Tennis Court Renovations Diary is written by a working Groundsman and he talks us through his renovations step-by step on his grass courts.
End of-season renovations are a critical element of grass court management. Thorough end of season renovations ensures the courts are in good condition for the start of the next tennis season.
We have 8 grass tennis courts here at CourtX Tennis Club, Eastern Parade, Southsea, Portsmouth. I use an outside contractor with tractor mounted equipment to carry out the work at CourtX.
I aim to have the renovations completed by the end of the third week of September each year. This gives the courts enough time to establish prior to the onset of cooler, wetter weather in autumn and shorter days of sunlight.
Scarification
Prior to scarifying the courts are kept to 8mm to allow for more effective scarification.
Three passes of the courts are carried out using an Allett BJB42 scarifying unit. The process is designed to remove organic matter this will help to improve firmness and consistency. The objective is to remove organic material to make space for new seed to grow.
After each pass I carry out clean up passes to remove any debris left behind by the scarifier, for this I either use the Toro Greensmaster cylinder mower or the Dennis G860 cylinder mower, rotary mowers can also be used for clean-up cuts.
Over-seeding
Once the scarifying is completed 14, 20kg bags of perennial ryegrass supplied by Rigby Taylor is sowed onto the courts using a SISIS Variseeder (Dimple) 1300. This is followed by 14, 20kg bags of Pro Seed Fertiliser 8-12-8 which I apply using a walk behind fertiliser spreader. This Fertiliser is high phosphorus for enhancing seed establishment along with added Zn for improving root development.
If no rain is forecast, we provide light irrigation to the courts using our irrigation system that enables the fertilizer to be washed in and helps with the seed/moisture contact.
Top Dressing
Following the seeding 200, 20kg bags of Surrey Loam sports dressing is applied to the courts using a tractor mounted SISIS Powaspred.
Once the process is complete germination sheets can be applied but not essential, I apply germination sheets just to the worn baseline areas the sheets are removed once germination has begun.
Aftercare
New turf should be ready to mow 2-3 weeks after seeding this will depend on the temperatures and weather conditions. I use a Hayter Harrier 56 rotary mower. A sharp rotary mower must be used for the few cuts after the renovations. The first cut is to 25-30mm with the height being gradually reduced to around 15mm this will be the final height of cut for the autumn/winter and early spring.
I tend to favour using the Hayter rotary mower throughout the autumn/winter as it is more lightweight on the courts although if conditions are dry the Dennis G860 cylinder mower can be used but this is very much weather dependent. Cylinder mowers should only be used once the height of cut is below 20mm.
Winter Works
By late October or early November the same outside contractor will come in to verti-drain the courts.
Courts will continue to be cut throughout Autumn and Winter to 15mm at least twice a week if weather conditions allow. Being right on the South coast we tend to have pretty mild winters here.
By Leighton Barrables
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