This page describes the soil boring tools and equipment I develop, manufacture and sell.
U.S. Patent 10,590,713
I developed these tools c.2013 to aerate the Critical Root Zones (CRZs) of two large sugar maples (33" and 26" caliper) growing in a confined root vault of compacted clay soil (our front yard); a common condition in urban landscapes.
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More Recently; In late 2022 I made 4 ft long versions of my soil boring device to bore 4 ft deep post holes for 1 1/2" or 2" inch pipe fence posts. (1 1/2" Pipe is actually 1 7/8" diameter. 2" Pipe is actually 2 3/8" outside diameter.)
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The tool, and low pressure water, combine to break up/dissolve the soil and carry the slurry to the surface where it's collected by vacuum. The resulting holes are fairly straight and smooth.
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In areas of turf grass, the tool pushed our grass aside gently and grew over quickly. It also worked well in our mulched beds.
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No excavated soil left on the surface
No dangerous high pressure air or water
No dangerous reaction torque of a drill
No dust when boring in dry soil
No compaction when boring in damp soil
No sharp edges reduces the chance of damage to buried utilities
Aeration
Decompaction
Perforation of Hardpan Layer
Post Holes for 1/12" or 2" Pipe
Effective In Wet or Dry Soil
​Durable enough for Professionals
Economical enough for DIY
Mostly Stainless Steel Construction
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Standard Tools approximately 1 7/8" diameter for backfilling with sand or 2 3/8" Diameter for backfilling with coarse organic material.
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Custom sizes available
Made in Columbus, OH by the inventor.
https://www.verticalmulching.com
email: info@verticalmulching.com
Our maples are 30' apart in our front yard which measures 45' x 45', (a confined root vault for two trees this size). They canopy beyond our yard on all sides. Their CRZs are covered by: turf grass, planting beds, shrubs, understory trees, two concrete sidewalks, our driveway, our neighbor's driveway, our street and our front porch.
Mid Aug 2013 all the leaves on our 33" maple turned brown and began dropping while the 26" maple stayed green. We thought our 33" tree was in danger of dying and the 26" tree might be close behind. We consulted a horticulturist who suggested waiting until next spring. Both trees leafed out the following spring, assuring us they were still alive.
Our horticulturist suggested sending soil and tissue samples to a local lab for analysis and recommendation for back-fill material. Our soil and tissue analyses indicated no significant deficiencies. We also received advice from The Ohio State University Extension Service.
The horticulturist advised us to aerate and fertilize only mildly, if at all.
Although we knew there was no guarantee aeration would improve the health of our trees, we thought we might have only one warm season to try. Fear of losing our tree(s) drove us to err on the side of caution. We decided to aerate all accessible parts of our CRZ with 2 inch holes 2 feet deep on a 12 inch grid, except for the areas within 8-10 feet of the trunks. This involved boring approximately 1,300 holes. We decided to backfill the holes with coarse sand and 1/4 cup of mild fertilizer.
I needed to find a technique that would allow me to do the work myself. I tried a 2" power auger. Our clay soil wouldn't crumble enough to climb the helix of the auger. The clay compacted in the tip of the auger and glazed the sides of the hole. Additionally, the reaction torque of a power auger can cause serious injury from repetitive impacts or catastrophic injury when you snag a root or rock.
My invention is based on an idea I'd experimented with a few years earlier. I made new prototypes and modifications throughout the process. (I own a small metal fabrication shop.) I began boring holes with my prototypes in mid July. I began with the area around our 33" tree. I encountered a layer of hardpan 12-16" below the surface in most of our CRZ.
Before aeration our front yard puddled quickly in heavy rain and stayed wet too long. Perforation improved our drainage.
The weather was similar to the previous summer when our 33" tree had first turned brown. We were pleasantly surprised when mid Aug passed and both trees stayed green. We hadn't expected results that soon. I finished aerating our front yard in mid Sep. Both trees behaved normally for approximately 10 years. Unfortunately, as of 2023, our 26" Maple is in the process of succumbing to verticillium wilt.
Additionally, our shrubs and understory trees seem to be invigorated since vertical mulching.
We presume aeration is responsible for the improvements. It was well worth two months of my spare time.
My device works:
a) quickly
b) without any large specialized equipment such as the large air compressors required to operate pneumatic excavation tools.
c) without the dangers associated with high pressure air or water.
d) without the dangerous reaction torque of a power auger
e) without leaving behind soil on the surface excavated from the holes.
f) without compacting the soil around the hole, especially when boring in damp soil.
g) without throwing dust in the air when boring in dry soil.
h) without sharp edges; i.e. it's gentle on feeder roots.
​Durable enough for Professionals
Economical enough for DIY
Mostly Stainless Steel Construction
Standard Tools 1 7/8" Diameter and 2 3/8" Diameter.
Custom sizes available.
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Kit:
Boring Tool
Vacuum Collar
Straight Vacuum Tube (to clean remaining slurry/debris from finished holes)
15' of 1 1/2" Vacuum Hose with cuff for vacuums with 2 1/4" ID inlet port.
Funnel For Backfill Material
Wood Tamping Rod
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Made in Columbus, OH by the inventor.
https://www.verticalmulching.com
email: info@verticalmulching.com
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Warning:
This tool can, and will, conduct electricity. Although this tool is intentionally designed and fabricated to have no sharp edges, it is possible to develop sharp edges via normal wear. With, or without sharp edges, this tool has the potential to damage underground utility cables or conduits which could cause injury or death to the operator or others.
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Operators of any excavation tools, no matter how basic, should always be familiar with what's below the area in which they’re working so as to avoid coming in contact with underground utility cables or conduits. "Know what's below" "Call 811 before you dig"