Whether the STM is managing a sand-based rootzone with internal drainage or a soil-based rootzone that is depend- ent on evapotranspira- tion, regular aerification is needed.
MANAGING PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
A soil turf manager is a grass farmer. His or her cousin, the row crop farmer, at least in the past, tilled the fields to: (a) relieve com- paction, (b) oxygenate the soil, and (c) allow water to penetrate. Sports turf managers can- not use plows but he or she can use less dis- ruptive tools to achieve the same results.
Because of surface displacement. For instance, a 1-inch bit or tine on 7.5 x 7.5-inch center spacing, which is the spacing on a popular unit, displaces only 1.4% of a sports field's surface area. In contrast, 5/8 inch tines on 1.5 x 2-inch center spacing displace 10.2%. The tighter spacing is available on a major manufacturer's walk-behind and tractor-
When it comes time to aerate, different tools are used to address differ- ent issues. Deep aeration, for instance, creates sand highways to move water from the surface but is generally ineffective in re- habilitating the soil in the second illustration. Why?
mounted units. The smaller tines can gradually change the composition of a soil if the plugs are harvested and the holes filled with sand, but their effective depth is only 3 to 4 inches. Deep tines cannot change the soil, but they can be used to supplement the shallower tines. During the playing season, solid tines, deep slicers, and other forms of non-disruptive aera- tion should be used. They cannot change the composition of a rootzone but they aerate the soil and provide temporary space for water penetration, evaporation, and root growth. An effective aerification program can ad-
dress many deficiencies in a soil's physical properties but only if all of the variables are known. To use a hackneyed expression: "Knowledge is power." If you know the com- position of a field's rootzone and its physical properties, you can choose the best cultural program to properly balance water and oxy- gen in your soil. ■
search & development for the International Sports Turf Research Center, Inc. (ISTRC), and chief operating officer for ISTRC New Mix Lab, LLC.
Robert S. (Bob) Oppold is vice president of re-
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