GROUNDSKEEPING
Toro Procore , a vertidrainer and sprayers . At the training ground , Matt uses ride on and tractormounted equipment to cover the five and a half pitches - including sprayers , Toro Reelmaster 3100 mowers , a Toro Procore and a Rigby Taylor iGO line marker - marking pitches with the dilutable line marking paint , Dazzle .
Regarding pitch materials , Ewan says that Rigby Taylor ’ s Technical Sales Representative Mike Brear is an invaluable addition to the grounds team . “ Matt and I speak to Mike quite a bit , he ’ s always at the end of the phone when we need him . His product and industry knowledge is exceptional and we trust him 100 %.”
The club uses Rigby Taylor products that include the seed and its establishment , disease prevention , nutritional supplements and , according to Mike , his regular conversations with Ewan and Matt cover a proactive programme of treatment .
“ We discuss what we ’ re looking to supplement – the leaf , the roots or match recovery ,” Mike says . “ We keep an eye of the fixture list , the time of year and look at what the plant needs , not just now but in a few weeks ’ time .”
The annual nutrient and disease prevention programme at the City Ground includes Rigby Taylor ’ s Microlite premium range of NPKbalanced fertilisers , which is complemented by the Nutri-Link range of bio-stimulant liquid sprays . In addition , Ewan uses the Autumn Green Bio fertiliser in autumn and winter and applies fungicides with fertiliser application throughout the year to keep diseases at bay .
Matt follows a similar programme to ensure playing surface consistency at both venues . “ The training pitches get plenty of use from the academy under nine ’ s up to the first team players – 600-700 hours on the three academy pitches and about 350 hours on the first team pitches - so we need to keep up standards . We rely on Rigby Taylor ’ s Fine Turf Bio and Premier HG or PolyPro range of fertilisers , as well as Nutri-Link Revive and Nutri-Link Base liquid sprays , plus the Autumn Green Bio and fungicides ,” Matt says .
Ewan purchases products for both venues , in close consultation with Matt , and says that since joining the club in 2005 , he tried a lot of grass seed brands before Rigby Taylor ’ s R14 100 % Perennial Ryegrass blend and continued with this for five years before upgrading to the R140 Tetraploid and Diploid Perennial Ryegrass blend because of it ’ s robust , hard-wearing benefits .
According to Mike , doubling the number of chromosomes has given R140 tetraploid perennial ryegrasses cell-wall ‘ double glazing ’. “ The increase in cellular chloroplast boosts chlorophyll production and aids energy absorption . It works well in colder temperatures , has enhanced disease tolerance and creates a deeper , denser root mass ,” he says .
Faster establishment in a shorter renovation window was a key issue for the club this season , due to Covid-19 effects on the sporting calendar . Ewan says he was literally waiting for the last kick of last season ’ s home game so he could start work within a short six-week renovation window before the 2020 / 21 season kicked off .
Matt too had the same time constraints when renovating his three academy pitches in time for pre-season training .
“ One of the major benefits we ’ ve both found when using R140 is that it helps to establish germination quickly and offers early protection against fungi ,” Ewan says . “ In the early days , when the seed bed is very young , we don ’ t want to be going on there with a tractor or a sprayer so it gives us that extra couple of weeks ’ protection before we apply a fungicide .”
Matt was also impressed by the fact that the seed can withstand low temperatures and its tolerance to drought .
With such a short window , Ewan , Matt and the club ’ s renovation contractor , Premier Pitches , decided to go a lot lighter with the Koro , before seeding the City Ground and academy pitches – leaving them green , instead of taking them back to sand , which allowed a percentage of poa to remain in the ground ; This was controlled by brushing and verticutting after a game and boxing off the clippings to prevent them from spreading .
Ewan continues : “ R140 has already worked really well for us during renovation this year . Although we normally leave an eight- to nineweek window to create a quality playing surface , the grass has established well in just six to seven weeks , and we ’ re confident that our on-going maintenance programme will support its durability so we can continue to meet the players ’ expectations throughout the season .”
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