Turf Repair And Renovation

Find Out Best Practices for Turf Repair

Since turf involves growing many plants in a condensed area, it requires maintaining differently to other plants. Turf has to be cultivated to reduce compaction and enable aeration of roots. It also has to be dethatched to remove debris which can promote diseases.  Many techniques are used to restrict damage to turf but often sections or whole surfaces need to be repaired or replaced.
 
The turf industry uses a great variety of equipment, both manual and mechanical, for repairing and renovating turf. Some equipment is highly specialised, designed to be used for a particular type of turf like bowling greens, whilst other equipment may have a much wider application.

Learn the tricks of the trade

In this course you will discover trade techniques for optimising turf health. Learn about how environmental factors impact upon turf health. Conduct inspections and assess turf. Decide when to irrigate and how often. Learn how to control a range of turf problems like pests and diseases, water logging and compaction. 

• Learn turf repair
• Renovate old lawns
• Learn to replace old turf
• Save money by learning preventative care

Comment from Student: "In my role within a large Aged Care Facility a great deal of my employment is spent in the area of Turf management and garden care/refurbishment. With ACS I was able to study at my own pace allowing me to put into practise and thoroughly research the subject matter broadening my knowledge and study experience further. I enjoyed the way in which the subject matter was presented as it allowed you to study each subject further, allowing for greater depth, clarity and knowledge. Overall there are not many areas in which the course subject matter will not turn out to be invaluable, everything is covered to allow you to become successful within your own business or place of employment. A big thank you to Gavin Cole [tutor] and all at ACS. It was a pleasure to study with ACS, look forward to further study."  (Craig Ledbury, Australia, Turf Repair & Renovation)

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Understanding Turf Deterioration
   • Inspecting Deteriorated Turf
   • Using Checklists
   • Report Forms
   • The Effect of Traffic on Turf; wear and tear, soil compaction, environment, varieties, traffic control
   • Turf Quality
   • Factors affecting visual quality
   • Factors affecting functional quality
2. Repair and Renovation Equipment
   • Scope of Equipment
   • Machines that Penetrate the soil
   • Aerators; hollow tine, solid tine, drills, scoop tines
   • Air injectors
   • Slicing machines
   • Thatch Removal Scarifiers
   • Rakes
   • Sod Cutters
   • Planters
   • Sprayers
   • Tool Maintenance
   • Tractors; clutch, transmission, PTO, differential, etc
   • Tractor Safety
   • Calibrating Sprayers
3. Turf Cultivation Techniques
   • What is Cultivation
   • Soil Damage
   • Thatch Build Up
   • Salt or Toxin Accumulation
   • Impermeable Surfaces
   • Drainage and Aeration Management
   • Tree Roots competing with Turf
   • Coring
   • Spiking
   • Drilling
   • Grooving
   • Using Forks, Hoes, Rotary Hoes
4. Health Improvement Techniques
   • Minimising Problems
   • Understanding what can go Wrong in Turf
   • Assessing Problems
   • Conducting an Inspection
   • Tell Tale Symptoms
   • Problems that are Difficult to Diagnose
   • Common Turf Pests and Dealing with them
   • Common Turf Diseases and Dealing with the,
   • Irrigation and Soils
   • Operation of Watering Systems
   • Sprinkler Spacing
   • Designing for Best Sprinkler Performance
   • Feeding Turf
5. Optimising Turf Usage
   • Turf Use, type of use, quantity of use
   • Turf Friendly Footwear
   • Machinery Damage
   • Minimising Damage
   • Preparing for Use
   • Rolling
6. Replacing Damaged Turf
   • Problems and Solutions
   • Turf Repair
   • Sportsgrounds
   • Turf Wickets
   • Planting Turf; topdressing, sprigging, sodding, plugging, stolonising, chitted seed
   • Ploughs, Cultivators, Scarifiers
   • Seeding
7. Renovation of Degraded Turf
   • Introduction
   • Golf Course Renovation, topdressing, changing pins and tees, feeding, soil ameliorants, greens and tees
   • Weed Control
   • Insect and Disease Control
   • Dealing with Snow Problems
8. Eradicating Turf Weeds
   • Where and Why Weeds are a Problem in Turf
   • Weeds in Seed Beds
   • Weeds in New or Established Turf
   • Where do Weeds Come From
   • General Weed Control
   • Ways to Control Weeds; suffocation, burning, cultivation, changing pH, biological control, chemicals
   • Weed Dispersal Mechanisms
   • Review of Common Turf Weeds
9. Treating Aeration and Drainage Problems
   • Soil compaction, what it is, solutions, etc.
   • Drainage
   • Improving surface drainage
   • Improving Water Infiltration
   • Sub Surface Drains; layout, outlets, gradients, depth of drain, laying the drain
   • Soil Degradation; erosion, Loss of soil fertility, Salinity, Soil acidification, Build up of dangerous chemicals.
10. Managing a Turf Nursery.
    • Types of Turf Nursery
    • Growing a Sod Crop

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Compare the characteristics of different turfs with reference to hardiness, pest & disease resistance, tolerance to play, suitability for different applications, etc
• Explain different turf problems (including; soil problems, pest & disease weed, environmental, etc)
• Explain the effect of various adverse situations on the physiology of turf plants.
• Carry out turf consultancy, conducting site inspections and giving appropriate recommendations.
• Develop solutions for the repair of damaged turf.
• Identify the cause of deteriorating condition in a selected turf
• Explain different repair techniques for control of problems identified.
• Compare different solutions for the problem identified.
• Develop turf renovation programs for different types of turf facilities
• Compare renovation programs for different turf facilities
• Identify when renovation becomes economically prudent for different facilities ...........and lots more!

GET BETTER AT INSPECTING A PROBLEM TURF

Part of this course involves practical inspections which are reported back to your tutor. Feedback from your tutor then guides your learning to gradually improve and sharpen your ability to inspect and detect turf problems.

Irrespective of how skilled you might be, there is always a danger of overlooking something important when you carry out an inspection. If you use a checklist, or fill out a well designed "report form" you are much less likely to overlook anything. The best way to carry out an inspection is systematically.

Checklists

This is a simple way of ensuring you look at everything important when you are doing a site inspection. A checklist is simply a list of things which you should check (or inspect) when you are trying to make an evaluation. Ideally you should make up a checklist which is tailored to the situation you are about to inspect. You may base this checklist on a standard one, modified for each job. A simpler way may be to maintain a standard checklist.

Checklist (Incomplete Example)

1. Turf Varieties (major and minor)
2. Soil type
3. Drainage (surface and sub surface)
4. Compaction/aeration
5. Acidity (pH) and Conductivity (EC)
6. Plant fertility (Nutrient deficiencies/toxicities)
7. Physical damage (to turf or surface)
8. Recent cultural treatments (eg. rolling, spraying, aeration, mowing, etc.)
9. Usage (frequency and type)

REPORT FORMS

A report form is similar to a checklist, but more structured, providing in itself a format for recording information as an inspection is undertaken. It incorporates spaces for information to be recorded, and spaces for recommendations to be written down. A report form is generally designed to be used repeatedly in a variety of different inspections; and as such, it needs to be designed more carefully and in a generic way (ie. in a way that relates to any sort of turf inspection which you are likely to undertake).

Report Form (An Incomplete Example)

Site being inspected:

Address ......................................................................................

Type of Facility Ornamental Lawn or Sports Turf

Description of the Turf ...............................................................

Inspection Undertaken by ............................................................

Date of inspection .......................................................................

Turf Health Indicators

Maintenance Practices

What is undertaken on a routine basis and how often?

Spraying ................................................................................

Fertilising .............................................................................

Irrigation ..............................................................................

Mowing ..................................................................................

Aeration ................................................................................

Rolling .................................................................................

Other....................................................................................

Changes in Turf Condition

Has deterioration in condition been gradual or fast? .....................

What changes have occurred on or in the vicinity of the turf?

- changes to drainage patterns ...................................................

- changes in vegetation, structures etc. .......................................

- changes in usage of area? ........................................................

- other .......................................................................................

Conclusions...............................................................................

Recommendations......................................................................

HOW CAN THIS COURSE HELP YOU?

If you work in gardens or with turf, this course can only help strengthen your knowledge and make you more effective in your work.

Some graduates will use this course for credits toward a certificate, some to kick start a career, others as professional development.

This course can benefit any of the following:

• Gardeners
• Greenkeepers
• Sports Turf Managers
• Turf farmers
• Allied traders in the turf industry
• Mowing Contractors
• Anyone else who needs to manage or improve turf in residential, commercial, sporting or industrial landscapes