TURF REPAIR AND RENOVATION

Learn to Repair & Improve Turf

• Gardens, Parks and Sports Turf
• Optimise turf health and resilience
• Manage compacted surfaces and environmental stresses
• Manage weed & irrigation problems and much more

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 my 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

Aims

• Compare characteristics of different turf cultivars with reference to hardiness, pest and
  • 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 appropriate solutions for the repair of damaged turf.
• Identify causes of deterioration in a specific turf surface.
• Explain various repair techniques for controlling problems that have been identified.
• Compare appropriate responses different problems that are causing degradation of turf.
• Develop turf renovation programs for different turf surfaces
• Compare renovation programs for different types of turf
• Identify when renovation becomes economically wise.

Learn to Repair Turf and Maintain Healthy Turf 

Turf grasses grow in a slightly different environment to other plants. They grow closely together so must compete with one another for water and nutrients, they are frequently mowed, and they are often walked upon by people and animals as well as compacted under machinery. As such, turf repair and restoration requires a different skill set and knowledge base to other plant maintenance.

Turf will deteriorate if it is not monitored, maintained and repaired. This course develops your ability to diagnose and treat problems in turf. This is a stand-alone course, take it either by itself or together with our other turf courses for a broader and more in-depth knowledge of turf care.

Gain valuable skills in:

• Optimising turf usage.
• Learn to improve the health of lawn and greens.
• Weed management techniques.
• Turf renovation.
• Planting turf.
• Turf nursery skills.
• Aeration and Irrigation problems and much more. 

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.