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11 minutes ago, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

Doesn't look like it needs any fertiliser to me bud?

It’s looking quite hungry in places, just thought a fertilise will give it the perk up it needs.

If we ever get a drop of rain😂, seems to be all or nothing

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3 hours ago, JonColenzo said:

It’s looking quite hungry in places, just thought a fertilise will give it the perk up it needs.

If we ever get a drop of rain😂, seems to be all or nothing

Mines the same but I'm going to scarify it and leave the fertiliser until probably September.  I'll wait to see what the recovery is like from the scarifying. 

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Very strange question Older I know BUT !!!!   out of 6000 members you are one of the few who might have noticed . I spent a week in Cornwall in May , back home I've wandered around the Broads and marshes , this weekend I spent in Castle Combe near Bath ,  motorcycle racing . In all that time I haven't seen any swallows or House martins have you while you have been on the pitch disturbing flies etc . Normally by this time of the year  there are hundreds of them flying low across the marshes collecting flies etc .   

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18 minutes ago, Ieuan Gregory said:

not a strange question at all been on the pitch a lot recently both cutting, brushing and scarifying. Not one swallow they were late arriving last year and quite late leaving, maybe another indication that the seasons are moving everywhere.

Got it in one, that 6 week Easterly was no good to anyone! 

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Well this has decided my fertilising,  Red thread and lots of it!

Last few days of humid weather has accelerated this to action needed asap, nitrogen going down as soon as we have some more rain.

Would have kept it at bay with plenty of brushing but no point when the drizzle was around all day and night. 

 

Screenshot_20210611-154935_Gallery.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Been following this thread for months, as find it very interesting!

We at St Just have recently been accepted for FF funding over the next few years for pitch works, so have had various vertidraining, weed killer, seeding and fertiliser works carried out recently. However we have been told that to see the benefits we need to increase the amount we're cutting the pitch (currently carried out by a local groundsman with his tractor).

We would like to maintain and cut the pitch ourselves moving forwards, but just out of curiosity, what mowers are people predominantly using to cut their pitch? We have a limited knowledge and wouldnt want to buy something that is either overkill, or not man enough!

Any advice is good advice and would be much appreciated. Every days a school day 👍

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Mowers basically cut by one of two methods. A rotary action, such as a garden mower, ie flymo. Or a cylinder mower, similar to a gang mower.

Rotary mowers, are generally more robust and require very little setting up, apart from height. They will cut grass that has been left a little to long between mowing. A cylinder mower is a little more technical to use and “setup” They don’t cope with longer grass as well as a rotary.

No matter which you go for, stripes are made by a roller, and both are available with rollers. 

The quality of cut however is much superior on a well maintained cylinder mower. All quality turf is mown with a cylinder mower.

Both are capable of collecting grass clippings, however this is slightly more common with a rotary, as a lot come with a rear collector, when dry though a cylinder will let clippings fly quite nicely.

Price wise, probably not much in it. Maybe rotary slightly cheaper as more widely available.

With a little knowledge on setting and maintaining, I would lean towards a cylinder.

A very good bullet proof “entry level” cylinder mower is the Saxon 180, very similar to an Allen national. Very simple mechanics and hardened blades, expect to pay around £8000 new. Looked after, will last 15 years, and will cut a pitch in around an hour.

Hope that helps little. More advice available on request.

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  • 4 weeks later...
7 minutes ago, fenman said:

Just a test piece as I seem unable to post a comment on Redruth damage . Still haven't seen many swallows and house martins Older . Spent last weekend in Lincolnshire Wolds and didn't see one when there are normally 100's 

Only seen the one here, and only once at that!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

The end of year is here.

Rainfall figures are well below what we would expect, ( although I suspect we will pay for that soon) many places are 300/400mm below average.

With the friendly weather and low rainfall, less cancellations have been needed. Has this had an impact on surfaces.

I guess what I’m asking is, are pitches being over played, with no real rest, or has growth been strong enough to aid recovery.

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It's the friendliest weather I've ever known in the 70 years I've spent on the planet! 

Temperature in my summer house today with the windows and doors open...14⁰ that's bonkers at this time of the year. The ground temperature last week was 8⁰ in December...crazy.

The grass is growing away quite nicely and certainly is repairing itself after a game, quite remarkable that.

Had a few games with the pitch a bit soft but nothing like it can be at this time of the year, although we've had 5" of rain in the last 7 days or so here. 

It would be normal for it to change eventually but with what's happening with the weather these days ...who knows.

Make the most of it while we can perhaps. 

Overplayed...not really.

Repairing itself quietly...yes.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Unbelievable weather for January. Just goes to show you can never give football a months break because for all we know it could be February thats a wash out. Grass not growing massively. Could actually do with some rain to wash the pitch in a bit after 3 games in 10 days. Another cut this afternoon and rain forecast tomorrow so we will see. A completed season is odds on now I'd imagine. 

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Crazy weather for sure, grass growing away quite happily in reality, although I've known it to do that on a few winters....not many.

Not too bad here for needing rain to wash the grass off as the new groundsman, doing a great job by the way, (I've retired...ill health, but still hanging around) brushes really regularly so the grass is stood up very often the next day, and the pitch is relatively firm for the time of year...hooray for that....no rain here please!

Let's hope for a completed season...about time.

The pitch Monday. 

 

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2 minutes ago, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

Where are you to?

2⁰ here, proper January temperature and looking like a typical overcast day, but hopefully dry day.

haha, I live in Vietnam, and the weather here is very comfortable, 27 degree celcius 

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On 26/01/2022 at 21:57, Paul said:

Unbelievable weather for January. Just goes to show you can never give football a months break because for all we know it could be February thats a wash out. Grass not growing massively. Could actually do with some rain to wash the pitch in a bit after 3 games in 10 days. Another cut this afternoon and rain forecast tomorrow so we will see. A completed season is odds on now I'd imagine. 

Yes, was only thinking a couple of days ago how dry the last few weeks had been (actually had to water window boxes and pots). I know that climate change is an undisputable fact, and that weird things are happening with the weather, but the English climate has always been a bit eccentric. Can remember standing outside a pub in shirtsleeves in February, and equally hearing about "snow stops play" at cricket matches in May. 

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1 hour ago, Way Of The Park said:

Yes, was only thinking a couple of days ago how dry the last few weeks had been (actually had to water window boxes and pots). I know that climate change is an undisputable fact, and that weird things are happening with the weather, but the English climate has always been a bit eccentric. Can remember standing outside a pub in shirtsleeves in February, and equally hearing about "snow stops play" at cricket matches in May. 

I was on the beach with my dogs in late October many years ago...83⁰f in old money!

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On 23/02/2020 at 21:22, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

This is no doubt due to the rain in the last few seasons bringing the fines/silt to the surface. The net result being no air spaces in the top of the soil profile, without them grassland will retain water in the top structure of a pitch...soft slow draining will be the result. 

Solution, we will have to hollow core the pitch and use a silicate sand to put air spaces back into the top of the profile.

Hollow coring and sanding is the only solution to this problem, vertidraining will not resolve this as the action of the vertidrain although relieving compaction does produce compacted holes that close again.

You can see from the cores that the rubber crumb that was used some 10+ years ago is still very much doing its job maintaining air spaces...happy with that.

I have posted this suggest that many other pitches could be suffering from the same problem. 

If you go back to your school days and your science lessons, remember the soil in the test tube with water, the fines come to the surface and the large particles go to the bottom,  the same happens to soil that is continually soaked flooded.

Hollow core and sanding it is then.

Hope this helps.

Screenshot_20200223-155202_Gallery.jpg

 

On 23/02/2020 at 21:22, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

This is no doubt due to the rain in the last few seasons bringing the fines/silt to the surface. The net result being no air spaces in the top of the soil profile, without them grassland will retain water in the top structure of a pitch...soft slow draining will be the result. 

Solution, we will have to hollow core the pitch and use a silicate sand to put air spaces back into the top of the profile.

Hollow coring and sanding is the only solution to this problem, vertidraining will not resolve this as the action of the vertidrain although relieving compaction does produce compacted holes that close again.

You can see from the cores that the rubber crumb that was used some 10+ years ago is still very much doing its job maintaining air spaces...happy with that.

I have posted this suggest that many other pitches could be suffering from the same problem. 

If you go back to your school days and your science lessons, remember the soil in the test tube with water, the fines come to the surface and the large particles go to the bottom,  the same happens to soil that is continually soaked flooded.

Hollow core and sanding it is then.

Hope this helps.

Screenshot_20200223-155202_Gallery.jpg

What an incredibly informative post thank you. After 7 years as Chair of Greens at Truro GC as a volunteer, I can associate with everything you say in the top few inches, whether it be silting or the sub-surface Thatch layer acting as a sponge. It’s very interesting that Football pitches use crumb rubber to aid drainage and I can see how that would work and let water percolate down through the profile. At our club the greens are hollow tined mid – September (whilst there is still strong growth) and sand / Zeolite back filled into the holes to aid with drainage in the same manner as your crumb rubber. Sorry it’s not about football, but I have just grown to love everting about soil biology. Cheers, Gary  

 

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1 hour ago, Gary A said:

 

What an incredibly informative post thank you. After 7 years as Chair of Greens at Truro GC as a volunteer, I can associate with everything you say in the top few inches, whether it be silting or the sub-surface Thatch layer acting as a sponge. It’s very interesting that Football pitches use crumb rubber to aid drainage and I can see how that would work and let water percolate down through the profile. At our club the greens are hollow tined mid – September (whilst there is still strong growth) and sand / Zeolite back filled into the holes to aid with drainage in the same manner as your crumb rubber. Sorry it’s not about football, but I have just grown to love everting about soil biology. Cheers, Gary  

 

Thank you Gary. It's a subject that has interested me for over 40 years, although we work on different grasses and structures the basic rules apply, work, work and more work...lol.

It is always beneficial to be doing something but if you are doing the correct work at the correct time the benefits show through. 

It's also worth remembering that sometimes it's beneficial for the grass to do nothing! 

Leave it alone is not practiced enough to my mind especially when it comes to putting machinery on the surface.

Anyway I'm starting to jabber again, thank you again for your words...Dave. 

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2 hours ago, JonColenzo said:

I’d be interested to know how everyone’s pitches are this week, we seem to have had continuous mizzle on the moors, leaving the ground far too moist to get on and repair last weekends damage?

Our pitch is as soft as it's ever been! Certainly would not be putting any machinery on it until friday at the earliest, and then only to brush it, and only if the surface can take the weight of the tractor.

Leaving tyre tracks or smearing the surface...keep off!

A fork repair to the pitch would be all I would do, one of those occasions when less work the better, give the grass a rest would be my advice.

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  • 3 months later...
57 minutes ago, John Mead said:

As well as providing pitch renovation services, because they buy in bulk, Sandows will give you a good price for both grass seed and fertiliser.

There's also a new player on the block now John can't for the life of me recall the company!

He's vertidraining our pitch next week, I'll check out  whether he's the business or not.

Also grass seed and fertiliser, remember you will get as good a result using up to 50% less than the recommended amount, you can then elongate the affect of the fertiliser by spreading it twice.

Grass seed not so but a proven greater establishment due to more space for the grasses when sown at down  to the lower level.

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Vertidrain came in last week, lovely bit of kit, not too big or heavy, did a first class job, watched the ground behind the vertidrain...ground lifting nicely, checked the spike holes and they were spot on penetration of 90⁰ any different to that and the machine is not set up properly. 

Lovely lightweight tractor causing no compaction on the turns, really happy with this companies work.

Great price...check it out, and he provides a full pitch maintenance service to wit.

 

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Will be using this fella for sure. The grass has already greened up with gaseous exchange created by the vertidrain,  that's fresh air around the roots replacing the stale compressed air from football and maintenance. 

 

 

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And just a few days later, greened up beautifully,  we're happy here.

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  • 1 month later...

Went down to HGMS (I think is the name) at Hayle to pick up some Weedol selective weedkiller the other day, really good stuff that, and at £31 gallon a cracking price as well, enquired about fertiliser when I was there.

Blimey, a bag of the good stuff 12.3.9+1%FE+Mg 1% for £24 a 25kg bag, perfect for the summer,  so had 7 of them for the pitch as well. 

A half hour trip well worth the making, recommend that shop to anyone.

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2 hours ago, Mrgreen said:

I think it’s BHGS. Formally known as JFC  Monro. 

Good selection of products at reasonable prices. It’s worth doing your homework first,  as over the counter knowledge can be limited. However there used to be a very knowledgable fellow called Andrew Jarmen there who is well worth having a chat with.

 

Nice one Mrgreen,  thanks.

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