June:
- Dealing with drought
If we’ve had a dry spring and you can’t water your pitch, consider seeding with more drought resistant Perennial Ryegrass cultivars (varieties), especially if you’re in an area that regularly suffers from drought. To make your pitch more resilient to drought periods deep spike in the spring, this machinery drives solid tines into your pitch to aerate and de-compact the soil and encourage root growth which in turn makes your pitch more resilient to drought periods. If the grass has gone dormant, reduce the frequency of mowing or stop altogether and increase mowing heights to help the grass retain more moisture and slow the drying of soils.
- Managing weeds
When controlling weeds in your pitch, adopt an Integrated Weed Management approach rather than simply spraying selective herbicide every year as a matter of course. Firstly, decide on an acceptable threshold for weed cover; this will be determined by the standard of rugby played. Performance Quality Standards (PQS) tell us that an acceptable tolerance for weeds for a GOOD rated pitch for recreational sport is 6-10% so this might be an acceptable threshold for you, and this can be monitored by using traditional PQS testing or the Football Foundation Pitch Power app that is available to all Rugby clubs. There are five steps to implementing an Integrated Weed Management approach.
Prevention - To prevent weeds, An example of this might be maintain dense grass coverage to prevent weed ingression through fertilisation and regular mowing at the correct heights.
Cultural – To make your pitch less susceptible to weeds, regularly mow, fertilise and water to maintain turf health, making it less susceptible to weed populations
Mechanical - Increasing mowing heights, surface grooming or scarification are good examples.
Biological - Certain insect populations and microorganisms can be introduced that feed on weeds. This is a harder and more expensive step than others to implement especially at a community level.
Chemical – If the options above have been exhausted and you’re still unable to keep weed coverage within your agreed tolerances, then selective herbicide application might be required.
Appropriate certification is required to spray selective herbicides as well as specialist equipment and generally for community sports organisations you should employ an appropriate professional. Most common weeds that impact sports pitches have emerged by June meaning that providing your pitch is not under drought conditions and that an adequate period of time has elapsed since seeding (typically 6-8 weeks) this can be the ideal time to apply a selective herbicide for optimum control.
- Maintain your goalposts
With the playing season over, conduct a thorough visual inspection of the goalposts. Check for any signs of damage, rust, or wear and tear. Inspect welds, joints, nuts, bolts and fasteners to ensure they are secure. Clean the goalposts with a mild detergent, a soft brush, and water to remove dirt, debris, and any accumulated grime. If applicable, inspect the paint or coating on the goalposts and touch up any areas where the paint has chipped or worn off. Apply rust-resistant coatings or anti-corrosion treatments to protect metal components.
- Look after thin areas
If you’ve got areas looking a little thin after over-seeding, don’t delay to give them extra attention with more localised over-seeding or targeted fertilisation of weak areas. Use the opportunity whilst the pitch is out of use, so you aren’t left with thin areas at the start of the season.
- Plan ahead for the new season
Make a maintenance plan for the season, to help structure when you may need to book in contractors and order materials etc.
