Long-term Effect of Open-Spoon Aerification on Plant and Soil Properties of Community Level Sports Fields

Core Ideas: In 2013, 47% of sports turf managers reported using open-spoon aerification. Long-term effect of open-spoon aerification was minimal on measured properties. It is recommended that sports turf managers explore other cultivation techniques. Aerification is a common cultivation practice used on natural turfgrass sports fields to alleviate soil compaction, improve plant growth, and enhance field playability and safety. Minimal research has evaluated the effect of open-spoon (OS) aerification on sports fields, although it is one of the most common forms of aerification. The objective of this 2-year, in situ study was to evaluate the effect of OS aerification timing and frequency on the soil compaction (penetration resistance), surface hardness, turfgrass vigor (normalized difference vegetative index; NDVI), and root mass of two community level sports fields (sand and sandy loam soils). Treatments were applied May through September in 2013 and 2014 and included a single aerification event (late spring or midsummer) or multiple aerifications (two, three, or four times) each year. Data were collected in May 2013 (baseline), 2014, and 2015 to determine long-term treatment effects after each year. There were no significant differences between treatments for any measured variable after 1 or 2 years on the sand field. The only significant difference observed on the sandy loam field was in 2014 with respect to surface hardness in response to four OS aerification events. However, in 2015, after 2 years of aerification, there were no observed differences between treatments for any measured variable. These results conclude that the long-term effects of using OS aerification, up to four times per year, are minimal. It is recommended that sports turf managers explore other cultivation techniques to improve soil compaction dynamics of community level sports fields.