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Ensuring your ground is in excellent condition all-year round is hugely important as it not only makes things easier come the point of pre-season preparations or end of season renovations, but over time it will ensure you ground is able to withstand the ups and downs of the UK climate with ease.
Due to the seasonality involved with many sports, our main playing facilities can often be over looked and only tended to 6-7 months of the year.
Our calendar guide is designed to make it easier for you to maintain your ground all year-round.*
You can also download our 12 Month Football Pitch Guide here.
*Our guide is a recommendation only. Application or mis-use of products is the individuals responsibility. Battersby take no responsibility for actions taken as a result of using this guide. If in doubt, consult Battersby prior to application.
Football/Rugby Pitch maintenance
Typically, the Football/Rugby seasons run from August through to May.
Rugby League traditionally play through the summer months, so renovations may be more difficult to schedule in.
As with all renovations, the size and scale of the remedial works is very much down to budget.
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End of Season
Once the season is over, renovations can take place. Thankfully the temperatures and daylight should be conducive to a good renovation.
For a lot of professional clubs now is the time the pitch will be koro’ed off – this is when the entirety of the top layer is removed.
Although an expensive task to complete, this method of renovation ensures that there is no build-up of the
organic ‘thatch’ layer, which can lead to issues for playability, safety and drainage.
At grassroots level, where this may not be possible, a scarification or fraise mow may take place.
This is effectively heavily scratching through the top surface, thinning out the sward and help reduce the surface build-up of the thatch layer.
This will help provide a cleaner playing surface, better seed uptake, improved drainage and a healthier sward.
These arisings are then collected to leave a clean and tidy surface.
If ground conditions permit verti-draining may take place.
This is punching a number of holes in the surface to help with a range of issues, including:
Once this has been completed, seeding/overseeding can take place using Battersbys Pro Sport Reno mix.
A sand based top dressing may also be applied, such as Battersby 70/30 top dressing, along with a pre seed 6-9-6 or 7-7-7to help with rapid establishment.
Please click here if you would like to enquire about bulk top dressing bags
This may not be within your clubs budget, so other options include overseeding and top dressing high traffic areas such as goal mouths,
5 and 15m lines to help re-establish sparsely grassed areas.
Please contact us here if you require a quote for renovation works.
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Post Renovation/Pre season
As the seed begins to establish, regular mowing should be undertaken to help keep the pitch neat and tidy, and to help the grass tiller (thicken up).
An application of 12-6-6 (35g sq/m) will help encourage further growth, as well as providing nutrients to aid root development.
After 7 or 8 weeks, and whilst there is still good growth, regular verti-cutting should be undertaken to reduce the build up of thatch and improve overall plant health.
Applying Liquid iron or the slow release granular 8-0-6will continue to help provide a healthy sward going into the start of the playing season.
In season – August to October
As growth starts to slow during this period, focus should turn on protecting the overall health of the plant, as well as rooting into the winter months.
The 3-12-12Autumn/Winter feed has excellent Phosphorous and Potassium levels which will encourage deep rooting,
important as the lack of growth during the winter takes its toll and your sward thins out.
In season – November to February
The height of the playing season sees reduced temperatures and minimal growth.
Focus should be aimed at protecting the coverage that is there – the 3-6-8+fe will continue to strengthen your plant,
whilst the Iron will help ward off excess build up of moss, which can cause drainage/playability issues.
If areas of your pitch are starting to look thin/tired, then overseeding with Coldstart, which is designed to germinate
in lower temperatures (5c or more) is an option to help alleviate this issue
In season – March to May
As the days start to lengthen and temperatures improve, then a 4-0-4+fe Micro Tonic can act as the perfect pick me up
after the long winter months, encouraging sward growth.
Top dressing and overseeding goalmouths/heavy use areas becomes a possibility as temperatures pick up,
and can be completed before your main renovation at the end of the season.
Now is the time to put the preparation in place for those all important end of season renovations, and the process starts all over again!
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Summary
End of season
Post Renovation/Pre-Season
August to October
November to February
March to May
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Seeding/Fertiliser Rates
Average Seeding/Fertiliser Rates – 35-50gm per sq/m
20kg bag
Covers 571 sq/m @35gm
Covers 400 sq/m @50gm
25kg bag
Covers 714 sq/m @35gm
Covers 500 sq/m @50gm