The cool season tees were core aerated yesterday. The tees make up parts of holes 2, 3, 10, 11, 14 and 17. Cool season tees from what I can tell have been used at times here at Glen Echo because of shade conditions. Zoysia/bermuda do not grow well under low light conditions. Cool season tees cost us more money to maintain because pest pressure and renovation including seeding must be ongoing during throughout the season. The solution for this problem is to remove trees which is practical in some situations and not as practical in other situations.
Once the aeration was complete, the tees were topdressed with sand and the sand was brushed into the holes. We need to add some additional sand to fill the holes but overall the process went well. The core aeration improves water penetration as well as water retention near the top few inches in the root zone. Water moves away from the surface but will also sit in the aeration hole and slowly move down through the root zone profile. It also improves gas exchange with O2 entering the soil and CO2 leaving the soil. The sand topdressing gives an improved environment for root health in the holes and will improve surface drainage as we continue to place more sand on the surface and raise the level of the tee. It also softens the surface allowing a tee to be placed into the ground with ease. We core aerate tees in the spring and fall.
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| Tom Lewis aerating #10 tee. We went to a depth of 3-3 1/2" in depth with a 1/2" tine. |
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| The drag attached to the aerator so it can drag the cores to the end of the tee . |
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| Piles of plugs at the end of the tee ready for removal. |
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