I have an interest in combining a soaker hose for watering along with a second soaker hose for aerating the soil.

(Benefits of Aeration)

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1200.htm

I've not been able to find any information for anyone else attempting to aerate using a soaker hose. An air compressor can be attached to a second soaker hose, and you should be able to effectively pump air into the soil for your garden.

I came up with this idea after looking at the benefits of soil aeration, and realized if the goal was to get air into the soil then there was a much easier way than tilling or other common methods, hence an air compressor with a soaker hose.

The only information I could find is used for the purpose of cleaning up after chemical spills. Additionally I found that someone had already got a patent in the late 70's (which should be expired by now) for nearly the same idea.

http://freepatentsonline.com/4057933.html

Also, I came across the following post on soaker hoses.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tips/msg0310341121509.html

Has anyone else ever tried anything similar? I know in Hydroponics, they have a similar approach; however, this would be much cheaper/simpler than trying to setup a hydroponics greenhouse. I'm also wondering if the benefits would outweight the cost (would be a fun experiment).

The benefits I forsee - combined aeration and watering to prevent killing roots from too much water. Increasing soil depth usability; therefore, boosting crop yield, size, and quality. The more layers (more dual water/air lines buried at deeper depths) the deeper your root structure could go (think of the roots, good bacteria, etc as scuba divers). This may increasing the likelyhood plants will survive a second season (due to deeper soil penetration / protection from elements).

Depending how far you wish to stretch this, I feel proper use of this idea could boost crop production dramatically, reducing the amount of land required for farming crops, as well as make some unusable land suitable for crops (of course this is all based on a gut feeling).

Comments? Suggestions?

Feel free to debunk this idea; however, I thought it a very important one worthy of sharing with the world community, espeically with each of you gardeners. I know ideas get lost over time, some get patented, others do not and idea originators often get left behind. Hopefully I'll be reaping the benefit of it in a season or two when I can afford to start my own little garden for my family (One day in the distant future I'll try this on mushroom gardening).

Followups to this post will be e-mailed to me.