AERATION, IRRIGATION & DRAINAGE
Deep aeration cures
waterlogging long term
Heavy downpours of rain on compacted grass areas on sports pitches, bowling
greens, golf courses and amenity areas can leave standing water, rendering them
unusable and stopping play.
he action of normal aeration, use of
machines and foot traffic over time can
leave areas compacted and panning
occurs, causing poor drainage and depriving grass
roots of oxygen and nutrients. Sports turf specialists
Terrain Aeration have been providing a long- term
solution to this for over twenty five years, using one-
metre deep penetration of the playing surface.
T
The Terrain Aeration Terralift machine not only
solves the immediate compaction problem, the
process has a beneficial effect that lasts many years.
It works like this. The Terralift hammers a hollow
probe one metre into the soil using a JCB road
breaker gun (this is because the ground is usually
so compact at depth that it needs this hammer to
break through). Once the probe has reached one
metre depth, compressed air is released up to a
maximum of 20Bar (280psi), the Terralift being the
only machine using such high air pressure, which is
needed to fracture and fissure the soil. The probe is
withdrawn and the process repeated using two-
metre centre spacings on a staggered grid pattern
- this means that each shot interconnects with the
previous ones.
On the tail end of the air blast, dried seaweed is
injected which sticks to the walls of the fractures
and fissures and, over time, expands and contracts
with the moisture content in the soil - similar to
“breathing” underground. The 11⁄2” probe holes
created by the Terralift machine are backfilled with
aggregate to provide a semi permanent aeration/
ventilation shaft, helping to keep the whole aeration
process working. The top 1” should be topped with
the usual top dressing to encourage grass growth
over the probe holes. The Terrain Aeration process
is ecologically sound, there is no mess and once the
pitch or green has been given a light mow it’s ready
for play to resume.
Terrain Aeration, 01449 673783
www.terrainaeration.co.uk
6
GroundskeepingJournal.co.uk | Sept/Oct 2019