these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

Technical
MONTHLY
Diaries
I STILL see too many clubs not doing enough
work on their greens during the winter
months. The clubs that made the effort to
keep on top of basic maintenance regimes,
that is to say they carried out some forms of
aeration, kept their sward mown and applied
some iron to help retain colour, will have a
head start on those who did nothing.
Soil and air temperatures will soon rise once
we get a few hours of bright March sunshine
(hopefully). Surfaces will dry out, allowing you
the opportunity to get on with your planned
spring work.
March
Priority work for the start of the month is to
aerate the green to help gaseous exchanges
and increase water infiltration through the soil
profile, an application of iron sulphate will
help improve colour and kill any moss that
has established during the winter months;
some clubs apply a lawn sand to kill the moss.
You will need to ensure your mowers are ready
for the start of the season, serviced and
sharpened and ready to go. Check your height
of cut, you do not want to be cutting too low;
some clubs may even use pedestrian rotaries
to help clean up the green and carry out their
initial cuts.
Ensure you brush the dew off the green before
cutting, this helps reduce the amount of water
on the leaf blade, a dry leaf cuts better than a
wet one. This can be done dragging a hose
pipe, a drag mat or drag brush or a switching
cane, which keeps the green clean and
removes any dew or surface water. Keeping the
surface dry will help stop the spread of
disease. There are a number of drag mats or
brushes that can be used. See the Pitchcare
shop for details - brushes/ drag mats.
April
Mowing should be more carried out more
frequently now, at least 2-3 times per week.
These frequencies can often be dictated by
budget and the club's level of play. The height
of cut should be decreasing until the optimum
cutting height is achieved for the standard of
play, usually between 4 and 5mm.
Do not be tempted to cut any lower, especially
if members are complaining the green is too
slow. Cutting below 3.5 mm is really asking for
trouble. Cutting off too much leaf material will
put the sward under stress. The grass plant
needs its leaves to manufacture energy for
growth.
Mower blades should be adjusted and checked
before use, mowing too low, and with blunt
blades, will affect your sward in many ways,
leading to uneven surfaces and scalping. This
can leave your turf grass susceptible to
disease.
The bowling green playing surface will benefit
from some light rolling in April. This is
usually achieved whilst mowing, using the
weight of the mower to achieve the desired
results. Motorised turf irons (fine turf rollers)
can also help prepare final levels on the
playing surfaces.
The condition of the green will dictate what
remedial works need to be carried out as part
of your spring renovation programme. In
most cases the Greenkeeper will be looking to
aerate, topdress and feed his green.
Pitchcare’s online monthly diaries
are offered as a general overview of
the work required at that time of
year. Here, we offer a summary of
the work to be carried out in March
and April.
For more up-to-date information
visit www.pitchcare.com where you
will find details for all sports
BOWLS CRICKET
122 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
AS we move out of winter, and with spring just
around the corner, we are hoping the worst of
the winter weather is behind us. With the
increased daylight hours, milder weather and
warmer temperatures, this should stimulate
some much needed grass growth. We can now
look towards to getting on with some serious
business of preparing the cricket square and
outfield for the forthcoming season.
March
Keep an eye out for disease and worms, spray
accordingly.
Brushing or switching of the square is a must
to keep any disease from attacking the sward.
As soon as possible, the square must be
"squared off". Check all machinery has been
serviced and sharpened ready for use. Light
verticutting and mowing the the square at 15-
18mm should be carried out, subject to local
weather conditions.
Fertilise the square with a low nitrogen, higher
potassium feed to harden the sward, NPK
6:5:10 +6% Fe would be suitable in most
cases. Carry out renovation to bare areas such
as ends and foot holes. Start pre-season
rolling, if not already done so.
Continue with pre-season rolling. Aerate the
square by sarrel rolling when finishing your