Should you Cut a Sports Pitch in Winter is a blog where l unpack the benefits of cutting in winter and the commonly asked questions in regards to winter cutting. There is also the results of a community poll, on whether people think its beneficial to cut in the winter.
Benefits of Cutting Grass
- Encourages Tillering (thickening) of the leaf and roots
- Prevents Disease
- Strengthens and stimulates
- Cleans up debris, leaf matter accumulation
- Protect investment in renovations
- Helps keep weed, moss and weed grasses from forming
- Spouse avoidance, bit naughty this, but one of our community reasons
I am not going to bore you with unpacking all the benefits above, l shall just unpack my top three below
Encourages tillering lateral growth and the formation of new shoots as a result you will end up with a thicker grass canopy with less weed and moss invasion, as weeds are just opportunists looking for an open space.
Strengthens and stimulates, grass is an incredible plant just by the action of cutting it promotes new growth, strengthens the leaf blades, increases photosynthesis. The plant as a result of cutting has to put out growth and in turn produces its own food source.
Protect investments in renovation, your club has spent a small fortune on renovations, it’s our job to make sure it was a sustainable spend. Our part can be as simple as just cutting it and giving it a few feeds over winter, in doing this we are more likely to keep the area free of moss, weeds and diseases. tillering, does not start till the third leaf stage of growth.
Does Grass even Grow in Winter?
Quick answer, yes and climate change is now ensuring grass growth at least ten months a year or more, only when soil temperatures reach and maintain 5c or below does the plant go into temporary dormancy (usually mid Dec till late Feb).
How often you need to cut will be depending on soil temperatures and resulting growth, but could be every week or only every three weeks.
Poll Results
Your need to add Nutrition!
With the removal of the grass leaf during cutting the plant will start to be depleted in food reserves, so an application of an Autumn/Winter fertilser will be required when the grass starts to yellow. This is usually required every 6-8 weeks as long as the plant is growing, as the grass greens up post feeding, it will stimulate more root/shoot growth and the cycle will go on, which is only a good thing.
Avoid cutting the day before a frost, as frost can create minor leaf blade damage.
Myth Buster
Longer shoots, don’t automatically ensure deeper roots
Is it too cold to fertilise
When to Stop and Restart Cutting
Let growth be your guide, if the grass plant is green and growing you need to match that growth with a cut, cutting never more than a third off the leaf off in any one cut. As l point out above, don’t be surprised if your cutting 10 plus months a year, even if its only once a week or even, once a month.
Cutting is Cheap to do & Brings Massive Benefits
Over my 25 years in the industry, if there is one thing I would recommend to improve an area of turf, it would be a regular programme all year, as growth dictates cutting. Ensure the blades are sharp, you are not cutting too low, or too high. Cutting and maintaining an appropriate height of cut, will also help light and air circulation to the base of the grass plant and prevent disease.
Rough height of cut guide 18-22 mm cricket, Football 25-30 mm and rugby 50-75mm.
Brian
