Work began on Tuesday 26th May, which was the first opportunity once the marquee on the pitch was taken down and cleared.
The aim as always is to remove undesirable grass species by a process known as fraise mowing, which leaves a practically bare surface ready for seeding.
The process needs to be completed quickly to maximise growing time before the first pre-season friendly in the last week of July.
Day One.
As is usually the case when we are pressed for time, the weather didn't do us any favours, an inch of rain overnight meant ground conditions were marginal and the wet weather continued throughout the day. However, work did eventually get underway and despite the conditions the first pass with the fraise mower was completed.
Day Two.
A second pass with the fraise mower in the opposite direction collected bits that have been missed by the first pass and left a cleaner surface ready for seeding.
Day Three:
The pitch then was seeded using a high quality perennial rye grass mixture that we have used with some success in the past. The seed was pretreated with a special formulation of biostimulants to speed up germination and aid establishment. We normally sow seed at twice the recommended rate in order to produce a surface ready for the pre-season matches.
Day Four
The surface now seeded, the pitch was spiked using a machine called an 'Aeravator'. The Aeravator has a specially designed system that vibrates the tines as they penetrate the surface. The aim being to loosen the top 3-4 inches of the profile to aid water infiltration rates and allow grass roots to move more easily through the profile to depth. Most professional pitches are sand based and whilst this allows for better drainage, sand particles are prone to inter-packing, through over consolidation, this restricts drainage rates and makes the surface hard, the Aeravator should relieve this condition and improve player comfort and traction.
The next stage will be to apply a suitable top dressing mixture throughout the pitch which is normally carried out after the grass is established, approximately a couple of weeks before the start of the season.
