Message from Erick Holm: 2014 Fall Green Aerification Schedule Step 1 After Columbus Day, as part of the green aeration program we use a deep tine aerifier. This aerifier loosens compaction far below the traditional aerifier. It can penetrate the green as deep as 10” and also creates a “kick” action which loosens the soil surrounding each hole. Performed annually, the deeper channels encourage better drainage, more air exchange and longer rooting for a healthier green during the summer months. By deep tining the greens in the fall, excess water in these channels over the winter months will freeze and thaw further fracturing the compact soil. In the past the “deep tining” has been performed at the same time as the core aeration and generally has not been noticed by the golfer. All greens will be deep tined and rolled them immediately before the core aeration begins. After the rolling process, the green surface is (close to) “back to normal”. At the surface, the holes made by the machine appear to be much smaller but below the surface, they still have their integrity and benefits. Performing this part of the process will extend the playability of the greens an additional week! Step 2 Traditional green aeration will begin the week of 21st. The fall green aerification program will be the same as last year. We will pull cores, grind them up and reincorporate them back onto the green surface. To keep the green surface integrity and to minimize the risk of any winter desiccation (from unfilled holes), a combination of smaller sized tines and the normal 1/2” sized tines will be used. The core depth will be set deep enough to get below our current thatch layer but stay within our established modified soil medium we have accomplished over the years. Step 3 We will aggressively verticut the green surface to remove additional thatch. The verticutting process will pull up more sand which will then be reincorporated back onto the green surface and hopefully top off any remaining holes. Step 4 Should the holes not be filled adequately, we will continue to top dress through the end of the season to “to finish the job”. Thank you for your complete co-operation and understanding.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 13:14:03 +0000
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