April

April top tips 

These spring top tips will largely be applicable between March – May 

1. Preparing your pitch for spring renovations

Whether carrying out light touch renovations or giving the pitch a real overhaul there are a few tasks that can help to smooth the way ahead. Have an idea of how long you can keep your pitch out of use for, or maybe you can’t…. this will help inform the timing and nature of the tasks that can be completed. Prior to carrying out renovation works to pitches that involve any of over-seeding, top-dressing, scarification and fertilisation it is good practice to make sure the grass is mown down to an appropriate height between 15-20mm if possible (again try and do this gradually over several weeks). This will mean you should be able to stay off the pitch with mowing equipment for at least 2 to 3 weeks to allow new grass to germinate after seeding and the existing grass not be too long to cut, or leaving excessive clippings, which may smother new grasses. Mark up any services, pitch corners etc. 

2. Scarification, light touch or hit it hard?

Scarification is performed to prevent the build-up of thatch or to control an existing thatch layer. Other reasons for scarification are to reduce populations of undesirable grasses and weeds. Scarification on football pitches will typically be done by mechanical means using a tractor mounted scarifier. The depth to which the scarifier is set and the number of directional passes will dictate how aggressively the pitch is thinned out. Chances are if you’re scarifying in April the pitch will still be in use and this will be a light clean out prior to over-seeding and sand dressing if budgets allow. Heavier scarification to address existing thatch layers or more extreme interventions such as turf stripping will have to wait until end of season. Please be cautious with scarification of turf on sites with no means of irrigating the pitches. Think about how long you have before the pitches are back in use. Consideration should be given to how straight forward it will be to re-establish the playing surface. If budgets are limited use of chain harrows, tractor trailed spring rakes or combination grooming tools can all be used to thin the grass sward. Whatever method employed the arisings should be removed from the pitch surface. 

3. In-season sand dressing

Unlike end of season top dressing the amount of top dressing applied should be appropriately reduced to make sure there is minimal impact on playability post application and it’s a good idea to do this when there’s a break in play, start of the week before a Saturday game for example. Typically, the aim is to apply approximately 3-5 kgs per m2 (This equates to between 20-30tonnnes) for a full size pitch eg (100x64m) The type of top dressing used is important to avoid creating issues, you can make sure any materials used are compatible with your soil type/drainage by having a Particle Soil Distribution analysis undertaken by a suitable dressings supplier. Always keep dressing dry prior to and during application and brush/drag matt in thoroughly when dry in several directions. If you plan to scarify, sand dress afterwards. 

4. In-season overseeding

If you don’t plan to heavily scarify or turf strip your pitch at the end of the season, April represents a good opportunity to get a head start with getting your pitch into tip top condition for the following season. During April weather conditions may be a bit more on your side (adequate rainfall and mild temperatures) than in late spring depending on your part of the country. Seeding in early spring can help to mitigate the risks of poor germination, often seen on sites without irrigation when renovations are left till end of season and the risk of drought is higher. If choosing this option, the use of a disc seeder is crucial to make sure the grass seed is drilled into the pitch surface as this gives it some protection from play during germination. High traffic areas such as goal mouths are likely to still require end of season repairs. Disc seed in at least 3 directions at a rate of 35 grams per square metre (approximately 10-12 x 20kg bags of Perennial Ryegrass seed for a full-size pitch) If budgets are limited you could also consider concentrating on the centre of the pitch end to end where most of the wear takes place. If you plan to sand dress your pitch, you should generally disc seed afterwards. 

5. Deep spiking

The last element of spring pitch renovation will generally be getting your pitch deep spiked. Similar to other seasonal tasks, most community organisations may only have adequate budget to do this a couple of times a year so in April, as part of spring renovations, it makes sense. Even if leaving your renovations to the end of the season (potentially mid-May) you may prefer to do the deep spiking in April when the ground is adequately moist for the spiking to reach the desired depth. Deep spiking stimulates root growth, reduces soil compaction, enhances air circulation in the soil, aids surface drainage and helps improve the movement of nutrients in the soil. Despite punching lots of holes in the pitch which people often associate with accelerating drainage, deep spiking will actually help to make a pitch more drought tolerant through the benefits of soil aeration and increasing the depth and volume of rooting.