these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

Technical
Aeration and sweeping
Aerate when conditions allow - hand or
machine aeration to aid surface drainage,
varying depths of penetration to prevent the
development of a soil pan. If there is
opportunity to aerate, then do it. Regular
winter aeration provides air space for the roots
to expand into and allow the plant to breathe.
Sweep daily to remove dew and surface debris.
Using a brush or a SISIS quadraplay will
restore levels and produce striping or banding
aesthetics.
RUGBY
SOIL and air temperatures are now rising into
double figures, which should bring some
encouragement for the grass to grow and
begin its recovery.
Coupled with March drying winds, you will be
surprised how quickly pitches begin to dry out
and warm up.
March
It is important to ensure your mowing
equipment has been serviced and sharpened.
Carry out aeration work to increase aerobic
activity and get some much needed oxygen
around the grass plants' root system. Regular
spiking and, if possible, the introduction of
sand dressings will definitely improve
soil/water movement in the top 100mm of
your pitches.
Keep up with the drag brushing/matting or
harrowing when conditions permit, for dew
and wormcast dispersion and to help stand
the grass up prior to any maintenance work.
Repair divots as soon as possible after games
or training, with particular attention to the
scrum and line out areas.
If your budget allows, carry out some
overseeding, particularly on the bare areas.
This will be very beneficial in promoting grass
coverage for the coming spring and will give
124 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
the new grasses longer to develop.
Later in the month, levels may need to be
restored in areas where scrums have occurred,
by light topdressing, seeding and raking over.
Infill any holes that have occurred in the pitch
surface with a sand/soil and seed mix. Lightly
roll after repair work, preferably with a
pedestrian mower.
Renovations should be in the forefront of your
mind. Bear in mind any problems that you
may have encountered during the season
(“wet-spots” or poor drainage). Try to solve
these problems during or before renovations
start.
April
April is also a good month for applying spring
and summer fertiliser products. Ideally, it is
good practice to undertake at least an annual
soil test to analyse the nutrient status of your
soil. This will help ensure you only apply what
is required, and not waste money and time
applying products you do not need.
Most groundstaff will be applying a
spring/summer N P K fertiliser, perhaps
something like a 9:7:7, see Pitchcare Shop for
range of fertiliser products which will
effectively get the grass moving during April,
then towards the end of April/early May
applying a slow release fertiliser to see you
through June/July.
However, the choice of materials and how well
it works can be dependant on many factors,
including soil type and the weather, with
moisture and warmer air temperatures being
the catalyst for growth.
Brushing or sweeping the pitch daily helps to
remove dew and remove surface debris. Using
a brush or a Sisis quadraplay will restore levels
and produce aesthetically pleasing stripes.
Apply a fertiliser dressing, if required, on the
basis of the results of a soil analysis.
Dragmatting and brushing
Dragmatting and brushing: Continue the
work of brushing to keep the air circulating
around the base of the plant, particularly
important for removing early morning dew
and controlling disease. Pay particular
attention also to the goalmouth areas and
centre circles, post match, to lift the grass
back up out of muddy areas. This is also
important in keeping surface levels.
Divoting
Divoting: This is important work and
should be completed after each match.
Arm yourself with a border fork and a
bucket of topdressing with a little seed
mixed in. Not every one can afford the
necessary time to go divoting on the scale
of some of the premiership grounds, but
even if you could afford just a couple of
hours post match divoting sorting out some
of the worst, I can guarantee that you will
notice the difference over time. If you
cannot afford a full divoting programme,
then you could equally tackle the worst
and clean the rest off with a mower or pick
up sweeper.
Weed treatments
Coordinate your weed treatment
programme to ensure that when you spray,
you will not damage emergent grasses in
newly sown areas. Most selective weed
killers will persist in
the ground for up
to six weeks.
Always check the
label for advice
about the correct
time to spray. If
your priority is to
spray treat your
weeds prior to your
renovation programme, then you will need
to you delay you renovations for up to six
weeks. Similarly if your priority is to
complete you renovations first, then you
will need to ensure that your newly sown
grass is well established (referred
sometimes on the label as being at the two
leaf stage) before your application.
Pitchcare’s monthly diaries are written by:
Bowls and Rugby - Laurence Gale MSc,
Editor, Pitchcare.com
Cricket - Bob Stretton, Head
Groundsman, Massey Ferguson Sports
Club
Football - Malcolm Gardner, Grounds
Manager, BA Clubs