A common problem facing building companies, contractors and landscapers on completion of a development is compaction.
This can be caused by the movement of traffic and materials across the ground to buildings under construction, which leaves areas prone to waterlogging.
Groundwork, laying topsoil and grassing or turfing areas may be on clay and that has the same effect with the presence of large tracts of standing water. Newly laid gardens, grassed and play areas in particular become susceptible, with compaction occurring far deeper than normal aerating will alleviate.
Deep penetration aeration is the solution, but how do you know what lies beneath the grass and to what depth the aeration is needed?
Terrain Aeration has been treating such problems for over twenty-five years and work regularly with construction companies such as Taylor Wimpey, Barrett Homes, Laings and smaller developers to provide a long-term solution.
The Terrain Aeration Terralift machines penetrate the ground to a depth of one metre, releasing a blast of compressed air which fractures and relieves the compacted soil, creating permanent aeration and drainage. However, before carrying out the aeration, it is often necessary on old site layouts to determine what lies beneath and Terrain Aeration takes a core sample using their specialist machinery.
The plastic sleeve which slides out of the metal casing reveals what the soil is like, from the topsoil down to the structure beneath. The soil cores are taken to one metre depth can also be a good indicator of where oil and diesel spillages have penetrated and how deep.
The Terralift can then deal with the oil-bioremediation using specialist products in the area down to one metre depth.
Penetrating deep into the ground, hard areas may be encountered, such as flint and solid building material. The Terralift probe is designed to break through the solid layers, employing a JCB hammer incorporated as part of the machine.
Once the hard materials have been penetrated, the compressed air blast released creates fractures and fissures. These are injected with dried seaweed as part of the process, keeping, in this case, the clay seen in the core sample open and allowing surface water to drain quickly down one metre and naturally percolating away.
What was once was a waterlogged area is transformed into a healthy soil structure with good root zone.
Of course, not all compacted ground will have the same strata, but the Terrain Aeration process is used to treat all types of waterlogging, from small gardens to parks, public spaces and sports pitches to bowling greens.
