What is Deep Ground Aeration?

Ground aeration is used where compacted soil forms a solid "pan" causing water logging.  This compaction of the soil can be caused by vehicles, heavy plant or even footfall, a good example of where this can happen is the centre spots and goal mouths on football and rugby pitches.

The pan usually occur between 250mm to 350mm down and forms a solid barrier which results in water sitting or ponding on the surface instead of draining away, this also prevents healthy growth of roots in grass, trees and shrubs.

We can reduce this kind of water logging by shattering the pan. We drive a needle or probe down into the soil to a maximum of 600mm, through the solid pan zone and inject compressed air into the soil, this fractures the soil, allowing the passage of oxygen, water and nutrient to resume into the root zone and toxic gasses out of the root zone.

Benefits

Sports Turf

We discovered that on both sports surfaces and orchards or tree planted areas there seems to be an almost impenetrable aeration pan of between 9 and 14”, presumably caused by years of shallower aeration methods or centuries of ploughing!

On water logged areas this layer can prevent or slow down water draining away and when the water sits above this pan it creates anaerobic conditions starving the upper root zone of oxygen. On the opposite side of the coin, if the surface is very dry, water cannot penetrate through the pan….until our ground probe aerator machines move in!!!

Therefore, by using our ground aeration machine's, the water is able to disperse to areas previously unreachable, creating a deeper root zone and better drainage. Consequently fracturing this pan gives the groundsmen a great advantage against drainage.

• Improves major nutrient utilisation
• Increases oxygen levels
• Decreases toxic gas levels
• Discourages black layer
• Helps eliminate anaerobic conditions
• Increases drainage potential

Results

The results after de compaction are:

• Longer play during a season
• No more closing of golf greens due to water logging
• No more preventing golf cart hire due to water logging
• Healthier turf
• Happier clients
• Playable within 24hrs

Tree Root Aeration

Trees in urban and suburban environments are often under high stress conditions due to low moisture availability, soil compaction, physical damage, nearby construction, and competition from turf and nearby trees and shrubs.

If you are removing leaves from around your trees and shrubs, the soil is becoming nutrient poor. Growth will decline and trees will become more susceptible to insects and disease. If your site has compacted soil, water, and oxygen infiltration into the soil also becomes a problem affecting trees.

The benefits of aerating the soil in the vicinity of the tree or shrub are numerous. A needle is forced into the ground to a depth, and air is forced into the earth , shattering any compaction that has formed. The fracturing caused also act as avenues for water, air, and other nutrients to reach the root zone increasing growth and nutrient uptake.

Results

The benefits for the tree after de compaction are:

• Increased root growth
• increased mineral and nutrient uptake
• Decreased stress on roots
• Better resistance to disease
• Healthier looking trees