Fall Greens Aerification. A little different this year.



After careful consultation with my agronomic consultant and other superintendents, we elected to perform our fall aeration a little differently.  Instead of removing a 'core', we instead applied sand first and used 'solid' tines to punch the sand into the profile.  It was very successful in getting the needed fresh material into the greens profile to continue diluting organic buildup and ensuring good drainage.

Vertical mowing removes thatch from the turf canopy and creates openings for sand to get worked in.

Blowing off the mess from the verti-cutting.

The results of the verti-cutting and cleaning.

A heavy sand topdressing.



After the sand dries, we punched it in with solid tines instead of pulling a core.

Much of the sand went into the holes as soon as we punched them.

The first brushing with our greens groomer brush.  It takes about 4-6 trips across a green to get most of the sand into the holes.

The crews favorite part.  Hand brooming the rest of the sand in to ensure all the holes are filled.

Finish it off with a good rolling, and the results were pretty good.