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| Home » News » Aeration a four-letter word for Pure Turf Contracts |
| Aeration a four-letter word for Pure Turf Contracts |
By Richard Rennie
 When Barry Pace demonstrates his Gwazae ground aerator to potential clients their first few words can usually include a few unprintable expletives. The machine’s capacity to inject up to 120psi of air into the soil surface brings earth-shattering movement in the soil as impressive above ground as it is effective below.
Barry says it causes groundsman and green keepers to jump at the same time the earth moves beneath them.
“There is no doubt that this has been the best way to promote the Gwazae, letting clients see for themselves just how powerful the injection blast is. There is nothing else out there like it for delivery and productivity.”
Soil profiles receive rejuvenation
His business, Pure Turf Contracts, focuses on the rejuvenation and construction of sports surfaces and golf courses in the UK’s Southeast. Barry says his first experience with the Gwazae was enough to convince him it had a valuable role to play in his business.
“A lot of our work includes pitch or course reconstruction and this of course involves a high level of compaction from machinery and contouring.”
The Gwazae plays a critical post-construction role in ensuring newly constructed surfaces have their compacted soil profiles shattered sufficiently to enable newly installed drainage systems to work to full potential.
“You can have the most expensive drainage system in the world, but you need a good soil structure around it to get the most out of it. The Gwazae opens up that soil profile when the job is finished, ensuring water moves down to the system freely.”
Solution to sub soil pan problems
On existing pitches and courses, the Gwazae has provided a solution to a problem piling up below ground for over the last 25 years.
Constant use of aeration equipment such as verti-drains, spikers and rotary knife machines has created an equivalent to a plough pan to form on soils with any clay content, so common through out the UK. These often form 15 – 24cm below the soil surface, over time the pan limits the ability of the higher aeration to allow complete surface water percolation.
“We have started calling these very noticeable compact layers Aeration Pans. Many customers have found that, after following up behind the Gwazae, the ability of the vertidrains etc to work more effectively is extremely noticeable. The Gwazae gives that water somewhere to go to below the surface which previously was blocked by the pan, maximising the soils natural drainage or connection to piped systems.”
Rapid solution to rising surface flooding
While using the Gwazae more as a preventative or rejuvenating machine has the best long-term advantages for customers, Barry has also had the occasional call out to resuscitate flooded surfaces. One such rescue job was Croydon Athletic Football Club, completely flooded with surface water last winter.
“When we arrived half the pitch was completely under water, with a large lake formed in one corner. There was a drainage system in place but the water just wasn’t getting through the soil due to a pan at about 200mm. We found after going in with the Gwazae in only three hours the whole surface of the pitch was drained.”
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Growing business opportunities with Gwazae
As interest in the Gwazae grows through the South East, Barry can see business opportunities opening up beyond his typical turf clientele.
Located near the UK’s fruit growing region of Kent with its orchards, he believes there is good opportunity for aeration and de-compaction around sensitive commercial orchard crops.
Over summer the drier, more drought prone area of the South East could also see the Gwazae aerator help growers, groundsman and green keepers increase the efficiency of their irrigation systems and maximise use of any rainfall.
Better subsoil aeration over dry periods means water uptake by grasses and crops improves; wasteful run-off or ponding is eliminated along with surface evaporation.
With rainfall patterns appearing to come in “lumps” of heavy downfalls, Barry believes the Gwazae is only just beginning to reveal the ability to offer a competitive, effective means to deal with heavy surface flooding over large public areas.
“I can see the potential for its use on larger lawn areas, and particularly in amenity areas.
“We did a demonstration for a local authority on a park site that had a major flooding problem, and certainly after the next heavy downpour they did not seem to get the same level of surface ponding and run-off they had previously.”
Using the Gwazae to lift soil productivity and health will also take another step forward for Barry once the machine has an injection system installed. This will allow compounds such as gypsum to be injected into subsoils for maintaining good drainage qualities on heavy clays.
Other compounds could include granulated seaweed products for nutrition or microrhizaae to promote better bacterial activity and aeration through the subsoil.
With its compact foot print and low tractor horsepower requirement, Barry has found the Gwazae unparalleled for minimising damage to sensitive sport surfaces – meanwhile all the damage is being inflicted below ground, much to his clients’ satisfaction.
For more information on GWAZAE services contact R&K Kensett on:
Mobile: (United Kingdom) (0)1883 342632
Email: info@KensettSports.com
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