Attacking the lawn with a masonry drill!

[dogfonos]

I need to aerate a very compacted lawn sown on heavy (and I mean heavy) clay soil. Suggestions much appreciated but please read below first...

Over the past couple of years, I've tried the usual recommendations of plunging a fork in and wiggling it around a bit and a hollow tine aerator. Both of which might have worked if I weighed around 200kg! The lawn just sneered at me - even jumping on the fork and aerator, I couldn't penetrate more than a centimetre. I've had folk say that I need to wait for the right moisture conditions - believe me, such conditions never occur.

So, last week I fitted an 18mm diameter, 350mm long masonry bit into an SDS+ drill and set about the lawn. It was effective but surprisingly hard work. After one hour, I had peppered about 1 sq metre of lawn and overheated the drill. I estimate that drilling the entire lawn would take about 250 hours. Therefore not practical - and that's not considering the cost of replacement drills and bits or my time.

Does anyone know of a serious bit of kit for making at least 300mm deep holes of at least 15mm diameter in very heavy, compacted lawns? Maybe the sort of drill used for foundation piling? Doesn't matter if the holes are much deeper/wider - might be a good thing.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[big-all]

no expert but suspect 6mm by around 150-180 would be fine
18mm is ott

 

[ladylola]

If your ground is that compacted and hard I think I'd hire a rotorvator and chew the whole thing up and start again.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

http://www.thetoolhireshop.com/products.php?id=14&sb=36&mi=405

 

[xr4x4]

Trouble is, after the first hole you've blocked up the drill and it won't work any more.

 

[imamartian]

if your soil is that bad, then ladylola is right.... you need to stsrt again... it needs rotorvating and sand or compost or something adding to change the composition .... IMO !!

 

[dogfonos]

Thanks all for your suggestions.

I'd hoped that there might be some 'miracle' method out there that would save me from the time and expense of digging up the lawn and starting all over again - seems like there isn't.

I don't think even the industrial looking hollow tine aerator would cure my lawn's problems hence I was looking towards foundation boring/piling equipment but that would involve heavy machinery trundling about which would probably destroy much of the lawn anyway.

About two years ago, one of my neighbours had her lawn dug out to a depth of about 15-20cm or so and replaced with good soil before returfing. Looks good at the moment. That was only a smallish lawn though.

From what I've read on this subject, it looks like I should include underground drainage pipes (the lawn gets waterlogged for weeks on end during wet winters because the water can't drain away) leading to soakaways around the edge (i.e. in the borders) this means the lawn would need to be dug out to more like 40-50cm. The expense!

I need to decide just how important a decent lawn is.

 

[RedHerring2]

You could take a very long term approach.
I used to cut the grass wearing crampons, but I already had the boots and the crampons, so no expense incurred. (BTW, you won't need the forward facing points. )
After each time, walking all over the lawn, while cutting it, I'd dress it with sand. Admittedly, they only penetrated a few millimetre at first. As the soil improves they'll penetrate further, maybe even to the point that you can use a normal aerator.
It'll take a few years to improve it, but it will, eventually.

 

[roberta1000]

Perhaps try GreenThumb http://www.greenthumb.co.uk - I had them do my lawn a couple of years ago. They use a heavy machine which cuts plugs out of the lawn. Worked for me and I have heavy blue clay 'soil'..

 

[BigRobCanUFixIt]

You could take a very long term approach.
I used to cut the grass wearing crampons, but I already had the boots and the crampons, so no expense incurred.

Dont nick the wifes...... they're not the same things as shoes with pointy bits on em.....

 

[dogfonos]

Thanks for your suggestions.

A few years ago, I started sprinkling sharp sand over the lawn and brushing it in (I know I should've used horticultural lawn sand but the cost!!) Did it, on and off, for about three years. To some extent, the worms helped work it into the soil but there aren't many worms on the really waterlogged and seriously compacted central section. Didn't think of crampons.

Probably got through about a tonne of sand during that time - sounds a lot but it's actually not much on a 250sq metre lawn so it had little apparent effect although usefully, it filled in a few dips. Should have persevered.

Won't do any harm to ask lawn experts for an opinion and a quote I guess.