I've never seen a lawn core/plug aerator, but as far as I can tell looking at pictures the non-rolling ones are kinda like a pogo stick - you press down and pipes go into the ground, friction keeps the cores in the pipes, spring puts pipes back up, then you press again to get the plugs out of the pipes.
I have a super-small lawn, 2' x 5', so spending $30 on a tool seems silly. Not so inexpensive. Want something cheap. I really need to overseed (I messed up and vigorously raked out a bunch of thatch and dormant grass), and from everything I've read it really helps to aerate before doing that.
I'm thinking it might work to just get something like "10 ft. x 1/2 in. EMT Conduit" from Home Depot for $2.30, sharpen one end with a dremel, cut down the other end to make it a more reasonable length with an angle grinder, and use that one hole at a time. Might be able to just blow into the other end to remove cores, otherwise maybe a dowel or smaller PVC pipe with an endcap, or a shop vac's exhaust. Or maybe "1/2 in. x 2 ft. Copper Type M Hard Straight Pipe" for $4.98 would make more sense, as the wall is thinner and smoother.
Any reason that wouldn't work? Has anyone else done do-it-yourself aerators?
