[monkeygrass]

I have purchased a manual core aeration tool that I will be using this weekend on my relatively small lawn.

https://www.amazon.com/Yard-Butler-Dethatching-Aeration-ID-6C/dp/B00EOMCJD6/ref=zg_bs_3480687011_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=770QE69VGYYV9JZE58X0

What do you guys typically do with the cores when mowing low (<5.")? My initial thought is to: let them bake in the sun for a day; feed them to my dual-blade rotary mower w/ bag; and then reapply the material to the lawn via a drag-mat. I'm guessing there are probably better ideas out there.

 

[DetroitRockCity]

Ive used that the last 2 years. 2300 sq ft lawn. Its daunting. My lawn is clay so first year moisture was perfect and cores came out perfectly. This year was a disaster no cores. Too wet and sticky so it was like huge tine aeration. If you plan on doing it every year you may want to buy a seperate set of blades to use with the plugs to bag. That way you are beating up a set and have a sharp set to mow with when done.

 

[MasterMech]

Since you have a drag mat, and a small area to deal with .....

See how they react to the drag mat at various times after pulling them. Try it at 1/2 hr, 1 hr, etc. If you can pick one up and it crumbles easily in your fingers, the mat should pretty much destroy them in a pass or two. Then suck up or blow off the thatch portion of the plugs that remains.

 

[monkeygrass]

Thanks for the replies @MasterMech and @DetroitRockCity!

In case anyone else is considering buying it, the core aeration tool worked very well for me this past weekend. It is a monotonous experience -- which had me fantasizing about buying two and clumsily strapping one to each foot -- but as long as the ground is soft, it isn't too bad for a smaller lawn.

The cores seemed a little too clay-intensive for my liking so I think I am going to hold off from reincorporating them back into the lawn. The total core output of the area (1,300 ft2 back lawn) when raked filled a 5-gallon bucket.

 

[Ware]

I'm a big fan of my Yard Butler for aerating small areas. &#128077;&#127996;

 

[erad213]

Ugh I used this last night on about 1000sqft of compacted STA. My friend let me borrow it and I think that was a workout. I ended up jabbing into pieces of old bricks and tree roots. I "tried" to do 8-12 holes per sqft, but I mainly concentrated on the bare, compacted sections. I spread some gypsum, little fertilizer, and some compost over it, with about .5in of water this morning. This will be my test plot, as I need to do it on another 2000 Sqft or so. I too wanted to buy another one and just walk around the yard like I had crutches. Also, when it was really damp, I couldn't get cores to come out, it hasn't rained in about 5 days and it was perfect cores. They will dry out and I will spread around. They crumbled pretty easy in my coastal sand/soil. Nice to not have standing water in my side yard after the sprinklers.