Aeration - What is it?
The soil profile is penetrated usually by physical means, such as a fork or similar type of implement and this results in soil air being replaced by air from the atmosphere.
Why Aerate?
There are a number of reasons for carrying out aeration on turf areas:
- To improve surface and subsurface drainage. This can have a significant effect on the soil temperature by encouraging the soil to warm up quicker in the spring, consequently encouraging earlier growth.
- To relive compaction. This temporarily increases the pore space in part of the rootzone subject to the aeration work, allowing roots to grow in to that pore space.
- To improve the oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange around the grass roots, prompting healthy growth and enabling undesirable soil gases to be removed from the soil.
- To aid the incorporation of top-dressings, fertilisers, seeds & irrigation.
- To reduce the potential for disease incidence. Roots grown in poorly aerated soils have an increased diameter and contain more and larger air spaces than roots adequately supplied with oxygen. This may make roots more susceptible to fungal attack, especially Take-All-Patch disease.
- To aid in the breakdown of thatch and organic matter. (Oxygen is required by aerobic bacteria that decomposes the organic matter).
- To encourage the deeper rooting of grasses, this will aid drought resistance and plant health.
- To achieve the optimum growth and improve the visual appearance of the sward.
- To improve surface traction and grip.
- To increase ball (or bowl) speed and performance by the production of drier and firmer surfaces.
Aeration should be carried out during the main rooting and growth periods, when oxygen requirements of grass roots and micro-organisms are relatively high and particularly when the rootzone material is in a relatively dry state. Compaction by foot traffic is mainly caused within the top 75-100cm of the surface, so this is where the regular aeration needs to take place to relieve the compaction caused. It is important, however, to vary the depth of penetration of the tines to reduce the chance of root breaks and (aeration) pans developing.
Summary:
A cricket square will usually be compacted to a depth after a typical season’s play and it is essential to decompact the square during the winter months, which will develop roots and aid in producing a healthy grass sward for the following playing season. The lack of heavy frosts these days means that there is no natural heaving of the soils, so it is important to undertake a programme of aeration using solid tines with the aim to spike on a monthly basis.
Starting in November and spiking throughout the winter until February, but no later, spiking when the ground is drying will leave you with tine holes that may affect the performance of the square during the playing season.
Begin spiking as soon as there is enough moisture at a depth to get full penetration of tines, providing the climatic and ground conditions allow, using a vertical spiker with solid tines to a maximum depth of 100cm.
Grounds Management Association Toolkit
Cricket Winter Maintenance
Winter is usually a quiet time for cricket grounds managers, but it is important not to wave goodbye after end of season renovations and think the ground can be left alone until March. There are plenty of jobs that can be done on the brighter and drier days to ensure your surfaces get through winter in the strongest possible shape ahead of next season, as well as making sure your machinery gets some TLC.
This down time provides a perfect opportunity to make sure your machinery is cleaned, greased and serviced so book this in with your local turf-machinery mechanic before it’s too late. Pop up to the ground regularly to check for damage and disease, problems can fester quickly at this time of year so make sure you aren’t caught out.
Here are some suggested maintenance tips to carry out to the square and outfield through winter. You might not be able to do them all or you may have more in mind but whatever your circumstances it’s crucial to make sure ground conditions are right, if it’s too wet you can end up doing more harm than good.
Square
• Maintenance operations can be difficult to plan through winter as the square will often be too wet so take care to only act when conditions are suitable
• Any earthworm casts should be cleared up either by hand picking or brushing in dry conditions to disperse them, take care not to smear them
• Remove leaves and other debris to prevent the grass being smothered
• Apply an autumn/winter fertiliser to help sustain grass plant health through the winter months
• Rope off the square to deter people from wandering over it or even better, erect fencing around to prevent animal damage
• Regularly check for disease activity and, if identified, treat accordingly
• If conditions allow aerate the square using solid tines ideally to a variety of depths but do not deep spike after the new year
• If conditions allow mow the square ideally with a rotary mower aiming to just top-off the sward
Outfield
• Routinely check for damage particularly around bowler’s run up areas and in areas used for winter sports, repairing these as necessary
• Remove leaves and other debris where possible to prevent the grass being smothered
• If conditions allow mow the outfield ideally with a rotary mower aiming to just top-off the sward
• If possible, brush the sward to remove dew, keep the grass standing upright and when dry to disperse worm casts
• If conditions allow aerate the outfield ideally using different aeration methods to a variety of depths
• Where budgets allow, apply an autumn/winter fertiliser to help sustain grass plant health through the winter month
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