’Tis the Season for Core Aeration

’Tis the Season for Core Aeration

Core aeration is recommended for periods of vigorous growth. For cool-season turfgrasses, fall is the best time of year for core aeration — both to recover from summer stress and to establish strong roots in the months before the summer heat returns.

Why Core Aeration?

The practice of core aeration helps relieve soil compaction, allow proper air and water movement, and stimulate root growth. It’s often followed by top dressing, helping preserve the channel and balance the soil composition. Here are some of the key benefits:

1. Improves gas exchange. Core aeration alleviates compaction and allows efficient gas exchange between the soil and the atmosphere.

2. Increases drainage. Aeration allows water to move freely between plant roots and the environment for vigorous growth.

3. Aids in overseeding and renovation. Applications of seed and fertilizer after aeration move nutrients immediately into the root zone to promote healthier growth.

4. Controls thatch, which can become a breeding ground for insects and disease.

Advantages of Toro TITAN^® Tines

Regardless of the aeration type, most of a tine’s wear occurs at the tip, where the most interaction with the turf occurs. All TITAN tines are made with a special heat-treating process that ensures proper hardness for long life and superior performance. Toro offers these coring tine options:

•  TITAN Quad tines are ideal for core aerating delicate turf such as greens and tees. The parallel tine walls and sharp tip minimize soil compaction.

•  Titan Hollow and Hollow Max tines feature thin, durable, solid-wall construction for exceptional hole quality. The chamfered tip produces clean cores and the “top eject” provides efficient core removal.

•  Titan Side Eject and Side Eject Max tines can remove a large volume of soil and the chamfered ejection window can easily handle all types of soil conditions. The carbide tip on the Titan Side Eject Max greatly increases tine life so fewer change-outs are needed.

•  Titan Extended Taper tines allow improved core removal in soil conditions prone to plugging traditional tines. The Extended Taper tine is available in both Hollow and Side Eject models, with or without carbide tips (Titan Max).

•  Titan Split tines are among the newest in the Titan family. This innovative design splits cores into smaller pieces. The remains disintegrate and virtually disappear into the turf canopy — an excellent choice when core removal or processing is not available.

•  Titan Fairway tines are designed to withstand impact from obstructions in the soil. The Titan Fairway HD can last up to 75% longer in most soil conditions than the standard Fairway tine. Both feature a larger flared ejection window, ensuring proper core removal.

For more information about selecting the right Toro TITAN tine for your aeration process, visit toro.com/cultivation.