It’s Fall Aerification Season. Are You Ready?
Posted Ben Pease, Agronomist on August 18, 2022
Heat stress, drought stress, and traffic stress. Aerification is an essential cultural management tool to help turfgrass recover from stressful summer conditions and for improving air, nutrient, and water movement in the soil profile. Fall turfgrass recovery begins with fertility applications prior to the destructive aerification process, jumpstarting turfgrass recovery and quickly returning to quality playing conditions after aerification.
Many options exist when planning the right approach for your aerification fertility program. Applying fertilizer before, during, and/or after mechanical aerification provides options for each unique situation and ensures that turf recovers quickly. A well-planned aerification fertility program is also an important part of your comprehensive fall fertility program in preparation for the winter months.
Below, we’ve outlined a collection of our premium products best suited for fall aerification preparation and recovery applications.
Genesis Rx Zeolite+ 3-4-3, a 50/50 physical blend of Genesis Rx 5-7-5 and zeolite, delivers balanced NPK, secondary and minor element fertility, soil-enriching humic acid, zeolite, and a full spectrum of more than two dozen beneficial microorganisms, all in one easy-to-apply product featuring our patented Dispersing Granule (DG) Technology.
This blend represents the most comprehensive fertilizer we have ever produced, offering a single-product solution designed to simplify aerification fertility and accelerate turfgrass recovery.
What is Zeolite?
Zeolite, a natural, mined material, offers a high CEC, high porosity, and excellent water retention capabilities.
Turfgrass Recovery Post Aerification
Genesis Rx Zeolite+ is recommended for application following aerification as a standard top-dress treatment. This product may be broadcast applied in conjunction with sand topdressing. For complete application instructions, consult product label.
APPLICATION
Genesis Rx Zeolite+ for turfgrass maintenance range from 10-30 pounds of product per 1000 ft2.
Genesis Rx 5-7-5 is an all-in-one fertility and soil amendment product for easy application in conjunction with aerification. This product is a high-quality NPK fertility blend containing secondary and minor elements and utilizing our patented Dispersing Granule (DG) Technology. This unmatched combination provides turfgrass with the nutrition needed for recovery from aerification stress, along with sustained feeding. We further value engineered this product by adding 21.5% Humic DG™ (by weight) in the bag to deliver soil microorganisms the carbon-rich food source they desire.
Genesis Rx is recommended for application following your normal aerification program.
APPLICATION
Genesis Rx 5-7-5 for turfgrass maintenance range from 5-20 pounds of product per 1000 ft2.
Humic DG CharX harnesses the power of humic acid and biochar in a 50/50 blend, providing the benefits of the more quickly-available humic acid and the long-term soil building qualities of biochar. This product is designed to enhance the efficiency of applied nutrients while improving soil moisture retention. Along with carbon, biochar also contains karrikins, a family of bioactive compounds that stimulate root growth. DG Technology improves coverage and enhances the efficiency of recovery efforts.
APPLICATION
Humic DG CharX is recommended for application after aerification as a stand-alone topdress treatment or incorporated with topdressing sand or fertilizer applications. Apply 1-2 lbs per 1,000 ft2 per application, up to 4.5 lbs per 1,000 ft2 per year. For complete application instructions, consult product label.
Humic DG is a powerful humic acid-based soil amendment perfect for application following aerification or other intensive maintenance practices. Humic acid is a natural soil conditioner, organic chelator, and microbial stimulator. Containing all three humic fractions (fulvic acid, humic acid, and humins) delivered with a dispersing granule, Humic DG is the perfect counterpart for sand topdressing or in conjunction with other premium aerification products such as Genesis Rx 5-7-5.
WHY HUMIC ACID?
Humic acid is a natural soil conditioner, organic chelator, and microbial stimulator that provides the following benefits:
- Supplies an oxidized, soluble carbon source, leading to improvement in long-term soil pH
- Enhances efficiency of applied nutrients and increases availability of soil phosphorus
- Retains soil moisture and enables better water penetration in the soil, resulting in reduced water requirement
- Chelates soil micronutrients, increasing their availability
APPLICATION
Humic DG is recommended for application after aerification as a top-dress treatment. Typical application rates range from 1-2 lbs. of product per 1000 ft2, and can be mixed directly in with sand for easy application. For complete application instructions, consult product label.
Black Gypsum DG 21% is a unique soil amendment containing gypsum and humic acid in a homogenous dispersible granule. In past years, gypsum applications made with the anhydrite (CaSO4) form of calcium (one water molecule), could take weeks to become available for plant uptake. This prolonged uptake process severely limited a turfgrass manager’s ability to jumpstart the soil remediation process.
The gypsum source in Black Gypsum DG 21% is calcium sulfate dihydrite (CaSO42H20). With two extra water molecules, this form is more water soluble than the anhydrite form (CaSO4). This improved solubility means that uptake into the turfgrass plant occurs much quicker. The dihydrite form of gypsum also provides increased application flexibility for year-round soil remediation versus standard anhydrite forms of gypsum.
APPLICATION
Black Gypsum DG 21% is recommended for application after aerification as a top-dress treatment. Product is typically applied at 6 lbs. per 1000 ft2, and can be mixed directly in with sand for easy application. For complete application instructions, consult product label.
Contec DG 18-9-18 is one of the most popular greens formulations in our premium fertility offering. Many golf course superintendents already use this product in their baseline fertilizer programs, making it an easy addition to aerification programs.
APPLICATION
Contec DG 18-9-18 can be applied in preparation for aerification at a rate of 2 pounds of product per 1000 ft2. For complete application instructions, consult product label.
DG Lime and DG Gypsum are premium specialty soil amendments. DG Lime provides plant-essential calcium and magnesium, while increasing soil pH. In addition to calcium, DG Gypsum also provides sulfur, which stimulates soil microbiology while reducing soil pH. Both products feature Dispersing Granule Technology, which ensures quick breakdown of the granules with no residual left behind for potential mower pickup.
APPLICATION
DG Lime and DG Gypsum are recommended for application after aerification as a top-dress treatment. Typical application rates range from 25-40 lbs. per 1000 ft2, and can be mixed directly in with sand for easy application. For complete application instructions, consult product labels.
DG Lime
DG Gypsum
Ben Pease is the Agronomist for The Andersons Turf & Specialty business, responsible for research, service, and technical support. Ben received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin, and earned his doctorate degree from Iowa State University. Ben has also served as the Assistant Superintendent for Cherokee Country Club (Madison, WI) and Whistling Straits Golf Courses (Sheboygan, WI). To contact Ben, click here.
© 2023 The Andersons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Genesis Rx, Humic DG, Black Gypsum DG, DG Lime, CharX, and DG Gypsum are trademarks of The Andersons, Inc. Contec DG and TNT are registered trademarks of The Andersons, Inc.
