Like all things, plants adapt and change, weather patterns, climate and air quality changes and the advice we were given 20years ago may no longer be correct.
Last year on Gardeners Question Time a question was asked about removing suckers from Roses. The answer given, I was surprised to hear, was that you don’t need to remove suckers from Roses anymore because of the way in which root stock grafting has changed.
Earlier this month I read a blog from a football groundsman who said “I love this mild weather we are having this winter. Heavy scarifying done 2 weeks ago and look at my pitch now!” The pitch looked amazing with a full, thick sward of grass.
The reason this took my eye was that I was always taught that you don’t scarify unless the grass is actively growing. Now, with current temperatures, I’ll admit that most grass probably is still growing, but not in my mind, growing well enough to get a scarifier out.
My question is that maybe my teachings are now old hat. Maybe the new grass varieties on the market can withstand such intensive work. Maybe the current climate makes it suitable for this type of work.
Are some of us missing a trick? Has the world of grass moved on whilst we have stood still?
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I don't think you can compare sports turf with domestic lawns, they have completely different treatment. If you managed a lawn like a golf putting green you might get the same results, but that's not practical.
Whilst my lawn put on a brief spurt, it's stopped again now daytime temps are back to single figures. It's also saturated, as are all of the lawns on the clay around here, so it would make an incredible mess if it was scarified.
I take it the Groundsman in question belonged to a top club as they cover their pitch with a lighting system during the winter months that keeps the grass growing all the year round. They also have superb drainage, so December to them is like September to you and I. So yes you are missing a trick Jim - a portable lighting system to keep the grass growing after you have ripped up your lawns, fitted many thous worth of drainage, replaced the soil with a 'special' mix that 'drains and binds' together and re-turfed. Oh yes, plus stripping and re-seeding/turfing every year! But apart from that, just the same as you and I really! :-)
I agree with Colin
Don't forget about the USGA spec rootzone, the constant aeration programme and the underground heating systems.
Colin - i was just about to let rip at your facetious comments but then I saw your smiley face!
No is the answer to your question this was not a top club. From the photo I saw it looked very much lower echelons of amateur league. Their stands looked like they could hold about 100 people.
I agree that some sports turf maintenance cant be compared to lawns but the basic principles can and I would say football pitch maintenance is probably the sport that is most comparable to lawn maintenance.
As I say it looked like lower echelons of amateur league and I imagine that like most armature sports the groundsmen have a very limited budget. The only real difference to lawns that I can see at this level is that the pitches will have drainage systems.
Facetious, me.....never! That’s an interesting observation re the size of club though and I am surprised that he would be able to scarify anytime after November at lower Amateur.
I was attached to a Senior Amateur club for 25 years until last year and we played on all types of pitches from Football League to Park pitches. There was an amazing difference once you got to the Conference level and above, where the surface remained firm, in spite of heavy rain, but it all costs money.
Jim Davidson said: