Cultivation practices such as aeration, spiking, managing the height of cut, topdressing etc. are, of course, essential
corrective efforts to fall short of their desired effect. Things to investigate include where does the drainage problem begin? How deep does it go? What are the causes? Is present drainage adequate and working? If not, why not? Answers to these questions will help determine if a full scale drainage installation project will be needed, or be sufficient, or if some other actions from cultivation are needed such as cultivation to open the surface, use of soil surfactants for uniform movement of the water into and through the soil profile, or changes in land features outside the particular area. Achieving good drainage may require more than the installation of physical drainage. Compaction is also pretty inevitable
where there is a lot of use. So, the more practical goal may be managing it more than really trying to prevent it. Compaction effects turf growth and surface hardness and needs to be considered in order to develop effective management practices.
Cultivation practices such as aeration, spiking, managing the height of cut, topdressing etc. are, of course, essential. Soil surfactants promote uniform and desirable moisture conditions in the soil
which can also help delay, or slow, compaction as well as benefit cultivation practices. Soil moisture levels affect, and are affected by, compaction and, therefore, are key to managing compaction as well.
In addition to drainage and
compaction challenges, conditions in the soil and growing environment change over time and vary throughout a season. Being aware of these changes, and managing them to achieve your desired rootzone conditions, is ongoing and may need to change over time as well. How soils accept and transport water (soil hydrology) is one of the key things that changes. Naturally occurring populations and processes within the soil, from organisms to roots, are dynamic and cause changes in the physical conditions and functioning of the soil and growing environment. Two examples of changes in the
rootzone environment that have major impacts on the water and air conditions in the soil are water repellency and plugging of pores. It is important to investigate how much these, and other such factors, are at play in your soil and plan your management programme accordingly. Where water repellency is
present in soil and/or the thatch mat layer (which you can test for by placing drops of water along a dry-ish soil core and seeing if there is a delay in their penetration) soil surfactants are the only way to truly restore wettability. Where other changes, such as plugging
of pores, have developed a thorough physical soil analysis is the best way to determine the current status and probable causes of problems. Cultivation and topdressing, in combination with a surfactant programme, may be required to provide consistent dispersion of water in the soil. The bottom line here is that soil conditions change. It’s unavoidable, so managing internal soil conditions is key to producing quality turf and playing conditions. Poor drainage, compaction and changes in the soil all relate to water in the soil and to the conditions necessary for good turf growth and firm sporting surfaces. Physical drainage, cultivation practices and topdressing/soil modification are acknowledged management practices to deal with these problems.
Soil surfactants are often not considered except for dry patch problems. However, it is a myth that
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