# aerating and dethatching cost?? fert n seed?? any help please



## ffjasons1 (Mar 12, 2010)

My church is wanting to get there lawn dethatched and aerated, they have about 26,000 sq ft of lawn. what is the going rate for dethatching and aerating?? also what should we look at paying for seed and fertilizer?? is it extra to have the plugs from aerating picked up, they dont like the look of them left on the ground, what is the going rate for the pick up of plugs>> any help please


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## nlgutters (Dec 18, 2007)

ffjasons1 said:


> My church is wanting to get there lawn dethatched and aerated, they have about 26,000 sq ft of lawn. what is the going rate for dethatching and aerating?? also what should we look at paying for seed and fertilizer?? is it extra to have the plugs from aerating picked up, they dont like the look of them left on the ground, what is the going rate for the pick up of plugs>> any help please



It will really all depend. Is it a catholic, baptist or Jehovah?


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## tgeb (Feb 9, 2006)

You should talk them into the "look" of the plugs. 
They sort of disappear in a few weeks. 
But I would imagine that cleaning the plugs from 26K sq. ft. would amount to more than a few wheelbarrows of soil. 

How do you think the lawn will look if every spring I came along and dug out 3 or 4 wheelbarrows of soil and took it away. Eventually I would suspect some fill would be required.

But I'm no grass guy, just making an observation....


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## Crawdad (Jul 20, 2005)

What's the going rate? Well, it depends on a few different things, such as, are they hiring a full time company, or one of the many uninsured, unlicensed hacks that does it because he can't find a real job? Just like asking the going rate for roofing, it also varies by region, and other factors.

"Is it extra, to have the plugs picked up?" Ummm... there is no going rate, for picking up plugs. It's not done, they will laugh at you for asking that question.
The holes in the ground are just one of the benefits of aeration. The plugs are another. Call a qualified local landscape maintenance company, they'll explain it to you, as well as give you a price. But don't expect a price break, just because it's for a tax-exempt customer, as some churches do.


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## buddy110 (Oct 3, 2009)

If you have a good, organic program there's no need to dethatch or core aerate.


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## thesamba (Nov 9, 2008)

buddy110 said:


> If you have a good, organic program there's no need to dethatch or core aerate.


That is true, but "true" 100% oragnic programs take time for great results. I don't think you'll disagree. But some customers need, or want results sooner than ASAP, so you need to do what you can right then and there. They aren't concerned with results later, they want them now. 

And lets be honest, even if you sell them on a good organic program...they wanted an aeration, and they are willing to pay, are you gonna turn down the money(especially in these financial times?)? It certainly won't hurt the lawn, and will actually help the overall process. 

ffjasons1... By now you either did this job or lost the job. But you have to tell people the benefits of leaving the plugs on the lawn for "mother nature" to get rid of. They are actually a benefit to the process, and shouldn't be removed as far as I;m concerned.


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## buddy110 (Oct 3, 2009)

thesamba said:


> That is true, but "true" 100% oragnic programs take time for great results. I don't think you'll disagree. But some customers need, or want results sooner than ASAP, so you need to do what you can right then and there. They aren't concerned with results later, they want them now.
> 
> And lets be honest, even if you sell them on a good organic program...they wanted an aeration, and they are willing to pay, are you gonna turn down the money(especially in these financial times?)? It certainly won't hurt the lawn, and will actually help the overall process.
> 
> ffjasons1... By now you either did this job or lost the job. But you have to tell people the benefits of leaving the plugs on the lawn for "mother nature" to get rid of. They are actually a benefit to the process, and shouldn't be removed as far as I;m concerned.


Agreed. 
I was on a chemical plan for many years. I core aerated and dethatched religiously. This helped my got my lawn grow thick and green before I moved to organic practices. I simply wasn't aware That I could grow a lawn organically. 
I still use the dreaded 24D for braodleaf weeds, but in minute quantities. For non selective weed killing I use Vinegar. 



Last year I used a chicken manure based, organic granuler fertilizer. The lawn responded very well without the "growth spurt" that urea causes. The lawn truned a nice, lush green all year long.

This year I'm brewing a compost tea and applying it with a comercial sprayer on the back of my Kubota.


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## thom (Nov 3, 2006)

I won't aerate.

I work hard to keep my lawn weed free. I had it aerated years ago. The previous aerated property was obviously not weed free so I got to deal with the weeds from his plugs that were still in the machine.


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## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

great point tgeb about the soil needing replaced. reminds me of a story about a guy who pulled out lots of wire and motors from an industrial site when it was newly purchased and then the new purchaser needed it rewired and the same guy got hte contract and used the same wire he pulled out :w00t:

the plugs 'should' break down with a rain or two.


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