cordless drills. Perhaps you could fix 4 of them to a frame and drill 4 holes at once?

[@SamsLawn]

Hmm, not sure how I would even set that up 😁I think one works just fine since it mostly for smaller areas, any larger areas than the one in the video you can take a manual aerator :)

[@saschamu87]

With the draper you have to push 5 tines into the ground whereas swardman only 3. That‘s 66% more which in theory gets you faster but you also have to put 66% more effort/weight on that thing to get into the soil. Also what i noticed is that with the draper a lot of force is wasted in the construction since the part where you put your foot on tends to bend quite a lot. Swardman puts the force directly into the tines. Maybe it is easier to put your foot directly on that part where the tines are attached since that should not bend as much and you wouldn‘t waste so much energy

[@SamsLawn]

Yes was expecting it to be harder to push down since it had 5 tines, but I tried everything, tried to push it in different spots, different angles, nothing made it easier really. I will actually sharpen them come spring and see if they work if sharpened a bit.

[@Cici1791]

I think the problem is that thing isn't sharp enough to cut through the matted grass roots.

[@reeksreeks3017]

Yes, more tines, more resistance. I weigh 260 lbs. and with the 5 tines I have to really put my weight into it.

[@stevieb6173]

also you don't have to do the whole lawn at once , I use the wolf garten one and do sections every week in the autumn

[@SamsLawn]

Exactly, good point Stevie, just do some every day or week, I do the same with the weeds, an hour picking here and there, makes it less tedious 🤙🏼👍🏼

[@ashzole]

spray pam butter cooking spray inside the tines. make it slippery.

[@SamsLawn]

Does that really work? Sounds like something I have to try! Thanks for the tip!

[@elmaringh840]

You shine😝

[@alfredoguerrero8596]

Can aeration can be done in middle of summer?

[@SamsLawn]

Of course it CAN be done but I wouldn't recommend it since it will stress the grass so you are better off doing it when it's healthy and growing. During summer stress isn't the best.

[@pizzamanfitness]

Throw that Draper one in the trash bro lol 😂 😂😂

[@SamsLawn]

haha what do you mean?!?! It's awesome! 5 tines must be better than 3 right? :D

[@willguzzler2364]

Hi, does using an electric scarifier aerate?

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Will, according to me it doesn't at all. I mean, taking away debris and dead stuff from the lawn will "aerate" per se, but the only way to truly aerate is by using a core or hollow core aerator.

[@willguzzler2364]

@@SamsLawn Thanks for the advice 👍

[@garethburke7296]

Please please "help" I'm new to the gardening business.I decided to upgrade my lawn.The earth is very chalky?I cut lawn on lowest setting.Hired a scarifier which amazed me just how much moss ect came off.I manualy aerated 🤐 used good quality fertiliser in my spreader followed by smartland gro sure smart lawn seed.No roller so had to rake & tread in seeds.Then I realised I hadn't put down my organic top soil 😬.The prep toke me a good couple days & am now begining to think it's all in vain as I've cut out a key ingredient.I have been water sprinkling past 2 days but my question is... can I now go back and topsoil & re-seed again over the seeding I've already put down.So basically I want to add quality soil now if that can be done? Or am I now to late.. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.... Its been keeping me awake at night 😅

[@SamsLawn]

Hey mate, don't worry, I know the feeling, I still forget stuff and end up having to do everything again. Since you did scarify before seeding, that does create a good bed for the seeds to get into and start germinating. So I would keep watering it and maybe do the rest in the fall. That way you might have some germination and it will not all be in vain. Then in the fall if you still have bare spots, you can seed those then. If you do but topsoil on, it won't keep the seeds from germinating, unless you put on a lot. If you bury it completely in 5-10 cm of soil, then the seeds will have a hard time germination. I would wait though if I were you. Hope that helps mate, let me know how it turns out.

[@garethburke7296]

@@SamsLawn appreciated.. many thanks... I will update 🙌🏾

[@glyshorts9107]

Did you build them manual areators or?

[@SamsLawn]

Nah, just sticking with the Swardman, who has time to build stuff mate, I'm lazy :D

[@williamgrayson4181]

Bought the hound dog aerator cut the tube off it and weld on real tines it works great

[@SamsLawn]

Sounds awesome William, did you put on side ejectors on the tines as well?

[@santiagoezquerrocordon1470]

Not sure about the drill. For sure you get holes on the ground, but also you press the ground around the hole, so you also create a problem.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Santiago, can't say I agree, the drill rotates and pushes the dirt upwards out of the hole using the groves in the drill bit, not like a pitch fork that presses the dirt down and to the sides, in that case you are correct, that would compact the soil in the long run even more.

[@largerlips]

Drills have forward and reverse settings - reverse would bore the soil upwards.

[@Ojb_1959]

There’s no sharp edge on the green tines hence the difficulty. 👨‍🌾

[@SamsLawn]

Maybe, some others have also pointed that out. However, the Swardman doesn´t have sharp edges either and it works just fine, so I don´t know.

[@Ojb_1959]

@@SamsLawn Interesting, are they as thick and have 4 tines or just 2-3

[@MEAUXTIONFITNESS]

Core plug aeration all the way. Get away from the spiked stuff... it'll make holes the soil, but further compact it.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Mate, I agree, however, making solid holes can help during spring to get the lawn going faster and getting some air down to the soil. But if you do that year after year then yeah, core aeration now and then to relieve some of that compaction would be good. Thanks for watching man.

[@kenmay1572]

Maybe the Draper is designed for users over 25 stone

[@SamsLawn]

Perhaps mate, I thought I had enough weight but apparently not for the draper :D

[@sargonoshana3607]

The reason the green aerator didn't work is because it has too many tines, I'd remove two of them and grind a hole on the side for the plugs to come out.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Mate, very true, think 5 just takes too much force to get down. But why rebuild it when I can just use the Swardman :D

[@afro208]

rollers need to be water filled.hence no holes.

[@SamsLawn]

It is filled with water, the holes are there, but they are just so small it's hard to see them through the camera.

[@ColinWatters]

I wouldn't want to trip and fall on that roller

[@SamsLawn]

haha me neither, that would hurt alot!

[@KitchenerLeslie2]

Million dollar idea: combine it with a pogo stick.

[@SamsLawn]

haha it just might the idea of the century!

[@apedley]

The Draper one has too many tynes. It's juts too much resistance trying to push 5 plugs into the ground.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey, yes agreed, might be the amount of tines, but when using them both, it felt like if you had 5 tines like the kind on the swardman it would still work, the draper one just felt so poor in quality. But it might just be the number of tines as you say 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@apedley]

@@SamsLawn I have a 4 tined one by a different manufacturer and honestly i don't have any problems with it. I just think 5 is too many, especially if the build quality isn't great.

[@johnturner4400]

Strip the paint off the Draper and give the tines a sharpen.

[@SamsLawn]

Good idea, will try it in the spring, last try to get the draper to work.

[@DrawnInk1]

Love the green one, what a piece of junk.😂

[@SamsLawn]

I know right! I wonder if the manufacturer actually tested that thing themselves, I mean they can't have? It actually is a piece of junk and waste of money

[@DrawnInk1]

@@SamsLawn I didn’t mean to laugh but while you were jumping up and down on it your face was saying ‘How much did I spend on this garbage 😂’ on the plus side it does look good and more importantly you helped the rest of your viewers. Thanks for taking one for the team.

[@SamsLawn]

@@DrawnInk1 haha no worries dude, I laughed all the way through that test too, it really was soo bad, but as you said, I took one for the team :D hopefully no one buys it

[@moali5518]

should water before aerate

[@SamsLawn]

Yes definitely, it had been raining all week, it had even been raining just that morning, but it still didn't help. But I'll give it another go and really soak it as much as I can to see if the draper works. Then again, should you really have to do it like that? The Swardman worked fine without doing that. Thanks for watching!

[@arturasnesakysiu1684]

The green tool will not work. Its physics. Gas uses lots of them, but it uses engine power, you can have 3 tubes max, cuting midlle ones may make it work. Surface is too grate. Its similar to snow shoes where you can walk on snow, than you take them off with simple shoes you fall 2 meters into snow. Also tube must be wide, metal thin, but not too thin to not brake. Tips sgould be with angle

[@SamsLawn]

Hey mate, I believe you are 100% correct, it might actually work if I take of a few of the tines, but why bother when I have the Swardman :) It just amazes me how they can sell it like this if it doesn't work.

[@tobiasheemels6552]

Buy one for yourself for yearly procedure and then start renting it to others in your radius 😄

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Tobias, haha for sure, that would be the best way, since it does cost a bit. I loan it to friends all over at the moment, almost never have it at home to rent out :D

[@tobiasheemels6552]

@@SamsLawn Thats even better, sharing is caring, happy friends happy life 😜

[@WildOink]

8:45 i guess 200+lb is required, you are disqualified :D

[@SamsLawn]

Haha they should put that in the product description, minimum weight requirement 😅

[@matthewimi]

Holey dadgum tedious! Batman

[@SamsLawn]

Good thing you can skip and/or don't watch it if you find it tedious 🙂

[@thomasmartin2435]

No downspout expension lol

[@SamsLawn]

Not sure where you mean?

[@fj209]

The problem with the draper is that it has too many tines. Lets say someone presses down with 200 lbs of pressure. Those 200 lbs are distributed throught the 5 tines. That means each tine is only being pressed down with 40 lbs of pressure per tine. However, if you use a core aerator with just two tines, then thats 100 lbs of pressure per tine. Therefore, you get a lot more penentration with less tines.

[@SamsLawn]

Hey man, right about the math, but I still would have thought that it would go down, especially when the soil was so moist, entire feeling of the draper was poor quality though, even with 3 tines I wouldn't recommend it, also soil gets stuck real easily. Thanks for watching 🙏

[@williamwade7059]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@thierrygirardier4497]

I bought the draper aerator a few weeks ago and…it’s utter garbage. Going to the trash after 5 mins of useless attempts

[@SamsLawn]

Hey Thierry, agree 100%, I have tried it several more times after this video, different soil conditions, different lawns, just want to see if I can make it work, still haven't. It really is useless.

[@goyacc]

remove 2 tine from that tool.

[@SamsLawn]

That could work, less pressure to get them down, but I still think it would have a hard time since it doesn't have side ejectors, even the time I got it down into the soil a bit, it got stuck really hard in there.

[@brucemadu8535]

Painfully slow. Who’s got time. His body weight hardly gets them into the ground. I’ll pay $150 for a guy who’s done in 15 minutes.

[@SamsLawn]

Haha yeah it't not a fast way of doing core aeration, I would do it if I had a smaller lawn. I never use this for the entire lawn, only the small areas that need it the most. If I were to do the entire thing I would also pay someone to be honest :)

[@KitchenerLeslie2]

Why you talking like I gotta check my drink for Roofies?

[@SamsLawn]

haha not sure what you mean dude :)

[@email16v]

Lol. That draper tool tells you you have compaction

[@SamsLawn]

I have a very sandy soil and the Swardman aerator works like a charm, goes down very easily, I really don´t have any compaction anywhere in my lawn.