Autumn Lawncare for Groundsmen
Autumn maintenance is important to ensure healthy turf for the year to come. However, when making plans for September groundsmen should not forget their small lawned areas, Alex Pitt, sales and marketing director at Tracmaster explains
Autumn is a busy time for groundsmen. From sports grounds to parks, there is a raft of jobs that need to be completed to ensure healthy turf for the year to come. Acres of grounds need to be maintained to ensure attractive parkland and a good playing surface for the next season for sports grounds and pitches.
Although, groundsmen’s main focus needs to be on their large turfed spaces they should not forget the smaller lawned areas that are also under their remit. Often these areas are on show either at the entrance of grounds, at tees on golf courses, or manicured gardens in parks. Rather than being an after thought good planning can ensure these smaller lawned areas can be maintained quickly and easily.
September is the ideal month to start an Autumn maintenance programme and now is the time for groundsmen to plan ahead. As well as repairing worn areas of turf, topdressing, overseeding and scarifcation another task that is core to Autumn work is aeration.
There are two main reasons to aerate a lawn. The first is to remove sub-surface thatch from the lawn since an excess of thatch or heavy organic matter will starve the grass roots from essential water and nutrients. The second is to relieve compaction. Compacted areas of lawn will prevent proper circulation of air, water and nutrients within the soil, which are all key to a healthy turf.
Access
So what is the best way to tackle aeration in small lawned areas? Normally for large areas of turf, such as golf courses, ride-on tractor aerators are ideal to maintain the expanse of land. However, for tricky turf areas, such as formal gardens at the entrance of golf clubs or walled gardens in parks, ride-on tractors can be too large to gain access and effectively maintain the lawns.
In these instances it is worth groundsmen investing in pedestrian aerators designed specifically for the needs of smaller lawned areas. There are now a number of pedestrian machines on the market that are ideal for this application, such as Tracmaster’s LA20 Lawn Aerator. The advantage of this type of machine is that their small width makes easy access to space restricted areas, since their size means they will fit comfortably through a garden gate.
Quick set up
Pedestrian units are also very manoeuvrable and quick to set up. Groundsmen can easily wheel out a pedestrian aerator to quickly work on a small area of turf rather than having to set up a large tractor. This means the maintenance of smaller areas can slot into a spare period of time in between scheduled larger jobs. Pedestrian units are also easier to use than ride-on tractors, which means a wider range of staff can operate them allowing expert groundsmen to focus on other areas.
When selecting a pedestrian aerator is it important to opt for a machine that offers a variety of aeration techniques to prevent pan layers being created. Pan layers can occur when the same aeration spike or corer is used continually at the same depth, resulting in a compacted layer forming at the base of the core depth. By changing depths, sizes and diameters of aeration this can be avoided. For instance Tracmaster’s aerator includes both spikes and hollow cores as standard which can be changed very easily to provide the variety that is needed for effective aeration.
A choice of implements also allows groundsmen to select spikes and corers to meet the individual needs of their lawns. For instance, if there is an excess of deep lying thatch in the turf then using corers is essential. They will remove plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn allowing room for the grass roots to grow, as well as letting oxygen, water and nutrients gain access to the root system. Meanwhile, if the problem is soil compaction or the lawn needs improved surface drainage then spiking the lawn is all that is needed.
The benefits of aerating turf are clear, it allows air, water and nutrients to reach the roots of the grass, relieves soil compaction and removes unwanted thatch and foreign material leading to healthy grass. So when preparing for this Autumn’s maintenance groundsmen should not forget their small areas of turf. With planning, the right equipment and expert advice small lawns can be simply and easily maintained.
For more information on the CAMON Aerator call Tracmaster on 01444 247689 or visit www.tracmaster.co.uk