A pond aerator, better known as an air compressor, is a necessary device for those who have ennobled their area with any decorative pond. The efforts of a landscape designer who fit a fashion trend in the form of a pond or an artificial lake on a personal plot can easily turn out to be useless.
Such a detail of the landscape will not give any decor and visual effect if it is not properly equipped. This is easily explained by hydrologists: stagnant water blooms very quickly, begins to stagnate and gives off a bad smell. Even installing a homemade aerator will make it easy to avoid such a nuisance.
Types of aerators
The use of an aerator is important when it is necessary to remove dried grass, as well as prune or rejuvenate the lawn grass.
Through soil punctures, the soil is saturated with a sufficient amount of oxygen, which has a beneficial effect on the level of fertility.
Currently produced lawn aerators are mechanical and motorized designs:
- Roller and rake aerating sandals, which are flat soles, similar in appearance to the foot of a person of large size. There are many spikes at the bottom of the platform. Special straps are used to fix the device on the leg. To complete the treatment of the lawn surface, you need to walk over its entire area. As the practice of using roller and rake aerating sandals shows, it is advisable to use such devices for sanitary cleaning of a small surface area.
- Any motorized aeratorsrepresented by verticutters and scarifiers, operate on the basis of a gasoline or electric engine. The units with high power ratings are capable of providing the fastest possible, as well as completely problem-free processing of a large lawn surface area. These very convenient devices are easy to operate.
- Self-propelled devices currently produced by domestic and foreign manufacturers involve performing simple work with the help of an operator who sits directly on the aerator.
A significant number of models are equipped with a collection box for grass of different volumes, but most often the amount of grass for which the unit is calculated is 40 liters. The standard depth of knives or knives immersed in the soil is no more than a quarter of a meter.
The average width of the working element does not exceed 35-40 cm, which contributes to quick and effective cleaning. Gasoline-type aerators are usually equipped with a traditional four-stroke engine. Electric models are characterized by quiet operation and no need for professional maintenance.
One of the most practical and popular varieties is represented by special hand-held rake aerators. Fixing such a device on the hand allows you to process small lawns and small areas.
Objective reasons for aerating stagnant water in a pond, pool
Blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria, is an eternal problem for owners of swimming pools and ornamental ponds. This is an objective reality that is around a person in the environment, just like other bacteria and microorganisms. It's just that cyanobacteria are characterized by active reproduction, which is visualized for the unlucky owner of a luxurious fashionable attribute as green water with an unpleasant odor. The main reason why even the tiniest pond is cladding is fusion, especially intense in spring and known as spring water bloom.
Pond aerator
Flowering can drag on and lead to a terrifying state of the reservoir, when, instead of the expected clean water, a real swamp in miniature forms in it.
Important! A pond is a reservoir that does not participate in the natural water cycle in nature. Its creators cover the bottom with insulation, and the small surface of the water surface does not allow getting enough oxygen from natural precipitation. The intensive reproduction of bacteria and rot is due to the favorable environment created for them in such conditions.
The pond is a picturesque accessory for landscape design, the presence of which is conditioned by the requirements of a certain style and modern fashion. But to make it really aesthetic, you have to work. Experts advise to plant special plants on the shore and populate them in a reservoir, carry out manual cleaning and filtration, use a skimmer and a water vacuum cleaner, chemicals and bioadditives. You can do without all this if you buy or at least assemble a simple aerator with your own hands.
Pond aerator
Note! All the problems of an artificial reservoir arise from a lack of oxygen in the water. Aerating it is an easy and affordable way to avoid follow-up steps to tidy up your landscape decoration.
Unfavorable factors such as a film on the water, the growth of cyanobacteria and a putrid odor arise from:
- the death of its microscopic and larger inhabitants from a lack of oxygen and a dense film on the surface;
- sediments on the bottom, formed as a result of the gradual withering away of the natural biosphere, which inevitably forms in any aquatic environment;
- the formation of silt from the remains of non-viable biological flora and fauna;
- the appearance of putrefactive formations, taking the place of other inhabitants and poisoning the water with the products of their vital activity, which is why an unpleasant and sometimes unbearable smell appears.
For reference! The positive role of the aerator for the reservoir is undeniable. By supplying oxygen to the water column, it allows the water not to stagnate, and the natural biosphere to continue its vital activity. It processes the residues formed in its habitat and produces the necessary biological processes: exchange, destruction of negative microflora, processing of natural residues.
Important questions when making a do-it-yourself aerator
Typical features of the aerator are not the only characteristic that should be considered during the development of the project and during the manufacturing process. Providing easy and convenient work with a self-made unit will allow taking into account the following nuances:
- engine power indicators. The most powerful device is necessary for processing large areas with high grass cover;
- width of the working element of the unit. Indicators of the width of the aerator affect the speed of work and the level of labor intensity of lawn processing;
- aerator body material. Plastic models are lighter in weight and do not undergo corrosive changes, and steel units are more durable and very durable;
- arrangement and dimensions of the grass-catcher. The capacity of the grass collection container is determined by the expected volume of lawn maintenance work.
They are maximally convenient in operation, reliable and do not require the purchase of additional devices - units equipped with knives and special spokes that pierce the ground.
Scarifiers are practical units that pierce the soil layers and improve their air exchange by means of knitting needles, as well as remove weeds and old grass using special knives.
What is aeration and what is it for
Lawn aeration - the process of forming holes and partially removing the grass felt. The procedure improves the access of oxygen, fertilizers and water to the plant root system. Organized air saturation is considered a prerequisite for the health and appearance of the green lawn.
Aeration of lawn grass
Why pierce your lawn? Aeration solves several issues at once:
- Remnants of last year's dried grass form a "crust" on the soil surface. In addition, the compacted earth blocks access to the roots. Subsequently, carbon dioxide accumulates in the soil, the growth of vegetation slows down - bald spots are visible on the grass, dead woods, moss and weeds appear. Piercing the lawn soil allows you to prevent the listed consequences.
- Holes in the soil increase the efficiency of irrigation in the dry season, and in the fall they facilitate the rapid evaporation of excess moisture, preventing root rot and the development of pathogenic bacteria.
- A puncture of the lawn increases the efficiency of fertilizing plants with mineral fertilizers and activates "beneficial" microorganisms that improve the composition of the soil.
The need to pierce the ground
Aeration allows the lawn to rest, oxygenate and revitalize its growth. The soil becomes loose and retains moisture well.
Saturation of the soil with air
Materials (edit)
Of greatest interest are devices made by hand for use in large areas. The main materials for the implementation of such an assembly are presented:
- metal pipe D 10 cm - 100 cm long or slightly more;
- sheet iron;
- corners;
- nails 10 cm long or slightly more - two or three dozen;
- shaft and bearings for moving the device.
The processing of a large lawn with traditional lawn access or aeration rakes is irrational, since in this case the aeration process will require a lot of time and effort, so the best option would be to make a convenient and practical mechanical drainage unit.
All materials used in the process of creating aeration equipment must be durable, strong and easy to process.
Aeration with a pitchfork: an effective method or a waste of money
Many companies offer lawn aeration with “aerator sandals,” or simply piercing the soil with a garden pitchfork.
Aeration is carried out with different tools; for a small lawn in the country, the most ordinary pitchfork will fit.
Note! These aeration methods are extremely ineffective in comparison with a professional aerator, and if the efficiency of conventional piercing is ten times lower, then its price may practically not differ from the price of aeration by a professional unit.
Let's try to figure out what are the real advantages of a professional aerator over the usual piercing of the soil with a pitchfork or "sandals" with stuffed nails.
The aerator makes a strong blow to the soilto break up even the most compacted soil. If the soil is heavily compacted in "sandals", you simply do not have enough weight to punch it to a sufficient depth, and punching with a pitchfork will take a lot of time and effort.
The aerator makes deeper penetrations... The depth at which the aerator operates can be adjusted according to needs, up to 40cm, which is significantly higher than the usual piercing depth.
The hollow fingers of the aerator not only pierce the soil, but also pull it out, which significantly increases the efficiency of aeration on very compacted soils. After such aeration, sanding is carried out using fertilizers. This significantly lowers soil density even on the toughest soils.
Hollow toes of the aerator.
The speed and frequency of piercing the soil of the aerator is significantly higher than manual piercing. The aerator fingers pierce the soil at the same distance (about 5cm). For comparison: one, not the largest, aerator can process an area equal to two football fields (about 1.6 hectares) per day. In this case, manual piercing will take about a month. Now imagine how much you will be asked for a month of "piercing" the lawn.
Sometimes it's not enough to just pierce the soil - different types of aeration are required at different times of the year. Therefore, a number of superstructures are provided for aerators: aeration depth, type of fingers (solid, hollow, conical or triangular, etc.).
The price difference is not that high. In fact, the average cost of aeration with a pitchfork in areas of 10 hectare does not practically differ from the cost of aeration with a professional unit.
The question arises: Is it worth paying for an operation that will not bring the desired result, or do you still contact a specialist?
Manufacturing process
The technology of self-production of a garden aerator is very simple and does not require special skills from the master:
- in accordance with the diameter of the sheet metal pipe, a couple of circles must be cut;
- in the central part of the metal circles, using an electric drill, you need to drill a hole;
- the metal circle must be carefully welded to the end of the pipe;
- the resulting cylindrical part must be fixed on a shaft with bearings;
- through the free end in the pipe, it is necessary to fill in the weighting agent in the form of gravel or sand, and then it is required to weld the second metal blank.
The result of such simple work is getting an even closed cylinder, put on a metal shaft. Nails welded to the outer surface of the cylinder should be staggered. If desired, the finished device design is complemented by a motor.
The self-made lawn aerator is controlled by means of a metal or wooden handle, which is fixed to a bracket securely fixed to the unit body.
Aeration improves air exchange in the soil and helps maintain the aesthetics of the lawn. It is advisable to improve the land in late spring or with the onset of autumn. The optimal frequency of aeration treatment of lawns and lawns in the local area directly depends on the characteristics of the soil.
Homemade aerator
Clay soil with increased density is capable of accumulating a significant amount of dry grass, therefore, work to improve air exchange in the soil layers is carried out twice a year or more often. Lawns that grow on sandy soils or alumina will require aeration work once a year.
Lawn ventilation methods
Depending on at what time and to what depth holes are made, two methods of aeration are distinguished:
- Piercing - work is performed in early autumn. The holes must be more than 8 centimeters deep. This method is used in places where excess moisture accumulates, on trampled areas of the lawn or in places where creeping moss grows.
- Punching - This method is used when the fibrous layer of the turf cover becomes too dense. As a rule, the depth of the holes does not exceed 4 centimeters.Work is carried out either in late spring or in summer, when there is a drought.
