Aeration
Aeration is the most important aspect of turf management. In simple terms it is the process of punching holes through the turf to allow air to enter the rootzone. However, the benefits of aeration are much greater in reality. As well as allowing air into the soil aeration helps to improve drainage, alleviate compaction, encourage root growth, control thatch build up & aid the penetration of irrigation water. It is also possible to top dress after aeration to help with soil exchange.
Top Dressing
At Ralston Golf Club the majority of our greens are of clay construction. We would therefore top dress with a sandy dressing. A by product of aeration is that it will help to suppress the occurrence of Fusarium which thrives in moist conditions, it will also allow oxygen into the soil which produces bacteria vital to soil health. Aeration is carried out using tines, which come in all shapes & sizes (eg. hollow, solid, slit, chisel & spoon). In recent years new forms of aeration have been introduced (eg. compressed air, compressed water& drills)
John Deere 1500
At RGC we tend to carry out aeration using hollow, solid, slit or chisel tines. Members will see heavy aeration during the autumn & spring, although lighter aeration will take place at points during the playing season.We carry out our aeration programmes using our John Deere Aercore 1500 or Wiedenmann Vertidrain XP which has the added advantage of a heave setting which helps to create fissures through the soil.