A Breath of Fresh Air
Yes, it's that time again. Time to aerify the putting greens. But they look so good and are rolling so nice, do we have to do it? I am often asked this question around aerification time and the answer is most definitely, Yes! Aerification is the most important cultural practice we do to the putting greens. It is through timely, consistent aerification that we keep the greens in such nice condition. It is only one of many cultural processes, but probably the single most important. There are many benefits to aerification:
- Allows air to more easily reach the root system
- Relieves compaction
- Aids in the breakdown of any thatch
- Helps water and nutrients move throughout the soil
- Smooths out the putting surface
Mother Nature threw us a curveball this year with rain showers on the second day of aerification. And with thundershowers forecasted for tomorrow, we might have to improvise this spring in order to complete the sanding. We had to wait for the sand to dry before we could drag it into the holes. Sometimes wet sand can "cap" a hole not allowing more sand to fill it. And a few days later when the sand dries out, you notice more open holes than usual. Rest assured they will recover nicely and be back to normal in no time.
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| Gabriel Salas aerifying #4 green |
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| Jose Acevedo cleaning cores off green |
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| Jose Barocio & Ramon Martinez cleaning core piles |
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| Bernardo Torres topdressing green with sand |
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| Sal Diaz using steel drag mat to fill holes with sand |
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| Gabriel Salas using carpet for a final smoothing |
