March Top Tips
- Mow your pitch
Mowing is essential whenever grass is growing but it’s worth an extra special mention in March as it’s the start of the growing season. Begin mowing as required, and then increase mowing frequency as grass growth accelerates. Start by gradually reducing your height of cut from your winter heights and remember to avoid removing more than one-third of the grass blade length in a single mowing session. This gentle approach minimises stress on the grass and promotes healthy growth. Before you start, ensure all mowing equipment has sharp blades and is fit for use.
- Get a head start on repairing your pitch
As the temperatures get milder, use the opportunity to get a head start on repairing areas of your pitch. If you don’t have means of watering there will still usually be adequate rainfall at this time of year so focus on areas that struggle to recover during the drier summer months such as 22m and 5m lines where lineout practice has been done for example. These areas should not be used for practice but educating coaches as to why they need to move drills around the pitches is an ongoing issue which hopefully is getting less. Depending on which area of the country you’re in, there will still be a need to be patient so make sure that any works such as, seeding and fertilisation are appropriately timed. Going too early with repairs can do more harm than good and can mean wasting valuable resources.
- Stock up on your materials to avoid delays
If you have means of storage, get your materials for spring renovation works early so you don’t experience any delays. Make sure when selecting your grass seed, you pick one suitable for rugby pitches, which in this country is typically going to be Perennial Ryegrass with a minimum of 3 cultivars, or in some mixes you may find Smooth-stalked meadow-grass. Your fertiliser requirements should be based on the nutrient soil analysis we recommended in February’s top tips.
- Plan when you apply fertiliser
Grass typically goes dormant in the winter and you might notice it looking a bit off colour. To help restore, your green grass use granular fertiliser, which provides the grass plant with the nutrients it needs to aid turf recovery. For most grassroots organisations, particularly those with multiple pitches, budgets may only allow two to three applications of granular fertiliser a year. Slow release or controlled release granular fertiliser is most likely to give you the longevity you need between applications. Seek advice from suppliers with BASIS – FACTS (Fertiliser Advisors Certification and Training).
Further information on fertilisers can be found in the Materials section.
