HELPFUL HINTS
FROM THE LAWN INSTITUTE TURFGRASS AERIFICATION
Turfgrasses are one of the few species of plants found in urban landscapes that can tolerate traffic from people, pets, and equipment. Teir vertical and spreading growth habits and fibrous root systems are capable of recovering from moderate levels of traffic from daily activities, which make them ideal for use in lawns, golf, and athletic turf. However, even the most traffic tolerant turfgrasses will begin to decline in health after repeated applications of traffic stress. Compacted soils can negatively impact turfgrass roots and plant health by limiting access to water, oxygen, and nutrients in the soil profile.
One of the most useful tools in mitigating the negative effects of traffic is aerification. Tis management practice can be performed in a variety of different methods, frequencies, and timings. However, the two primary goals often addressed during aerification are to reduce soil compaction and increase gas exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide beneath the soil surface. Tese have many positive impacts on plant health as a result of deeper, healthier roots as well as increased water and nutrient retention.
Aerification is most successfully timed during periods of active growth as that is when turfgrass roots can take full advantage of its benefits. Tis is during periods of cool weather for cool-season species such as fescues, bluegrasses, ryegrasses, and bentgrasses; and during periods of warm weather for warm-season species such as bermudagrasses, zoysiagrasses, and St. Augustinegrasses. Aerifying during periods of active growth also allows time for turfgrasses to cover aerification holes prior to dormancy, cold weather, frosts, excessive heat, or drought.
Turfgrass aerification can be performed using solid or hollow tines at varying depths, diameters, and spacing, or by injecting air or water at extremely high-pressure. While solid tines are effective at improving gas exchange, hollow tines are typically considered more effective at reducing soil compaction. Hollow tines remove soil from the profile thereby increasing pore space, whereas solid tines simply open up channels for water infiltration and gas exchange. Additionally, hollow tines allow for the introduction of sand or organic topdressing materials if desired, which can help mitigate future compaction in fine- textured soils. Hollow tine aerification also allows for organic matter and grass clippings to accumulate in the holes thereby increasing soil carbon and modifying the soil profile.
However, one drawback to hollow tine aerification is the extended turfgrass recovery period. Solid tines, or high- pressure injection of air or water often leave minimal disturbance to the turfgrass surface, making it usable immediately after application.
Aerification is an important component of many turfgrass management programs, particularly in areas of moderate to high traffic. It can be customized for specific environments, turfgrass uses, soil types, etc. and should be applied based on the needs of the site. It can be performed as little or as often as desired, but primary factors to consider are soil type and traffic levels. Soils with a high clay content are more easily compacted than sandy soils and therefore require more frequent aerification, especially when experiencing traffic.
Using the basic principles presented above, aerification can dramatically improve turfgrass health and should be considered as a standard practice for many turfgrass management programs.
For more information on lawn care and helpful “How to” tips, visit The Lawn Institute at:
www.TheLawnInstitute.org.
TPI Turf News November/December 2017 9
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