AERATION
Aerator ‘revolutionises’ turf management Aeration is the core business of Ecosol Turfcare, operator and supplier of the Drill ‘n’ Fill, a unique aerator which has revolutionised turf management since it first appeared on the European scene. Although primarily useful for golf greens, it is effective on cricket squares, bowls greens, and also on rugby and football pitches, especially around goalmouths and centre circles where compaction is an issue. Problems relating to poor drainage, in particular flooding due to slow infiltration rate, can be alleviated and often cured by the Drill ‘n’ Fill aerator, a self-powered machine which has only a 9 psi footprint and can operate in conditions that would halt other equipment. Waterlogging may seem a million miles away during this droughty summer, but when the rains come, poorly aerated greens suffer puddling on the surface, making greens unplayable. The aerator works by removing soil with the drill, allowing lateral movement within the rootzone and releasing compaction pressure. Deep penetration breaks through subsurface 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,” explained Ecosolve Technical Director Bretton King.
Turf which has been dogged by slow draining surface water can be transformed 38 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018
“Water percolation within the rootzone improves too.” The most common symptoms of poor drainage and those noticed by your membership are soggy greens with surface puddling, slow to drain after torrential rain and often on temporary pins or closed altogether. Badly draining greens will have patchy, yellowish and poor grass growth, and uneven putting surfaces. Unfortunately, members are only interested in the immediate turf cover of your greens – about 1/6th of the story, says the STRI – with the hidden 5/6th of the green posing the main threat to good drainage and a headache for the greenkeeper. Many UK courses have the odds stacked against them in terms of good drainage –notably those built on clay with push-up greens. If they do have a drainage layer, compaction and constant build-up of thatch means that water can’t get through the soil and drain away. Some have no drainage layer, are built on poor contours where water doesn’t flow off the course and have a predominance of heavy clay/silt in the soil profile. Even modern courses with greens built to a USGA specification can have drainage problems if too many fine sand particles are clogging pore spaces, or the constructors have blended organic matter with the sand, leading to water retention. Compaction caused by heavy usage of the green and intensive machinery operation on the surface commonly causes drainage problems on greens, particularly after prolonged dry spells. Thatch is caused by anaerobic soil conditions, inadequate aeration and insufficient scarification. If there is not enough oxygen and gas exchange
in the soil, a build-up of unpleasantsmelling toxic sulphide gases known as black layer occurs 25mm to 75mm below the surface and this will further hamper greens drainage. Turfcare’s 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 kiln-dried sports sand, often mixed with a soil amendment such as Ecosol’s own zeolitic Sportslite to maintain the improvement. Sportslite will improve the rootzone’s cation exchange capacity and nutrient uptake, resulting in better germination and grass growth. 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 holes encourage deep rooting and the sizes of drill channel vary from 10mm to 32mm. The Drill ‘n’ Fill puts the soil amendment directly into the rootzone. This holds open the drainage channel, giving extended duct life and facilitating nutrient exchange between the amendment and the grass roots. Playing surfaces can be fully reinstated as little as one hour after Drill ‘n’ Fill work, causing minimal closure of facilities. As well as the Drill ‘n’ Fill, Ecosolve also operates the Deep Drill 60/18 aerator which can penetrate to a depth of 450mm but does not backfill. It is ideal for deep aeration and gas exchange in very compacted golf greens and cricket squares. In cricket, deeper rooting means better sward and soil structure and “better bounce” where no backfill is required.