Morris Hills High School Athletic Field Turf Management

Core Aeration – Composted Top Dressing – Overseeding

At Lincoln Landscaping, one of our finest pleasures is achieved when we take care of athletic and playing fields on which children and young adults can interact, grow and achieve goals in a safe and environmentally healthy environment. We achieve this by utilizing a totally ORGANIC and NATURAL approach to turf management and maintenance.

This ongoing project is at Morris Hills High School in Rockaway New Jersey and shows us performing a vital and necessary part of any turf management program, Core Aeration. After the core aeration was completed we applied a composted top dressing to the athletic field and the we overseeded the area.

CORE AERATION

“What is core aeration?” you may ponder. In the simplest of terms someone once explained it to me this way.

Core aeration is basically the difference between living in a home that has 12 ft ceilings and one that has 5 ft ceilings. It is much harder to move around, there is a lot less air and life generally becomes much more difficult. With regards to plants, it is the exact same thing. They have less air and water to take in, their roots as a result don’t grow and your neighbors (the earthworms with their useful excrements don’t visit).

Core aeration will reduce compaction and allow for an influx of oxygen and water (H2O) to reach the plant. Compaction reduces the amount of available oxygen and pore space for water and biology to travel. The soil should be 25% air and 25% water, and just like us, the plant needs both to survive. Most organic soils should not need aeration and doing it too often reduces the amount of organic matter in the soil.

Core aeration also stimulates the growth of root systems in sodded lawns that need to connect to the soil. It also aids in controlling thatch, which is a mat of above ground roots that prevents air and water from getting to the soil.It brings soil biology to the surface to decompose thatch and allows air and water to circulate.

During periods of drought or extended dry spells, soil compaction can lead to stunted, drought stressed plants due to decreased root growth. Soil compaction in wet years decreases soil aeration, causing the grass to drown. Soil structure is important because it determines the ability of a soil to hold and conduct water, nutrients, and air necessary for plant root activity.

Soil compaction occurs when soil particles are pressed together, reducing pore space between them Compacted soils contain few large pores and have a reduced rate of both water infiltration and drainage from the compacted layer. This occurs because large pores are the most effective in moving water through the soil when it is saturated. In addition, the exchange of gases slows down in compacted soils, causing an increase in the likelihood of aeration-related problems. Finally, while soil compaction increases soil strength, the ability of soil to resist being moved, a compacted soil also means that roots must exert greater force to penetrate the compacted layer.

COMPOSTED TOP DRESSING

There is nothing that improves soil like compost. It is full of the life and organic matter that make for an active, healthy environment. Earthworms and other denizens of the soil love it. Diseases and plant pathogens do not like compost. It has been carefully heated to kill opportunistic pests and weed seeds. There is too much competition in active, healthy compost for pathogens to thrive.

Unlike the air we breathe or the water we drink, soil is often overlooked as an essential element in a balanced, sustainable environment. Healthy soil is critical for a healthy lawn and plants. In many areas of New England, the top layer of soil is thin. And in many yards, construction and years of neglect have removed healthy soil and left only poor soil behind. Compost is a natural organic material that is produced when leaves, plant residue, grass clippings and other yard waste break down over time. Organic materials decompose in nature to feed soil and make it healthy.

Compost provides nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and micro-organisms that are essential for plant growth. It holds soil and water particles together to reduce erosion. It binds itself to polluting metals, pesticides and other contaminants to prevent them from washing into waterways or being absorbed by plants. The compost we use has been tested to make sure it has plenty of the proper bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes that make things happen. We have done trials to see how well it germinates seed.