TURF MANAGEMENT
EVERYONE TAKES GRASS FOR
GRANTED!
One of the ongoing nightmares for Routine maintenance will be taken
grounds staff is that the public and care of by the permanent groundstaff,
players don’t regard grass as a crop but what happens if despite all this
which needs nurturing like any other. care, sports grounds don’t drain
They expect it to be green all year properly because of their soil profile,
round and the right consistency overuse, compaction, thatch or poor
regardless of the weather. If it’s a construction? It could be time to call in
public space such as Bath Recreation a specialist groundscare contractor.
Ground, there’s no respect – it’s fair
game for camping, concerts, barbecues,
school use and dog walkers – a lovely
Wiltshire- based Ecosol Turfcare can
perform a variety of operations on
amenity but difficult to maintain. contract. These range from drainage
Regardless of their use or ownership, to end of season renovation and
sports pitches need lots of TLC from a complete pitch construction. For
dedicated groundscare team if they are pitches that are slow to drain and
truly to fulfil their intended purpose. grow, compacted or have thatch and
As well as routine maintenance, black grass It operates the unique
mowing, line marking, irrigating, Drill n Fill aerator. Its ability to gently
vertidraining and scarification, they fold back the turf, drill down to 30 cm
will need feeding in spring, autumn and with a grid of drills, take out the spoil
maybe midsummer. Often, if the site and backfill it with either pure kiln-
involves winter sports pitches, bowls dried sand or a mix of sand and soil
or cricket, they can require a complete amendment, has numerous benefits for
renovation in spring or autumn. golf and bowls greens, cricket squares,
and aeration, fertilising and reseeding
centre circles and goal mouth areas.
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Landscape & Urban Design Issue 39 2019