As promised in the original article “John Deere 40″ Core Aerator with Dethatcher: Is It a Good Buy?“, I am writing to follow up on the performance of the aerator I purchased several months ago and to show you, by way of photo and video, the actual usage and results the aerator produces so you can judge the quality of the product for yourself.
In short, the John Deere 40″ Core Aerator worked great the second time out.
As with most tools, this usage may have been even better this time as I have become better at using it.
This is, surely, one purchase that I am proud of making.
2020 was a difficult year for keeping up with the lawn as a result of Covid-19 shutdowns and the like. Honestly, I was personally afraid to go to the store in the earliest stages of the pandemic for important and time-dependent things like pre-emergent for keeping the weeds down. As a result… I have a lot of weeds and some bare spots, as you can see…
However, through diligence, the benefit of a good amount of rain, and some good luck, my lawn has recovered nicely. Not 100% but, much better than I had expected. The grass is thick and sporting a deep green color for the last part of summer and into the fall.
During the summer of 2020, my lawn had suffered some by way of the usual suspects (mostly grub damage). I needed to do some soil first aid which, of course, included breaking out the aerator again. Some of the soil is dense and sporting weeds in the shade while some dense spots seem the result of lawn pests eating the roots of my grass. In any case, it was deemed necessary to aerate; open up the soil to the water and the fertilizer and grass seed I had intended to put down.
When the time for aeration came, there was little in the way of rain. The best aeration is done on somewhat moist soil to allow for the deepest penetration by the tines. I used my sprinklers the day before fairly extensively. It helped, but left the soil only semi-moist. I wasn’t able to get as deep into the aeration as I would have liked. I was concerned that I was wasting my time, but went ahead with it anyway. What could it hurt?
As it turns out, the aeration was just the ticket. What’s more, is that the aerator that I purchased in the early Spring did a great job.
The video below tells the whole story of the 2nd use:
As far as the de-thatcher attachment goes, it is generally only necessary every couple of years; some say up to 5 years. I’m sure the time distinction is relative. It did a good job in the Spring of 2020. I will use it once again in the coming Spring of 2021 just to see how it does. I will say that I don’t like raking my lawn much and I don’t mulch the grass during the Summer months (I don’t like the look of dead grass lying atop my lawn.). This said I don’t feel that my lawn, in particular, necessarily needs a complete de-thatching every year. There will be troubled spots that will need this kind of attention come Spring.
Specifications:
| Working Width (Inches) | 40 |
| Weight Capacity (lbs) | 100 |
| Penetration Depth (inches) | 2.5 |
| Number of Tines | 24 |
| Pneumatic Tires | Yes |
| Top Tray Material | Steel |
| Assembly Required | Yes |
| Hitch Pin Included | Yes |
| Weight (lbs) | 109 |
| Warranty (Parts) | 2-Year Limited |
| Color/Finish | FamilyGreen |
| Wheel Diameter (Inches) | 9 |
| Bed/Tray Material | Steel |
The John Deere 40 in. Dethatcher Plug Aerator Combo is Available at Home Depot
Full Disclosure: A big part of the progress was keeping up with the health of the soil. At the end of September, I put down a covering of Lesco Starter Fertilizer, as I do every year. This stuff is great at the right times of the year like the Springtime wake-up and toward the end of the summer and into the early fall when the soil is likely to be somewhat depleted. At the time of application, the leaves would be changing but not yet falling en masse.
I chose the Lesco brand for its ease of acquisition (Home Depot), but mostly because it is probably the best value in the store and has been for years. There are better starter fertilizers out there; ones with smaller grains for better, faster absorption by the soil but, they tend to be prohibitively expensive. As long as the weather is cooperative – plenty of rain – the Lesco Starter Fertilizer is the best buy. The proof is in the pictures above (BTW: a bag of Lesco Starter Fertilizer also doubles as extra weight for aeration depth and dethatching, as seen here…).
I hope this article was helpful. Thanks for your attention.
Best of luck with your lawn care.
Berk