Root Management & Fall Aeration

After a long summer battling the heat and drought it's time for some turf recovery. Although turf appears healthy it is typical for turf to significantly lose root mass during the stresses of summer. It is evident as seen in the video that we have lost significant roots over the course of the summer here at Cutten Fields. Fortunately prior to heading into the summer's heat and drought we had healthy turf with plenty of root mass. The emphasis placed on improving sunlight and promoting good turf health is what propelled us through one of the hottest summers in recent memory. At last count the summer had over 37 days with temperatures above 30 degrees and the average is only 16 days.

The Fall season is the best time of year to re-establish turf and encourage the development of root mass. In preparing for next season our focus for the next month is to push root growth and begin preparations for winter. The third deep tine aeration event of the 2016 season will take place on Monday, October 17th. Fairways will also be core aerated and matted. I know questions will arise as to why we would do this mid October when we will be closing at the beginning of November. The reason is simply root growth. Waiting until November to aerate will result in missing the optimum growth window for the recovery process and root development. Deep tine aeration incorporates oxygen into the root zone and alleviates compaction, creating channels for deep healthy roots.