The greens and collars are breathing a breath of fresh air and recovering very nicely after our annual core aerification two weeks ago! The weather has been absolutely fantastic, providing perfect conditions for the greens healing process. In the below pictures you can see outstanding healing progression in the first two weeks of their recovery.
Aerification is commonly one of the taboo words related to golf and a golfers expectations on course conditions. With the great leaps and bounds in golf course equipment technology over the past 10 years we are able to perform these operations more efficiently and with less disruption to the surface... Ultimately resulting in better course conditions immediately following core cultivation and little or no impact on your round of golf.
Goal-
A healthy stand of grass naturally recycles organic matter into the
upper soil profile of the fairways/approaches when roots, shoots,
stolons, and other plant parts are replaced throughout the season. This
organic matter accumulation must be removed with core aeration. When a
significant layer of thatch and organic matter develops, the surface
becomes "spongy", holding water and creating other issues related to
plant health and disease susceptibility.
Process-
1. Fairways/Approaches are punched with 7/8" tines on 2"-3" spacing, 5" deep, removing a significant amount of material and leaving one heck of a mess on the surface.
2. Plugs are allowed to dry slightly on the surface before they are broken apart with a large drag, removing the soil from the organic layer.
3. Once the plugs have dried to the correct moisture level, a large drag is run in a couple different directions to break the plugs apart and seperate the thatch from the soil particles.
4. After the dragging process is finished, soil has been removed from the organic matter pieces and deposited back into the open holes leaving behind some light fluffy mayerial and most all holes filled.
5. The fairways/approaches are then blown off by a team of blowers, blowing all the grass and organic matter to the side for removal.
6. The material is then vacuumed up from the sides and moved to the compost site.
7. Final cleanup preparations are
performed and debris is cleaned up in specific locations where the
blowers and vaccum didn't clean to a desired level.
8. The fairways/approaches are
then mowed to remove any tufts of grass sticking up from the
aerification process and cleaning the surface for play. Finished Product-
The aerification process really does leave behind very minimal disruption to the playing surface but creates so many key benefits to plant health and maintaining proper soil structure. Holes will be completely healed within a week and there will be little to no detection anything ever happened.
Take Home Message & Benifits-
An important purpose of core aeration is the physical removal of unwanted organic matter from the upper portion of the rootzone. When core aeration is neglected, the upper portion of the profile can become an inhospitable place for plant roots to grow. The pore space in a dense organic layer is dominated by small, water-filled capillary pores, while the large air-filled macropores are lacking. Oxygen is necessary for the plant to cary out respiration, which is the conversion of stored food to energy. Respiration takes place in the roots and, therefore, good air exchange in the upper soil profile is vital to plant survival.
Aerification of Turfgrass is a necessary evil (cultural practice) to maintain healthy plants. Benefits are Thatch Control, Compaction Relief, Beneficial Air and Gas Exchange to the root zone, Improved water movement, Greater nutrient penetration, Increased shoot and root growth, Improved soil structure... All vital to a healthy stand of grass. The medicine (Aerification) does not always taste good, but a healthy patient (Grass) is worth the effort and inconvenience. It is always our goal to make aerification as painless as possible.
Short Videos Showing the Fairway Aerifyer In Action
Today we took advantage of the perfect Monday morning before the noon outing, to topdress and needle tine vent the greens. The greens roots received a healthy breath of fresh oxygen and a smooth topping of sand. With nice dry conditions, the machine vibrated/incorporated sand into the holes and turf canopy very nicely, making for excellent results.
Once the greens are punched with the Toro Pro Core 648, backpack blowers are used to blow the remainder of the topdressing sand into the open holes. The greens are then double rolled to smooth the putting surface and close the majority of the holes.
The finished product today looks perfect with most all holes completely closed and topped with a light dressing of sand. All holes will be completely closed tomorrow morning after a double cut and roll, providing a wonderful healthy, firm and fast putting surface.
For more information on needle tine ventingClick Here
The DryJect process is 21st century aerification at it's finest and leaves virtually no trace behind on the playing surface. This is the first season we have used the DryJect technology on our greens and we are very excited about the results this will make throughout the golfing season for us. We plan to use this form of aerification in the spring each season to minimize the disruption to the playing surface, that conventional core aerification typically leaves behind.
The DryJect machines inject kiln dried sand into the greens to a depth of 5-6" on 2X3" spacing with very little disruption. Our target was 1 ton of Sand/Green and we actually did better than that, using 23 tons total on all 19 greens. That's pretty impressive to think about!
In the above picture you can see the fresh sand channels that have been injected into the profile of the green, providing many benefits for the overall health of the green and playing conditions. This process leaves behind a very small hole on the surface and a large deposit of sand beneath, deluting organic matter, along with promoting more healthy vigorous root systems and providing better water infiltration.
Short Video Showing the DryJect Machine In Operation.
The Crew Getting a Lesson On How the Machines Operate
Sand Delivery
Preparing To Fire Up the First Machine and Observe Operation.
Today we deep tine aerified the greens and gave them a breath of fresh air. This aerification process is performed annually in the early Spring to prepare the greens and turfgrass root systems for a long stressful summer of abuse and putting action. This operation is sometimes referred to as "venting".
Deep Tine Equipment In Action
The major goal of deep-tine aerification is to loosen soils and create aeration channels to a depth well below that of conventional core aerification. Deep-tine aerification may provide the opportunity to relieve compaction that can occur in the soil just below the depth of routine core aerification. In the farming industry this is often known as a plow pan and is created at the base
depth that the plow cultivates to. This hard pan area can result in
restricting the downward movement of water and preventing the soil from breathing properly. It is also used to relieve rootzone of toxic gases, improve air space, along with improving water and nutrient movement throughout soil profile.
Showing the Depth Of Tine Holes
The deep tine aerification equipment reaches down to a depth of about 8-12" with a 1/2" solid tine. When the tines enter the soil at the bottom of the stroke there is a slight 5 degree "kick", shattering soil and relieving any compaction issues that may be present.
Short Video Clip Showing the Machine In Action
Rolling Green To Smooth Surface
The greens surface is rolled out smooth and prepared for sand topdressing to be applied. Although the deep tine process does leave some disruption to the
surface for the next few days, it will greatly improve green consistency and
firmness through out the entire golfing season.
