Core aeration of sand-based putting greens in the lower fraser valley of British Columbia

Core aeration, a management practice originally developed for soil-based putting greens, is still commonly used on sand-based greens. The study objective was to determine the effects of core aeration on soil properties of sand-based putting greens in the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia. The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design with three replications. The study treatments were regular management practices, including core aeration (CA) carried out in spring and late summer, and regular management practices, but no core aeration (NCA). Each core aeration event impacted 5% of the surface area. Treatments with and without core aeration had similar soil organic matter content, root weight density, and soil bulk density. The CA treatment was generally drier than NCA. Water infiltration was greater on CA than NCA, but only for I mo following core aeration. Core aeration generally reduced soil penetration resistance within the mat layer relative to treatment without this practice. On both treatments, soil penetration resistance consistently exceeded 4000 kPa below about 13 cm depth preventing deeper root growth. The limited benefits of the low-surface-area-impact core aeration on the maturing sand-based putting greens in a humid maritime climate suggest that this practice might not be worth doing (at a low surface area impact); however, additional, more detailed studies are needed to confirm this.