Tag Archive for: Aeration

Toro simplifying turf aeration

in , /by

Toro simplifying turf aeration: Fife-based Scotscraig Golf Club, the 13th oldest in the world, has recently invested in the Toro ProCore 648s aerator to improve the overall quality of its surface and the playability of the course. The result is a much faster and easier aeration process. 

Led by course manager Darren Mckenna, the team at Scotscraig is always looking for new ways to optimise its golf course that is surrounded by history and that has welcomed some of the sport’s greatest names. 

Toro simplifying turf aeration

Toro simplifying turf aeration

In particular, by purchasing the Toro ProCore 648s through Reesink Turfcare, the golf club wanted to maximise its resources, improving surface quality and playability. 

According to Darren, “This model makes the aeration process much faster and easier. Previous solutions had to be moved by a tractor—which could be hard and even dangerous to manoeuvre in tight areas and on slopes—leaving tyre marks on the green that would last for days. But with the ProCore 648s, it’s a completely different story. I didn’t realise how easy and clean the job was going to be.”

Another game-changer, tells Darren, is the InfoCenter Smart Settings feature, which “makes it a breeze to calibrate the machine with just a few buttons—and you can also recalibrate it throughout the day, allowing you to keep a consistent depth and optimise tine wear.” The on-board computer is very helpful as well, as it calculates “the total area of work and how much material you remove when coring, taking the guesswork out when topdressing.”

Talking about his aeration efforts, Darren explained how his new Toro solution helps him significantly improve the health of the surfaces by accelerating top dressing and increasing air movement within the profile and root depth. 

When commenting on the choice of the brand, Darren said that it was a no-brainer: “Toro is a name you can trust, and it’s the gold standard in this industry.” Even in his experience with other golf clubs, the ProCore 648s “is the go to machine for lightweight aeration and it’s so reliable that you can see people using them for a very long time without issues. So, its longevity makes it a great investment for the long run as well.”

Further proof of Toro’s reputation came when Darren announced the purchase of the ProCore 648s over a year ago. He recalls that “The whole team was incredibly excited about this new addition to the fleet and couldn’t stop talking about it. And when the machine finally arrived, everyone wanted to try it despite the heavy rain.”  

“All in all,” Darren concluded, “we’re very happy with the results provided by the ProCore 648s. It is just an easier and better user experience, and after this success we’re looking to use other Toro solutions in the future to improve the cut quality of our fairways.” 

According to Darren, working with Reesink has helped make the whole process much smoother. From the quick and simple order process to the training once the machine arrived, Reesink offered guidance and professionalism at every step of the journey.  

Learn more about Toro’s technology and how it could benefit your course, by calling distributor Reesink at 01480 226800, emailing info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visiting reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Terrain Aeration scores with Hallam Grange

in , /by

Terrain Aeration scores with Hallam Grange: Hallam Grange Bowling Club has its roots in a tennis and sports club dating back a hundred years. Located to the west of the vibrant city of Sheffield, today’s club draws enthusiasts of all ages and levels with first-class facilities and until recently the bowling green was no exception.

Well maintained and meticulously taken care of by a small number of members and led by volunteer green keeper, Martin Westley, the green had begun to suffer after last winter and the exceptionally wet build-up into spring. It was known the green was originally constructed on an area used for spoils from house building many years ago and the only drainage was in the gutters around the edge.

Terrain Aeration scores with Hallam Grange

Terrain Aeration scores with Hallam Grange

“Usually, we have a smooth, even, and top-quality surface,” says Martin, “but last winter was so very wet and we started to get pooling across the green. We have done regular vertidraining down to about twelve inches, but each time there’s heavy rain we have standing water. We were certain the combination of the original foundation of the green and sixty plus years of play had led to compaction at depth and lack of drainage.”

Martin did some research to see what was available to solve the problem. He came across Terrain Aeration and spoke to other clubs whose greens had been treated as long as fifteen years ago and were still draining freely.

The Terrain Aeration Terralift system works on the principle of a probe drilling down to a metre depth and releasing compressed air at a maximum of 20Bar (280psi). This fractures and fissures the soil to allow drainage. On the tail end of the blast, dried, milled seaweed is injected. Over time, the seaweed expands and contracts in the soil, similar to ‘breathing’ underground, to help keep the fractures open. The probe is removed, and the process repeated using two-metre centre spacings on a staggered grid pattern. This grid ensures that each probe shot links with the previous ones. Terrain Aeration says the long-term solution leaves little surface disruption and allows immediate play after treatment. That was certainly the case for Hallam Grange. Martin says, “Terrain Aeration arrived at ten in the morning and worked through to about three in the afternoon, and you couldn’t really tell where they had been. We played a league match at six-thirty the same day.”

Terrain Aeration www.terrainaeration.co.uk  01449 673783

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Cost-effective solutions from Terrain Aeration

in , /by

Cost-effective solutions from Terrain Aeration: We take for granted trees, sports pitches and green spaces in our parks and urban environments, as a natural part of the landscape. Yet, all too often, trees are subjected to stress because of several factors.

Nutrient shortages, surface compaction, and waterlogging, where water drains off hard surface pathways, all have their effect. Sports pitches and open spaces suffer from constant play and foot traffic. Frequently sited on made-up ground, they too experience major problems with drainage. Reductions in Local Authority budgets in recent years are bound to influence the care of trees, parks, pitches and open spaces. While essential to urban communities on many levels, they are costly to the councils who must seek ways of reducing costs. Deep aeration specialists Terrain Aeration has several cost-effective solutions developed over thirty years of treating trees, sports grounds and green spaces.

Cost-effective solutions from Terrain Aeration

Cost-effective solutions from Terrain Aeration

Councils have not had to spend so much money this year on watering trees, but if the trees were aerated and had a water-storing polymer injected, this would be a one-off treatment (unless, for example, the area is regularly used for concerts held each year). These trees would be able to access a higher percentage of oxygen and water, resulting in a stronger root growth and canopy spread. Natural flora and fauna could take over with enormous cost savings to councils. The roots would be less susceptible to rot and anaerobic conditions, resulting in healthier trees. This helps them to live longer and reduce costs by not having to fell, chip and take away the tree, and without the cost of a replacement.

Trees which have had materials stored over the root zone or where too many vehicles have passed over the roots during building works can be helped. Tree Preservation Officers fully endorse the use of the Terralift machine to aerate, decompact and inject oxygen back into the soil structure.

With councils cutting back on spending money on sports facilities, one way of saving money is to carry out deep aeration on sports pitches, instead of putting in new drains. Even with new drains, you would still have compaction panning in between the drain runs, but with the Terralift machine, the complete area is decompacted from one metre to the surface with each shot interlinking with the previous ones. This deep aeration treatment lasts for around 7-12 years, even longer if the ground is spiked as part of the normal aeration process; which would link to the fissures created by the Terralift machine.

Unlike normal aeration, Terrain Aeration’s Terralift machine is designed to penetrate as deep as one metre using a probe, which releases compressed air at a maximum of 20Bar (280psi). This fractures the soil, resulting in fissures that interlink as the Terralift repeats the process on a grid system of two-metre spacings. The network of fissures allows maximum penetration of air and water. On the tail end of the blast, the probe injects dried seaweed that expands and contracts with the moisture content in the ground to allow drainage and air to the roots. The treatment is long term with the cost amortised over the many trouble-free years ahead. Our service has been used by the Royal Parks in London, ranging from Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park and Greenwich Park to Local Authorities throughout the UK. Working closely with Tree Preservation Officers and Park Managers our treatment goes far beyond the effects of normal aeration to represent long-term savings.

In typical case studies, in Hyde Park we treated areas around the trees and prepared the ground for the huge numbers of visitors attending the various events in the parks. The primary areas to be treated were north of the Bandstand, an area of 10,200 m2 with sycamores and elms, and the ash tree circle north of Serpentine Road. Terrain Aeration has also treated the area around the Horse Chestnut group in Kensington Gardens to the east of Broadwalk and in Regent’s Park, the area beneath the canopies of the first and second line of trees between Chester Road and Ready Money Fountain. An area of two thousand five hundred square metres beneath canopies of Norway maples at the southern end of Marylebone Green has also had the Terralift treatment. In Greenwich Park, we applied our technology across 15,000 m2.

Darlington Council called upon us to treat the trees suffering from compaction in their South Park. With the South Park trees, all the lawn was aerated as well with mycorrhizal fungi. These attach themselves to the tips of the roots and help them break through hard soil, leaving the tree more energy to grow leaves and in size. The soil was very hard and dry around the base, so some fractures were done near to the tree. We injected water-storing polymer into the area to help retain available water from rainfall for the tree roots. On most occasions, treatment is one-metre inside and one-metre outside the canopy drip line, where the growing roots lie. Decompacting around the roots and injecting air into the soil increases the percentage of uptake of oxygen into the root system.

In another case, we found there was a magnesium deficiency coupled with low overall soil fertility around trees in a park. We used our technology to measure light transmission through the leaves on the trees to gain a reading of chlorophyll levels. The likely cause of the problem was that leaf litter is always removed and had been for a century, taking with it the natural nutrients from decaying leaves. There was also severe compaction of the surface around the tree. We injected a tree feed mix containing slow-release general nutrients and magnesium, using the Terralift’s ability to inject granular material via its seaweed carrier, forcing it upwards into the root zone of the trees. This also avoids losing the nutrients to the grass, which would occur with surface treatment.

To find out how we can help with your trees, parks and sports pitches call us on 01449 673783, Email terrainaeration@gmail.com or visit www.terrainaeration.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Redexim to showcase aeration solutions at BTME

in , /by

Redexim to showcase aeration solutions at BTME: While some maintenance practices come and go, aeration remains essential to retaining course condition and playability – arguably more critical than ever following a year of record rainfall across many parts of the UK!

With that in mind, aeration solutions are set to take centre stage for Redexim at BTME 2024 – with stand 532 featuring the iconic Verti-Drain® alongside a vast selection of other equipment from the Redexim fine turf portfolio.

Redexim to showcase aeration solutions at BTME

Redexim to showcase aeration solutions at BTME

The flagship high-speed Redexim Verti-Drain 2519, with its 1.9m working width and ability to accept a wide range of tine options promises to be a stand highlight, delivering unrivalled versatility – powerful enough for year-round operations on the fairways, and precise enough for work on greens and tees.

Also on show will be the Redexim Carrier equipped with Verti-Drain 1513, set up to show impressive capability for hollow coring. With a working depth of up to 6” (150mm), this combination is ideal for sensitive or soft areas, offering a fast, efficient and reliable solution for soil exchange programmes or maximum compaction relief with minimal ground pressure.

Besides effective aeration solutions, visitors can also expect to find the highly versatile, and highly popular, 6m wide Top-Brush. A true multi-tasker, the Top-Brush 6000 features three rotating brush rollers which lift and agitate the sward, removing moisture, debris and lateral growth and standing the plant up for improved air flow and a cleaner cut.

Redexim will also be launching a new cost-effective tool designed to tackle multiple maintenance tasks around the golf course, introduced to address the economic pressures currently facing facilities and maintenance budgets. While details ahead of the show are being kept closely under wraps, stand 532 will be the place to find this alongside the latest developments and promotions across the Redexim seeder range.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

10% off Terralift aeration at Futurescape

in , /by

10% off Terralift aeration at Futurescape: Terrain Aeration, the one-metre deep aeration specialists, are offering 10% off their Terralift aeration treatment for visitors at Futurescape.

The Terralift system is used in areas where panning and heavy compaction have caused the ground to flood and hold standing water. Treatment is also carried out around trees where heavy footfall or vehicle movement has occurred, leaving the surface hard with reduced permeability. Affected areas Terrain Aeration treat range from sports pitches, amenity areas, racecourses and bowling greens, to parks, National Trust gardens and the private gardens of new-build houses. In fact, in any area where normal aeration cannot be fully effective because of the depth of the compaction.

10% off Terralift aeration at Futurescape

10% off Terralift aeration at Futurescape

The Terralift machine drives a probe to a depth of up to one metre where compressed air is released, breaking the underground compaction and causing a network of cracks and fissures to form. The work is done on a grid system so the fissures interlink. As the probe exits, dried seaweed is injected which expands and contracts with moisture to keep the fissures and probe holes open. This allows both drainage and air to get to turf or tree roots. The probe can also inject water-storing polymer, mycorrhizal funghi, bio-char and slow release tree feed nutrients and magnesium. The probe holes are filled with aggregate so areas can be used immediately. There are various types of Terralift machine to enable access to most areas. The system is unique to Terrain Aeration and has been proving itself since 1985. Visitors to Futurescape and the Terrain Aeration stand can take advantage of 10% off the normal cost of Terralift deep aeration. Stand number L60.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Terrain Aeration hitches a lift

in , /by

Terrain Aeration hitches a lift: Devonshire Homes has been committed to building high quality new homes across the West Country for more than thirty years. As a wholly owned subsidiary of London and Devonshire Trust, they have built over 1500 new homes and created over thirty new communities.

One such development at Gwallon Keas, St Austell, is built on clay laden soil and they encountered a common problem facing new build developers. During construction, the use of heavy machinery can unavoidably cause compaction panning in areas designated to be the gardens of new houses. Even with land drainage installed and soil ripped, the compaction can reach such a depth normal treatment will not relieve it and provide the natural drainage needed. Consequently, with seven gardens of the new houses, severe waterlogging was occurring. To rectify it, they were given what they called ‘some silly quotes’ with no guarantee the solutions would work. A ground works contractor recommended compaction specialists Terrain Aeration and Devonshire Homes decided to proceed with them. However, there was just one further problem, how to get the Terrain Aeration’s Tracker Terralift machine, compressor and aggregate backfill material into the gardens with limited access.

Terrain Aeration hitches a lift

Terrain Aeration hitches a lift

The solution was a crane presented itself with the arrival of a crane to lift bags of topsoil into the gardens. Whilst Terrain Aeration has had machines lifted before, they have never been this high. The fences between the seven gardens had been taken down, so the Tracker Terralift could move along the gardens to do its work. This comprises the machine’s JCB road hammer and probe driving down to a depth of one metre. At this depth, a blast of compressed air is released to a maximum of 20Bar (280psi). This has the effect of fracturing the compacted soil and creating fissures. The treatment is worked on a grid system at two metre spacings so the fissures interlink. As the probe withdraws, dried seaweed is injected which expands when it rains and keeps the fissure open to allow normal drainage. The probe holes are then backfilled with aggregate It is a solution Terrain Aeration has specialised in for over thirty years, treating areas ranging from back gardens to sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens, race courses, parks, trees and public spaces. For Devonshire Homes, it provided a timely solution, albeit one which, on this occasion, needed a crane to carry it out.

Terrain Aeration 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Terrain Aeration injects polymer

in , /by

Terrain Aeration injects polymer: While it may be wet, water everywhere at the moment we will soon be heading into the summer months. That’s when the problems begin for turf and trees. Increasingly, year on year, we are seeing the effects of global warming across our landscape as droughts persist.

Sports pitches, golf courses, trees in parks, amenity areas right through to lawns in private gardens will all suffer from the lack of rainfall. Ground becomes hard and compacted to considerable depth and when the rains do come, this often leads to standing surface water and waterlogging.

Terrain Aeration injects polymer

Terrain Aeration injects polymer

Suffolk-based Terrain Aeration has specialised in one-metre deep soil aeration to relieve compaction, panning, and waterlogging nationally for over thirty years. While that takes care of the drainage and aeration when it’s very wet there remains the opposite problem of grass and tree roots not getting enough water in periods of drought. It’s a problem addressed by the same machine, Terrain Aeration’s Terralift system, that aerates the soil at depth by releasing compressed air via its one-metre depth probe. As that fragments the soil to create fissures and cracks to allow drainage and aeration, the probe can also inject water-storing polymer. Once in place, the polymer will expand one-hundred fold with rainwater or irrigation water which it stores for the turf or tree roots to take up as needed. It’s a one-way system, so the polymer does not take water from the roots.

In this way, we will be able to make better use of what water we have and it’s a very long-term process as the polymer takes a long time to degrade. Spreading the polymer on the surface is not practical, as when it rains it turns into a gel, making the area dangerous to walk and play on. Injecting it into the ground using the Terralift machine offers the best, most beneficial, and wholly cost-effective method, says the company. Terrain Aeration is the only operator of the Terralift in the UK and the treatment has proven itself since 1985. There are different versions of the machine to treat large open spaces such as sports grounds, golf courses, and avenues of trees to narrow accesses onto bowling greens and gardens. Anywhere from airports to zoos.

Terrain Aeration www.terrainaeration.co.uk  01449 673783

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Terra Spike GXi8 HD helps Woolley Park advance aeration

in , /by

Terra Spike GXi8 HD helps Woolley Park advance aeration: Playing ‘catch up’ is a necessary evil for many turf professionals. Whether juggling weather windows, staff availability or extended playing schedules, quite often something falls behind.

Happily for the team at Woolley Park Golf Club, Wakefield, the delivery of a new Terra Spike in November, and four months of constant hole punching, has them ahead of the curve with their advanced aeration programme.

Terra Spike GXi8 HD helps Woolley Park advance aeration

Terra Spike GXi8 HD helps Woolley Park advance aeration

The West Yorkshire club is a family run business which features a challenging 18-hole course, and a measured Par 3 course, in the spacious and peaceful setting of an old deer park. The site is beautifully landscaped and ringed by trees.

This season, John Rowbottom and his team of four greenkeepers and apprentice, retired their long-standing greens aerator and separate fairways machine selecting the Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD to replace both.

John Rowbottom, head greenkeeper, said:

“Over the last 8 months aeration across both our courses was taking too long to complete. Being a 27-hole golf centre, we need speed on the greens. Previously to get around them all could take 3-4 days; and it was a job no one wanted.

“In seasons past, we tried a shallow aerator, which was quick, but didn’t give sufficient depth. Last year with Balmers GM, Wakefield, we looked at what was on the market, favouring the ’two birds with one stone’ option and happened upon the GXi8 HD, with its access all areas credentials.

“We knew it was fast and incredibly smooth and were excited for its great results and minimal disruption, so reducing the impact of maintenance work on our golfers.

“All in we have 22 hectares of fairways and 3 hectares of greens.  Since November, we have achieved an aeration pass on the greens in each of the four winter months, varying depths as we’ve gone. We’ve also covered the fairways twice. During the last week of November, we hired an additional GXi8 from our dealers, Balmers to take best advantage of a weather window: completing one full rotation. We’ve been out with Our Terra Spike pretty much every day since, and have now two full circuits across booth courses.

“Our whole ethos is investment into the golf course. Our greenkeeping team are resourced with the machines they need for task.  Through sheer volume of work we’ve got through ten sets of tines, but the upside is we’ve an exceptional volume of holes in the ground. We’ve literally hammered holes in every square inch of this place but we are better for it. It’s helped no end to get that little bit of extra depth.

“The Wiedenmann has revolutionised the way we aerate. If we set our minds to it, with an early start and a late finish we can get all 27 greens done in a day, rather than the three to four days it took previously.

“Covering fairways used to be a two-to-three-week job and if you got bad weather in and amongst then heaven help you!

“Now the job is much less frustrating and takes less than a week. The team feel they are making real progress rather than plodding at a slow speed.

“On the fairways ideally, we only want to work the soil up to 15 cm. Ninety-five per cent of our land is built upon coal measures sandstone so we are just hoping to prick through the top soil and then let the stone layer do its thing. We have the off fairway where we know we have a clay pocket. On those we’ve been able to drill down to full depth; getting as deep as we can to help mother nature.

“In our part of Yorkshire we’re the last golf course to shut for rain and the first one to reopen after it.

“Aeration really is essential. With wetter winters and golfers wanting to play longer into the season, the GXi8 just brought us straight back up to speed. Keeping the surface open and, keeping it free draining in combination with managing footfall really helps.  The Wiedenmann is a real eye opener and fantastic piece of equipment.”

Darren Barker, Sales Director, Balmers GM said:

Thank you to John, Philip & Jane Rowbottom and the team at Woolley Park Golf Club for their purchase and positive feedback. We knew this machine would work hard and be put through its paces. The Wiedenmann is all about speed, reliability and increasing aeration productivity.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

in , /by

Deep aeration at Bricket Wood: When St Stephen Parish Council had a waterlogging problem with their playing field at Bricket Wood, St Alban’s, they brought in Terrain Aeration. Normal aeration had little or no effect across the field and there was also a wet patch at the entrance.

Following a site visit, work began on the eight thousand seven hundred and twenty-six square metre area. The ground was found to be too boggy for Terrain Aeration to use their usual Super Scamper Terralift machine, so they used their Tracker Terralift. This was able to move around the site without slipping and sliding on the wet ground. The machine works on the same principle with a JCB hammer driving a probe to a depth of one metre. Compressed air is injected which fractures the soil, creating fissures to allow the water to drain and air to get to the grass roots. The process is repeated at two metre intervals on a grid system so the fissures interlink. As the probe withdraws, dried seaweed is injected which expands and contracts and helps keep the ground ‘open’.

Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

“Several members of staff came along to observe,” says St Stephen’s Senior Groundsman Matthew Huddleston. “It’s a fascinating process. When the air is released, you can visibly see the ground move. What we didn’t know, until the metre-deep probe discovered one, is there are drainage pipes under the field. Water started to come up to the surface, so we needed to investigate further.”

Matthew used an excavator and found clogged drains which were unblocked. Water was then gushing down the drainage pipes. Terrain Aeration carried on aerating the whole site and the field showed immediate signs of improvement.

“We are all very pleased with the results, especially now the drains are running,” says Matthew. “We’re now considering having Terrain Aeration deep aerate some of our other sports pitches.”

Terrain Aeration www.terrainaeration.co.uk  01449 673783

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Terrain Aeration for England’s largest Sequoias

in , /by

Terrain Aeration for England’s largest Sequoias: Darlington’s South Park is home to two of what are believed to be the largest giant Redwood trees or multi-stemmed Sequoiadendron giganteum in England. Planted in March 1863 to commemorate the marriage of the future King Edward VII to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the trees are placed in the top ten in Britain.

The only other multi-stemmed Wellingtonia is at Stratfield House, the former home of the Duke of Wellington. It was planted by the 2nd Duchess of Wellington in 1857 in memory of the Duke and the Battle of Waterloo, hence the alternative naming of the tree as Wellingtonia. This caused outrage among US botanists when the Sequoia was rediscovered in 1852 in Sierra Nevada and a sample taken to England to become named after the recently dead duke. The tree council believes the trees in South Park are most likely from the same seed as the Stratfield trees.

Terrain Aeration for England’s largest Sequoias

Terrain Aeration for England’s largest Sequoias

Recent times have seen one of the Darlington trees suffering from the effects of compaction. The top roots are, in fact, visible and travel a long way from the tree on one side, with a steep hill down to a river on the other. The tree over-compensates to get all its energy.

Darlington Council took action by calling on the services of Terrain Aeration’s Tree Division to provide specialist deep aeration of the area using their Terralift machines. The key to successful treatment is usually to work along the dripline, one metre inside and one metre outside, where the rainwater drips from the canopy. Working either side of the dripline reaches beyond the growing roots, increases the percentage of oxygen intake and allows maximum drainage. Rainwater can penetrate deeper, resulting in a stronger root growth and a healthier canopy spread with an aerated soil structure and relief of compaction panning. Once the trees receive significant rainfall, they pick up as they receive more water and nutrients.

With the South Park trees, all the lawn was aerated as well with mycorrhizal funghi. These attach themselves to the tips of the roots and help them break through hard soil, leaving the tree more energy to grow leaves and in size. The soil was very hard and dry around the base, so some fractures were done near to the tree. Water storing polymer was injected into the area to help retain available water from rainfall for the tree roots. Unlike normal aeration, the Terralift is designed to penetrate as deep as one metre using a probe, which releases compressed air at a maximum of 20Bar (280psi). The effect this creates is to fracture the soil, resulting in fissures that interlink as the Terralift repeats the process on a grid system of two-metre spacings. The network of fissures allows maximum penetration of air and water.

Terrain Aeration 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.com

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.