Forget The Pricey Equipment: Aerate Your Lawn With A Cheaper Alternative From Amazon

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A healthy lawn needs more than just water and fertilizer. It also needs aeration. Aeration helps air, water and nutrients reach the grass roots, especially when the soil becomes compacted. The problem, however, is that the equipment needed to aerate a lawn can be somewhat expensive. Some heavy-duty lawn aerators, for instance, can cost $3,000 or more. Luckily, though, there are cheaper alternatives. Take, for instance, the Walensee Rotary Cultivator Garden Tool. While it is technically a hand cultivator, its rotating, star-shaped tines can penetrate and aerate the soil as you push it across your lawn.

The tool is currently available for about $28 on Amazon. It has four interlocking star-shaped wheels, each fitted with nine teeth, plus a long adjustable handle, and according to Walensee, the rotating tines can not only aerate the soil, but also help prepare the soil for planting and reseeding. The tool also comes with a separate weeding blade. This can be used to cut, dig, edge, and remove weeds around flower beds and other landscaped areas.

Buyers seem to like the Walensee rotary cultivator garden tool, too. Its reviews on Amazon consistently mention that the tool does a good job of loosening and aerating the soil, and it is lightweight and easy to use as well. There were a few concerns, though. For instance, one customer noted that the tool feels flimsy, whereas two other buyers mentioned that the tool came with missing parts. So, make sure that you check out some other affordable ways to aerate the lawn as well before making the purchase.

If you want to make the most of your Walensee rotary cultivator as a lawn aerator, you must use it correctly, and that starts with getting the timing right. Getting the timing wrong is one of those mistakes that everyone makes when aerating a lawn. For instance, if your lawn is made up of a warm-season grass, you should aerate it in early summer, whereas if your lawn contains a cool-season grass, you should aerate it in fall or spring.

Other than that, pay attention to the condition of the soil when using an aerator. Aerators work best when the soil is slightly moist. Even Walensee notes in the product description that the tool works best in moist soil and will struggle in overly dry soil. Several Amazon reviewers mentioned that the tool does not work in dry soil too. So, if you plan to aerate your lawn, moisten the soil first or do it after a rain.

Lastly, don't limit the Walensee rotary cultivator to just lawn aeration. You can also use it to loosen garden soil, mix amendments into prepared soil, and remove weeds from the ground. Just keep in mind, though, that if your lawn is heavily compacted, a spike aerator like the Walensee rotary cultivator won't be enough. It only punches holes in the soil. For heavy compaction, you will need a core aerator that removes plugs of soil from the ground. Also, no matter what type of aerator you use, make sure to cut the grass short first. It is one of those things you should always do before aerating the lawn for the best results.