While changing cups this morning, I noticed something I really enjoyed seeing - ROOTS!
You will notice a clump of roots coming out of the plug - coming through an aerification hole.
One lone root coming through the entire plug profile, about 8". There is only one way this happens - deep tine aerification.
I know it may not look like much, but 4-5" poa roots is a good thing. Especially when mowed at an 1/8 of an inch.
Click on this picture to get a good view of all those white roots coming out of the bottom. All of these roots I saw were the direct result of aerification, that is why the process is so important to the health of our turf. Aerification decreases compaction, increases oxygen levels and promotes water movement through the profile - all very important to roots. Without aerification rooting would decline and shallow out. We need long and healthy (white) roots this time of year to get us through those tuff summers. During the summer, roots will die back and shallow out due to plant stress. The longer and more roots we have now, the better the summer will be for us.
