AERATION
Aerate and survive Poor aeration is the bane of sports turf. It leads to surface puddling, compaction, poor grass growth and ultimately loss of use of the ground – which in turn upsets members. Problems relating to poor
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drainage, in particular flooding due to slow infiltration rate, can be alleviated and often cured by the Drill n Fill aerator, operated by sports turf contractor, Ecosol Turfcare. The self-powered machine
which has only a 9 psi footprint, can operate in conditions that would halt other equipment. It has a great track record for the relief of waterlogging on golf greens, meaning that clubs can keep them open all year round and improve root development and fertiliser uptake of grass plants. Golf clubs around the UK and Europe have seen the Drill n Fill’s effectiveness. Commonly greens are treated with 20mm x 310mm drills using a backfill mix of sand and Ecosolve’s own soil amendment, Sportslite. The aerator works by removing soil with the drill, allowing lateral movement within the rootzone and releasing compaction pressure. Deep penetration breaks through sub-surface hard pans, thatch, black layer and rootzone or
subsoil interfaces. This creates greater aero-porosity. “Turf which has been dogged by slow draining surface water can be transformed. Water percolation within the rootzone improves too.” said Ecosol Technical Director Bretton King The state-of- the-art aerator’s fluted tungsten carbide drills ease into turf, folding back the grass without the further compaction-inducing impact of other systems and the turf can be put back afterwards to allow rapid healing. Holes can be backfilled with the appropriate soil amendment – sports sand, zeolitic Sportslite or a blend, to maintain the improvement. The “floating” drill head follows the playing surface ensuring consistent drilling depth which can be varied according to the exact needs of the turf. Deep