May top tips
These spring top tips will largely be applicable between March – May
- End of season renovations
The end of season provides the best opportunity to carry out more disruptive tasks such as pitch renovations and cleaning your pitch of organic matter, weeds and undesirable grasses.
In areas of the country that still experience above-average levels of rainfall the traditional end-of-season renovation will still be the most appropriate approach. However for those in parts of the country with climate shifts and changing weather patterns, it is wise to make the most of helpful weather conditions when they present themselves even if this isn’t during the end of season.
Traditional end-of-season tasks may consist of scarification, sand dressing, over-seeding and decompaction work over a few days, followed by a granular fertilisation within a couple of weeks.
- Irrigation
You have to consider the timing and nature of our pitch renovation tasks due to an increasing trend for drought and high temperatures between May and August. The last thing you’ll want to be doing is heavily scarifying a pitch so that grass coverage is significantly reduced if you can’t be sure of adequate rainfall to help germinate and establish the seed applied afterwards. In the coming years water use for leisure purposes will be under ever increasing scrutiny and restrictions so it’s important you use water responsibly. Irrigating overnight (where possible) or in the early morning or evening means cooler temperatures and less water lost to evapotranspiration (the combined loss of water through evaporation from the soil and transpiration from plant surfaces). Encourage deep root growth by providing deep, infrequent watering rather than shallow, frequent watering. Deep watering promotes stronger and more drought-resistant root systems. Ensure that the water reaches a depth of at least 6 inches into the soil. Identify any areas of the pitch that appear dry or stressed, and provide targeted irrigation as needed. Pay attention to goalmouths and other high-traffic zones, as these areas may require extra attention to maintain turf health.
- Establishing grass seed
With our pitch renovations either completed or under way it’s a good idea to understand some of the best practice in getting that green carpet we all hope for come the start of pre-season. The basic rule to remember is that seedlings need four things to germinate and establish: adequate temperature, oxygen, water and light. Remove one and the seedlings will struggle.
The timing of when the seeding takes place is crucial especially if you don’t have means of watering the pitch. The next point is proper seed soil contact. The seed needs to be actively in contact with the soil in order to germinate so just distributing grass seed on areas by hand or using a broadcast spreader is not sufficient. Disc seeders are our favourite method for over-seeding.
Irrigation is desirable even if it just amounts to getting a hose to your goalmouth. During May, providing we aren’t in a drought, grass is actively growing and requires lots of nutrients to sustain itself so ensure that adequate nutrition is available through fertilisation to support the new grasses. Finally consider the use of germination sheets or scaffold netting on high wear areas such as goal mouths. This helps to prevent people from walking through it after renovation, birds or animals from eating the seed or digging and assist in conserving heat and moisture in the soil.
- Mowing of newly renovated areas
When cutting newly-renovated areas initially, it’s better to use a rotary mower rather than a cylinder to avoid pulling out weak grasses. Mowing blades must be sharp to ensure the mower cuts rather than tears the leaf. A basic rule of thumb is when grass has reached 40mm, this provides adequate root anchoring and generally means the grass is adequately established. Alternate the direction of the cut to encourage tillering (new shoots improving density of grass coverage). Never cut more than a third of the grass leaf on any one occasion.
- Mowing disorders
We can usually expect grass growth to be at its optimum in May (providing no early drought) where the grass plant has diverted its energy away from developing new root systems to top growth. Regular mowing can cause unusual patterns which can confuse those new to pitch maintenance. The most common of these is scalping when a mower is set too low and results in a cropped brown appearance or uneven pitch sports that are shaved bare. This can be avoided by sticking to the recommended mowing heights. Whisping is another common one where blunt mowing blades, mowing too quickly (forward speed of the machine) or mowing when the grass leaf is too wet causes damage to the tip of the grass leaf leaving the pitch with a pale or white tinge.