Aeration

The importance of aeration

The new year brings with it thoughts of the seasonal jobs ahead that are needed to maintain turf and make sure it is healthy, vibrant and ready for the year. Aeration is an important process in growing strong turf as it allows air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass root, so it’s a vital task.

Aeration is mainly undertaken to alleviate soil compaction as even slightly compressed soil can obstruct these important elements from reaching the grass roots. This means that grass will struggle to maintain its health during hotter weather and heavy rainfall, making it at risk of losing its quality, and ultimately causing it to die.

Turf should be aerated regularly to maintain the penetration of water and fertilisers to the grass root. However, lawns that are regularly used, such as football pitches or community fields, or those that have a spongey feel should be aerated more often to help grass maintain its strength and vibrant colour. Early spring and autumn, which are prime growing seasons, are the optimum times to aerate a lawn. During this period, grass can recover more quickly and can better fight off the stress of the aeration process.

Billy Goat has a range of powerful aerators that help to maintain and encourage turf. For the ultimate experience, Billy Goat’s Plugr 25 Hydro Drive Series aerator provides a superior performance and a combination of productivity, operator comfort, variable hole density and is remarkably low maintenance. With the best-in-class controls and in ground steering, the 25 Hydro Drive Series also offers exceptional manoeuvrability and ease in operating.

It also offers The Patent Pending EZ Drop tine system which comes complete with a one-step tine engagement lever. This allows tines to quickly engage when the lever is depressed, but it is also able to rapidly disengage once the lever has been released, so it can pass over any obstacles during aeration making the process smooth and uninterrupted.

For smaller lawns, the Billy Goat 18 Series aerator offers a smaller design but supplies just as much power. The model comes equipped with reciprocating cam tines that propel the unit forward and drive cores up to 7cm deep, meaning water, air and nutrients will be able to travel a sufficient depth to the grass root.

With this smaller design, it also offers a lightweight feel so it can be easily manoeuvred around lawns and can reach in smaller, more narrow spaces.

With the ability to cover up to four acres an hour, the Billy Goat Towable 60 Series aerator is ideal for maximising large lawn aerations – helping to save time while efficiently penetrating the grass root. With the addition of swivelling tine assemblies, this model operates with ease and is able to provide a quality aeration pattern of up to 4cm deep.

The Towable 60 Series can also be mounted onto a standard tow bar or category 1, 3-point hitch and can run behind any type of tow vehicle, with the ability to run up to 8 km/h – offering a powerful and timely solution for aerating larger patches of lawn.

SISIS TM1000 is ‘perfect all-rounder’

The SISIS Rotorake TM1000 tractor mounted scarifier is the perfect ‘allrounder’ according to Christian Brain, Grounds Manager at Cheltenham College.

“In a school environment, I need to buy equipment that is versatile and can do different jobs on multiple surfaces. The SISIS TM1000 ticks all the boxes,” said Christian.

It was during his previous positions that he first became acquainted with the Rotorake..

“The TM1000 is a machine I have used a lot in my previous roles, and I am delighted that Cheltenham College now has one,” he said.

“The purchase of the TM1000 by the school has been justifiable because it is incredibly versatile and able to undertake both scarification, aeration and grass collection in a variety of situations,” explained Christian.

The Rotorake is a tractor-mounted heavy-duty scarifier and linear aerator and is unrivalled when it comes to removing and controlling thatch. It includes a collector box and floating unit to follow ground contours and its contra-rotating reel throws debris forward ensuring a clean, consistent groove resulting in an excellent finish.

“I have already scarified the front lawns of the school, which helped to clear out a lot of rubbish before seeding.

“Over half term I have scheduled in a light scarification with it on all of the rugby pitches. We will then see what kind of spring or winter we have, and whether we do a bit more in-depth scarification on some of the areas in preparation for the summer term. It will also be used on the football pitches and cricket outfields.

“The TM1000 is the perfect all-rounder, and it does exactly what we need it to do. It was the best one on the market for me.”

Turf care of the future

Unique in the world, the airter light 14160 loosens golf greens and turf layers homogeneously from 8cm to a depth of more than 24cm - this with adjustable compressed air and in a continuous working process.

It works through 14 specially developed injection lances with different nozzle types injecting up to one million litres of air per working process into the soil of a football field. With regard to water infiltration, an improvement can be measured immediately on the treated surfaces.

Poorly constructed golf greens that can become waterlogged due to an unfavourable structural can be “defused” by working with the airter with 2 to 9 bars of air pressure.

Also, the unwanted and harmful grubs like May and June beetles as well as the leatherjackets can be controlled effectively and biologically with the airter with 100% guaranteed compressed air.

The so important oxygen through the airing provides stronger roots and thereby a proven vital plant growth. Anaerobic bacteria are destroyed by the airter with the supplied oxygen and a black layer can never again develop, which has a harmful effect in the soil. There are no disturbing puncture holes in the soil. This prevents the soil from drying out at high temperatures and there are no holes visible in the greens, which are a hindrance and disturbance to the course of the golf ball.

Golfers do not notice anything from this working process, even when it has been carried out on the same day. This means that treatment with the airter is always possible during on-going play without having a negative effect on the playability of the golf greens.

Scientific studies have proven a homogeneous and comprehensive loosening of the soil after tilling with airter. Measurements taken with a penetrometer result in a soil loosening of the turf base layer of at least approx. 30%, which lasts for more than three weeks.

At the same time, a 23% increase in the amount of clippings was measured, as well as up to 48% better water drainage in the soil. The professional maintenance of a biological, organic golf and soccer course in the future can only be done with active oxygen in the soil!

The first golf operations have already successfully converted to this future form of operation with an airter and more and more are coming! Besides a better, more durable and more beautiful turf, the annual maintenance costs can be reduced.

The airter is also the only machine in the world that can demonstrably loosen hybrid turf systems homogeneously horizontally with compressed air.

Joint effort produces new sub surface sports turf decompactor

Campey Turf Care Systems has combined with British manufacturer, Sumo, to produce the Campey TDS2 sub surface sports turf decompactor, specifically for the turf care industry.

The heavy-duty twin-leg machine is designed to operate behind a 40hp tractor on turf tyres and can be easily adjusted to relieve compaction and aid drainage at depths between 9.5cm and 37.5cm.

Weighing less than 700kg and fitted with Cat I and Cat II hitch, the Campey TDS2 is designed to deliver a sub-surface shattering effect quickly and effectively with minimum surface disturbance. This creates fissures for grass roots to grow into, allows excess water to drain and links up existing drainage, all without the need for external hydraulics or PTO.

It is suitable for use on all areas where subsurface compaction is a problem, including football pitches, rugby pitches and semi-rough on golf courses.

This innovative new machine joins Campey’s already impressive line-up of aeration equipment and directly responds to customers needs and requests.

“We’re always listening to feedback from customers about the challenges they are facing, ways their maintenance practices are changing and what they need from machines, and that’s what led us to the Campey TDS2,” explained Campey Director, Lee Morgado.

“We have been working on the concept for some time, so it was fantastic to finally have it out on show at Saltex for our customers to see. The response from those we’ve spoken to already has been very positive, and we’re looking forward to demoing the machine out on sites to show what it can do in the coming weeks and months.

“For us as a company, it’s been a fantastic experience to work with Sumo to bring this concept to life. They are a renowned British manufacturer with vast amounts of experience and skill, and they’ve used both of those things to produce this machine,” said Lee. Designed and manufactured in the UK by their highly skilled production team, Sumo has a worldwide reputation for the highest quality, durable cultivation equipment. This, combined with Campey’s renowned reputation for innovation in the turf care industry, has brought two market leaders together to deliver a simple but highly effective subsurface decompactor.

GKB’s sign of the tines

With the Deep Tine Aerator from GKB Machines, the name speaks for itself! The DTA delivers intensive aeration, with larger models in the range penetrating down to depths of up to 400mm, delivering impressive compaction relief to surfaces across the sporting spectrum.

With the wetter months upon us, keeping surfaces clear of compaction is pivotal for maintaining percolation rates and oxygen flow to the plant and rooting system. When ground and climatic conditions allow, aeration should take place to give your turf the boost it needs to emerge healthy and strong in the spring.

Precision engineered and built for durability and strength, the GKB DTA is available in four working widths from 1.2m to 2.6m meaning there’s a model suited for smaller jobs on golf greens right up to large scale renovations on winter sports surfaces. Smaller models like the DTA 120 offer a maximum working depth of 250mm, with the depth of the larger DTA 210 and DTA 260 models easily set via simple hydraulic height adjustment. The heave angle of up to 25 degrees is also quick and simple to change.

The unique tine mounting system, exclusive to GKB, allows for more tines per head optimising the efficiency of the operation, while also reducing downtime by improving the speed of changing between sets. In addition, when compared to more traditional ‘tine holder’ set-ups, the wear imposed on parts when changing tines is significantly reduced. A wide variety of tine options are available, both solid and hollow, with a range of different diameters to suit applications throughout the maintenance calendar.

Tractor and pedestrian aerate to 15cm

Groundsman Industries offer two pedestrian aerators 45cm and 60cm working widths plus two tractor mounting models 120cm and 180cm working widths.

All use Groundsman’s proven rugged Elliptical Plunge Action mechanism for aeration down to 15cm.

Quick-change Tine Holders are available for Solid, Hollow and Chisel Tining plus Cluster Tines for dense pattern aeration to remove thatch or preparation for over-seeding.

The Groundsman Flexblade Collector attachment is available for both Groundsman tractor mounting aerators to Core & Collect in one pass.

The new universal range of Flexblade Collectors are available for other makes of aerators and for three point mounting on compact tractors for follow-up collection of soil cores and linear aeration debris.

The Groundsman Flexblade is the most efficient way of collecting aeration soil in all weathers with 60% entering the collector without touching the ground and the remainder scooped cleanly from the surface leaving the aeration holes or slits open.

Don’t forget to check out the Groundsman two and four-wheel drive Turf Multi Cutters, they delivering effortless precision sod-cutting with low operator handle vibration levels. n www.groundsmanindustries.com

Company aims to be one-stop shop for maintenance services

It’s been 18 months of expansions for the team at Air2Root Turfcare Limited – new larger premises, more staff and an even bigger bank of equipment from Redexim! Among recent purchases are a Verti-Quake 2521, a SpeedSeed and a Verti-Drain 1513 complete with Carrier, which will sit proudly on their fleet alongside their OxyShot air injection unit and will help the company in their aim to become a ‘one-stop shop’ for maintenance services at venues nationwide.

Air2Root Turfcare pride themselves on using market-leading machinery, technology and products to deliver the very best results to facilities from across the sporting spectrum. Alongside developing their own performance-based fertiliser products, they’ve also recently become distributors for DLF Seeds and Boughton Loam.

“It’s been an exciting time and the range of services we can now offer our customers has grown massively” explained Director Jamie Moult.

“But to ensure we continue to deliver the quality of results our clients now expect, we must have the right machinery at our disposal. The combination of reliability and performance, along with the working relationship we have with Andy O’Neill from Redexim and their dealer network, is the reason we keep coming back.”

Unlike other contractors that run large, heavy tractors and kit, Jamie attempts to keep the majority of his equipment relatively lightweight to minimise compaction and give him complete versatility.

“Our new Verti-Quake 2521 is flat out at the moment, in use on football pitches, rugby surfaces and golf fairways on a daily basis. The rotary action of the blades creates a wave motion which breaks through compacted ground down to depths of 10” – leaving very minimal disruption in its wake.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback from customers on the clean and tidy work the Verti-Quake has been doing, complementing the routine aeration that will have taken place throughout the year,” said Jamie.

“We’ve got such fantastic flexibility when it comes to completing aeration work, with the selection of Verti-Drain’s, the Verti-Quake and OxyShot we now have at our disposal. As we head into the new year, we then have our Redexim SpeedSeed and a Rink DS800 topdresser to optimise new season growth and assist with spring renovations.”

York Racecourse goes for second Terra Spike XD8

Head Groundsman at York Racecourse, Adrian Kay, has purchased a second Wiedenmann Terra Spike XD8 after eight years great service from his first.

Adrian explained that the XD8 was an integral part of his operation.

“It’s not a luxury to have two Terra Spikes but a necessity. We will give the original machine a little bit of TLC and then we will run them both at once.”

York’s calendar of flat races traditionally runs from May to October. Last season was unprecedented yet still brought 122 races over 18 race days. The 2021 season started with the Dante Festival in May behind closed doors, was limited to just 4,000 racegoers in June and early July and then a more normal return to racing followed July 23.

Adrian and his team have a tried and tested aeration programme that has brought consistency and maintained a high standard for the 15 years he has held post.

“The XD8 is out on the track after every race meeting to alleviate the compaction and damage from the various amount of horses running at about 50mph. We start the process by back filling all the damage from the hooves and then terra spike the day after. We’ve a steady team of 35 back fillers who set about the task with buckets of rootzone and seed mix. Every hole gets filled in and then we’re good to go with the Wiedenmann.

“Sometimes we’ll be on just the 20mm tines, but we do move up to 25mm tines when required. We don’t roll our course like some places choose to do; we can achieve aeration and de-compaction as well as smoothing the surface with the one machine.”

Adrian said that during the off season the key is to go when the conditions are right and then after each meeting.

“We are out about 12 times a year aerating, de-compacting and re-levelling the surface. In total, we have over 10 hectares which gets done across four-five days, depending on conditions. Until now our mechanic/groundsperson Johnny Crowe volunteers for the job. He splits the course into segments so aeration and de-compaction is done in increments.

“The action of the XD8 is gentle and smooth, even though it is 2.1m wide, creating a lovely finish. If you walk behind, you can see how the tine action treats the ground with respect leaving clean precise holes but still getting the depth. You cannot help but be impressed. If you wanted to race again straight after, you could.”