Needle-tine aeration

Needle-tine aerating is a practice that is fast and very beneficial for the greens. Over the next several weeks the plan is to aerate the whole course 2-3 times, depending on weather.

The first thing that pops into your head is: “What? More aerating? Won’t that disrupt play and make the greens terrible to putt on?” Luckily, the answer is no. Needle-tine aerating is just as it sounds: a solid, needle-like tine is used to punch holes in the greens. The hole is no more than a quarter of an inch in diameter and about two and a half inches deep. No material is removed so the process is very clean. Also, needle-tine aerating the greens is virtually undetectable in terms of surface disruption. Furthermore, once the green is aerated, we will roll and any slim sign of the aeration will completely disappear. This is also a fast process. By scheduling the work for a Monday morning and starting early, there will be little evidence that we were even there.

While the benefits to the golfer are measured in terms of lack of disruption, the benefit to the turf grass is enormous. As the spring comes to an end and summer begins, the plants begin to slow their growth and the stresses of heat, drought, and traffic begin to show. Thatch builds up just below the surface and water and air fight for pore space in the soil profile. Needle-tining can either directly or indirectly help to alleviate all of these problems. First, the hole that is created allows oxygen to get into the soil profile and helps the plant to breathe. By adding oxygen, water is then also decreased in the soil and the green becomes more firm. Roots will also begin to grow down these new openings, following the oxygen, and creating more root mass. More root mass is directly related to how well the plant can handle heat stress. The plant takes water in through its roots, so the more roots then the more surface area to contact and take in water.  Another benefit of the increased oxygen is for the microbes that are present in the soil. These microbes feed on the thatch in the soil and the oxygen is their driving force. These microbes do work for us by degrading the old plant material and releasing nutrients to the plant. A green lower in thatch content is firmer, faster, and healthier.

Although decreasing water in the soil profile and adding oxygen is a benefit. Another benefit of the needle-tine process is allowing water that is at the surface to move into and through the soil profile. Through regular maintenance and traffic, the surface of the green can become sealed and water and oxygen exchange cannot readily occur. By aerating through this seal the air can get into the soil. But water can also enter the system much easier. Water that sits at the surface can suffocate the grass. So, instead of the water sitting at the top, the aeration holes give channels for the water to move into the soil more easily.  The picture below shows on the left side the aerator holes versus the right side which has not been aerated yet.

Once the benefits of this process are examined, the word “aeration” does not seem so bad. Improving stress tolerance and water movement are crucial to the survival of the greens in summer. When we are finished, the greens will be stronger going into the heart of the most stressful period.

 

 

 See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org