The SPS-SAVD (Subsurface Aeration and Vacuum Drainage System) is a tool that help replenish soil oxygen, reduce soil carbon dioxide, remove excess soil moisture and can be used to modify soil temperature. The user can utilise the tool to change rootzone conditions to allow for better turf grass growth and improve turf grass quality.
Sports turf requires 3 things – oxygen, water and photosynthetic light to grow.
The SPS-SAVD system impacts on two of these basic needs for good turf development - water and oxygen. It does this by removing excess moisture, aerating the root zone, exchanging harmful gases and facilitating the cooling or heating of the root zone. The aeration system is able to assist in the provision of the optimum aerobic subsurface growing conditions.
To achieve subsurface aeration, water removal and gas exchange, a system for inducing air movement through the soil profile beneath the turf is required. This is achieved by connecting a pressure blower and an air reversing mechanism to the piped drainage network under the playing field. An air non return valve is also incorporated into the water separator to provide a means for closing the piped drainage network off from the gravity drains. This system enables air to flow up or down in pressure or vacuum mode through the soil profile.
The system enables grounds managers to pro-actively manage turf moisture content, subsoil aeration, gas exchange, temperature moderation and heating in the rootzone. These controls enable the grounds manager to promote healthier and stronger turf and the general turf quality.
Benefits
- Provide firmer faster and more consistent pitches
- Increase playability
- Provide a useable surface shortly after a major downpour
- Increase resilience to traffic wear
- Promote healthier, more disease resistant turf;
- Extend the life of the turf and the soil profile
- Increase aeration and remove unwanted gases in the root zone
- Increase aerobic bacterial decomposition of organics in the soil
- Remove excess moisture from the soil profile
- Provide temperature moderation in the root zone
- Increase root mass and depth
- Assist to reduce the use of fertilisers, pesticides, coring and watering
- Provide with a tool to help optimize root zone growing conditions