Why do we aerify?
- Relieve soil compaction from players and equipment.
- To ensure optimum levels of oxygen are available to the roots.
- Opens air pockets improving the absorption of fertilizer and water to the root zone.
In a soil or sand profile, there is either air or water consuming any available space. Air/oxygen is much more beneficial to the plant in this space because; it allows the plant to breath well, and the water that does come in contact penetrates the surface rather than sitting on top of the surface. When a green, tee, or fairway become compacted, the air pockets are eliminated and it becomes difficult for the plant to breathe. This leads to a slow suffocation of the plant’s root system, and can lead to a much more detrimental problem than a two-week inconvenience.
LCC's greens had reached the point where they would puddle after a short rain. The greens here have great drainage, so when we start having to wait for puddles to drain into the soil profile we know compaction has reached a point where relief is needed. This has come from intense maintenance (double cutting 6 days per week, and rolling 4 times per week) and excessive foot traffic.
