Winter Sports Pitches Tasks for December/January includes post pitch repair guidance, aeration with the aim of keeping the surface open and free draining. Cold stress to the plant for the next few months is a real issue as discussed in this edition…
Cutting
Cylinder or rotary mow at between 25-30mm in HOC, keeping the pitches within this range will help prevent turf disease and also help keep a dense grass canopy with a good root depth.
If the pitch is much longer, take your time to get to this hoc range, avoid hacking down and the risk of stressing the plant. During the cold winter months the cutting frequency should drop dramatically to 1-2 cuts max a month, if and where required.
Soil temperatures are the key to growth, it is said at 5 c shoot growth stops all together. The grass plant growth will be a god indicator of that. A external blog on soil temperatures-https://thelawnman.co.uk/soil-temperature-grass-growth/
Rugby-HOC range – Autumn/Winter 50- 75 mm . Hoc may vary across sites, due to standard, growth and wear management strategy.
Soil Testing
Early in the year is the best time to test the nutrient reserves within the soil, in doing so it will help you plan ahead for the rest of the year. There is no point applying nutrients the plant simply doesn’t need, test kits are cheaply available and can be interpreted by a FACTs based advisor (person who sells you your fertiliser).
Nutrition
Fertiliser requirements of a pitch, ideally should be based on annual soil nutrient testing results, something a 4-12-12 (autumn/winter) is common but not exclusive. Application rates are usually 35 grams per square metre. In these months of little or no growth it maybe less viable applying nutrients, if the grass is not actively growing it will struggle to uptake the nutrients.
Post Match Repairs
Post match ASAP hand repair any divots by lifting and prising back into position, any left over bare and low areas can be top dressed and seeded (if grass is growing).
The use of a tractor mounted multi tool such as a quadraplay (above image) once hand divotting work is complete could also be helpful in gently brushing, raking, rolling (polish roller) the pitch level back to pre match conditions.
The level of aggression is dependent on the plant’s ability to recover, so when it’s growing less, less aggressive settings are required and these colder months could well fall into that bracket.
Disease Management/ Prevention
Disease forms mostly on those damp, still, cloudy dew forming days, regular brushing off the dew with the addition of iron (Fe) contained within fertiliser applications will assist in disease prevention .
Possible use of lawn sand or iron sulphur will dry out the infected leaf and prevent further outbreak or can be used as a preventative.
Goalmouths
Regular decompaction and the addition of hand forking the high wear areas with a bit of heave, which will in turn help decompact and gently lift/level the area.
A sports sand/rootzone top dressing mix can then be gently dressed across the area to help maintain levels, any dressing that goes into the fork holes can only be of benefit.
Aeration
Aeration of pitches if conditions allow via in-house solid tines, slit tines, linear with the possible addition of a deeper form of aeration such as verti-draining when or if required once/twice a season.
Aeration to take place when soft enough to penetration, but not soft enough to create an indent with tractor wheels or bring up mud.
Options in Terms of Aeration-
Slitting
Slitting with either a spiked drum type or disc slitter on a monthly to six week cycle when pitch conditions allow being suitable for machinery. If the ground is too wet for tractor mounted machinery, pedestrian type machines may be an option.
Decompaction – Deep tine method also known as vertidraining.
Decompact soil using vertical/deep tine method with added heave, this task should be done ideally in the autumn ahead of the wet winter weather and then again in the springtime .
This operation is very timing dependent and the ground conditions must be suitable, as carrying it out while the pitch is too wet can create more harm than good. Soil smearing and the possible sealing of wet soils and in turn could negatively affect the state of the pitch.
Deep aeration either by linear or deep solid tines will allow air, water and nutrients to pass into and through the soil profile and will improve drainage and help break down thatch.
Linear Aeration
In heavy clay soil linear aeration can be beneficial, but location timing and soil type is crucial to success, so explore what option is right for your site.
The blades on this tractor mounted unit will slice into and through the surface while fracturing the subsoil with the aim of minimal surface disturbance.
This task will improve root growth, nutrient uptake and the water infiltration after rain.
If your are on heavy clay and have concerns with linear lines reopening up in the soil next summer, l d get that done soon rather than later, possibly more important where pitch is also a cricket outfield.
Worm Cast Management
If the grass is growing well, castes can be managed by cultural management techniques, such as drag matting, raking or brushing when the castes are at their driest, often in the afternoon. During the very coldest months worm activity may well reduce, as they burrow deeper within the soil.
Weed Control/Managemnet
Too late for chemical applications, but hand weeding of those easy to prise out daisies and plantains, maybe a fruitful task.
Line Marking
Regular straightening/string line to keep the straight and weekly overmarking of lines.
Keep up stock levels of marking fluid, to ensure you don’t run short.
Machinery Servicing
Machinery servicing is absolutely vital along with monthly start ups of machines, get those machines done to avoid a spring rush.
Keep fuel level low and diesel levels at their highest during winter and run machines monthly to prevent fuel going stale and non starting issues come spring .
Turf Stress
Once soil temperatures are low and the grass plants stops/slows the plants entered into a cold stress period, anything you can do to limit that stress is key. Keep off when its frozen, don’t overwork the surface when its under cold stress and doesn’t have the ability to bounce back.
Top Blogs (Recommended)
If resources are limited even just hand forking those high wear areas, adding in some sports sand all help keep on top of levels and prevent areas for water to gather.
Brian
Have you heard about possible funding, if not check out- Pitch Power by the Football Foundation- https://footballfoundation.org.uk/grant/grass-pitch-maintenance-fun
