Firm up your greens
Quicker recovery – less disruption for play. These are some of the main benefits of sand injection, the alternative to traditional core aeration. Players and superintendents alike will also enjoy the firmer, faster greens as a result.
Sand injection is fundamentally similar to regular aeration, with the key difference being that sand injection uses a pressurized water system to inject the aeration holes with sand as the holes are being punched.
This in turn offers two main benefits:
- A quick and efficient process
- A smoother surface that heals rapidly
Traditional core aerification and vertical mowing are common methods to cultivate root-zones and prevent organic matter buildup. The downside, however, is that this can temporarily affect the revenue and playability of the turf for golf courses, especially on putting surfaces. As an alternative, sand injection is gaining popularity because of the reduced disruption to playing conditions in the short term. Sand injection has been shown to increase soil infiltration and drainage, as well as reduce soil compaction while causing minimal disruption.
Sand injection’s main advantage is its ability to fill the holes accurately before any traffic, which reduces rutting and surface disruption.
A main problem with conventional aeration is the amount of material that is removed and the difficulty of incorporating new sand material back into the holes. As part of the core aerification and topdressing process additional irrigation cycles are required. This can cause stability issues with putting surfaces, leaving them “soft”, prone to foot printing, rutting and excessive ball marks. This problem is magnified when working with large core sizes or tight core spacing.
Recovery time following the coring process is always a concern for players, club management and superintendents, and performing this process in the ideal time for recovery is when play is at peak demand.
With sand injection, the greens are ready to go the same day. While the surface may not be perfect, the firmness and ball roll are far superior. It will take some time for the turf to completely cover the injection locations and for the roots to grow into the new material, generally faster than core aerification. Sand injection leaves behind a much more playable putting green for players with much less hassle for the turf managers.
Although sand injection isn’t a miracle cure, and not a replacement for core aerification, it has proven to be a beneficial treatment in a turf management program.
Sports Turf Solutions Company
Dol Turf is a specialty contracting company providing premier services for the golf and sports field industry. Some of our specialized services include turf operations management, season maintenance programs, IPM spray services, drainage installation, irrigation, synthetic turf maintenance, cultural practices and boutique construction of sports fields and golf courses. Visit www.dolturf.com
