Sunday, April 13, 2008

The Benefits of Aerification

Aerification is the mechanical process of creating air space in the soil that promotes a healthy root system.

Turfgrass on Golf courses sustain a significant amount of stress and constant pounding due to cart traffic, foot traffic, and maintenance equipment. By removing cores from the compacted soil, an infusion of air, water, and nutrients enhance the turf by bringing a resurgence of growth, and keeping the turf durable during stressful conditions.


When is Aerification Beneficial?

Aerification, can be beneficial at any time of the year. The most popular times for Aerification are in the spring and fall months.


What Types of Aerification are Available?

-Solid tine: No cores are physically removed from to soil to a depth of 4-6 inches.
-Hollow tine: Cores are physically removed from the soil to depth of 4-6 inches.
-Needle point: These types of tines are extremely small and allow for rapid recovery.
-Deep tine: Can penetrate anywhere from 5-14 inches (depending on soil conditions)
- Hydrojecting: An injection of water through the surface creating aeration holes.
- Graden: This Is a type of vertical aerification that only goes to a depth of 1”, but it removes a large amount of surface material.

Aerification should be a part of every Turfgrass maintenance program because it is absolutely necessary for maintaining healthy Turfgrass. Failure to perform this simple maintenance can result in poorly drained soil, thin Turfgrass stands, and continued problems with disease.

The bottom line is that aerification is an necessary evil and with out it high quality turfgrass conditions cannot exist.

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