In the quest for sustainability in the sports turf market we need to look at what mother nature has in its locker to assist us with a healthy and more disease resistant plant.
Fertilizer and chemicals are getting more cost prohibitive, and some are being banned so what can we do? One of the biggest issues we face is compaction in the soil profi le and how to relieve it. There are more living things in a handful of soil than there are people in the world, and one thing they have in common with us is they need air.
Typical foot tra c creates a hard pan in between 10-15cm. So, whilst we generally take care of the surface to a depth of maybe 20-25cm by using a tineing machine this in turn creates a pan at the depth of the longest tine used. In essence the use of tines or spikes only makes a hole in the ground and then needs another one or two processes to facilitate the healing process, which in turn means more tra c over the area, by foot or by wheel, and so the cycle of compaction continues.
When you create a pan or a solid layer all the soil or rootzone above it will become stale, and with the inclusion of liberal doses of sand to create and improve porosity, the nutrients that would normally adhere to the clay particles in the soil, percolate through the surface and can create a black layer at the level of the pan. Roots will avoid this and as a result the plant will need more applications of the fertilizer subsurface nutrient rich soil alleviating the need to top-dress at all. There will be an element of surface disturbance with this process however and areas would need to be taken out of play until recovery has been overseen and is complete, usually 6/8 weeks, however the benefi ts have proven to far outweigh the temporary inconvenience.
The Imants Recycling Dresser is more o en used on areas other than Greens, usually when the condition of the grass is becoming a serious issue and is continually out of use. With the with the co-operation of the players allowing areas to be taking out of play, it will improve and signifi cantly reduce the number of over compacted and “foul” areas. Once again, a healthy soil will mean a stronger plant and less need to use artifi cial fertilizers and chemicals
By far the which will inevitably put the plant under stress. And a plant under stress is weak and susceptible to disease and will need subsequent treatment of chemicals either Insecticide or Fungicide to rectify the issue.
By breaking down this pan using the Imants ShockWave, a linear decompactor going down to a depth 30.5cm, below the depth of a tines machine and with minimal surface disturbance, you create fissures and some aeration that allow, and encourage the roots access to most complete treatment is a forced aeration and decompaction process which with one pass and virtually no surface disturbance will alleviate the black layer and break up a pan, is the Air2G2, with needle tines up to 30.5cm long and controllable volumes of air and distance between injections On areas in the margins of fi ne turf, Campey Turf Care Systems have, in conjunction with Sumo, one of the foremost manufactures of the nutrients below, this also encourages a much healthier colony of micro-organisms, in essence a living and healthy soil.
The rotary action of the ShockWave and the timing of the blades is the ideal combination to move the soil from side to side breaking up the pan and creating avenues for roots. While at the same time, allowing air into the structure and a channel for water to flow away from the area. The surface is usually ready for play immediately for whatever the sport it is. For those looking for an even more radical option to reduce the need for additional external expensive supplements, fertilisers or soil treatments, the unique action of the Imants Recycling Dresser takes the ideal of recycling to another level.
It will decompact, aerate and recycle agricultural cultivation machines, developed a deep tine twin leg subsoiler that with minimal disturbance will alleviate compacted layers up to 37.5cm suitable for a 40hp tractor this is a valuable addition, and with a modern design “foot” which will li and break up a pan will satisfy many a requirement across the industry We are fortunate in that the earth survives because of layer of soil and the fact that it rains, yet in our area of sports turf we can neglect the most basic of all husbandry procedures -thorough decompaction on a regular basis.
If we look after the brown stuff beneath our feet, we will not only make a more sustainable environment, you can reduce costs, and help mother nature to help us.
