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WINTER’S Tale


Anthony Asquith, head groundsman at Chapel Allerton (and occasional contributor to the Pitchcare message board) takes us through his winter regime


WITH spring nearly upon us, we are looking forward to the new grass court season. This year we will be hosting the Yorkshire Championships, the Yorkshire veterans and our traditional club tournaments. The grass courts are open from May to September for around 10 hours per day and are in “high demand” especially during the Wimbledon fortnight. We have 8 grass tennis courts which we maintain to a high standard offering our members a consistent playing surface throughout the season. During the winter period (October -


January) we managed to aerate the courts once a fortnight to a depth of 125mm to help improve soil porosity. By opening up the clay soils we can encourage some early season root growth. However, deep aeration after January


can often lead to problems, namely rootbreaks or poor ball bounce. These problems occur when the clay soils begin to dry out. The shrinking and swelling characteristics of clay will soon find any weaknesses in the soil profile, and aeration holes are a likely source of weakness, hence we do not aerate after January. We still carry out regular sarrel rolling (shallow spiking 30-40mm) to keep the playing surface free draining. I also applied a chelated iron supplement once a month throughout the cooler months to


The sward at Chapel Allerton is a mixture of pure ryegrasses, Sauvignon and Elka which are top cultivars used for tennis, they are both hard wearing and recover quickly. Ryegrasses are very tough grasses to cut cleanly, mower blades should be kept sharp and regularly maintained. Depending on the weather, throughout February and March the height of cut is reduced in 1mm increments on a weekly basis until we reach our playing height of 8mm. Rolling commences once conditions


harden the plant and to act as a weak fungicide/turf tonic. The chelated iron works by entering the plant through the stomata in the leaves and not directly through the soil as some products do. I maintain the sward at 14mm cutting as and when required, keeping the grass at a uniform height, trying to keep some uniform leaf cover that allows the plant to maximize photosynthesis, carbon fixation and chlorophyll synthesis during the winter months.


produce an “open growth habit”, thus crowning could occur if sowing is too sparse. I then apply a small amount of top dressing to restore levels. A recent soil analysis highlighted a Ph of 5.2, which is too low for a ryegrass based sward. I have been aware of this issue for a couple of years and have been applying a calcium nitrate product to gradually increase the Ph by a point per season. I make two applications, one in spring and another in autumn. Care must be taken as nitrates could


potentially harm both the plant and cause pollution if applied incorrectly; nitrates are immensely mobile and can leach out of soils easily. Generally, we do not apply any granular


feeds after April, we prefer foliar feeds where we have better control over the performance. Granular fertilizers can remain dormant in the soil profile, and can suddenly initiate a flush of growth when you are least expecting it, or wanting it. During the last couple of years I have been introducing more eco-friendly feeding programmes, using organic natural products such as seaweed extracts. I am trying to reduce the amount of inorganic products such as pesticides and toxins being used at Chapel Allerton. The seaweed products have improved


allow ie when the soils are in a plastic or malleable state. Rolling in the wrong soil conditions, too wet or too dry, will not achieve the desired affect. Our aim is to “draw up moisture from depth” and release trapped water in the soil. If this is not done correctly severe cracking could develop and courts will not play well. Of course rolling on tennis courts is not as important as it is in cricket but at the same time we are looking at smoothing out all aggregations and air pockets by the action of rolling until the soils reach their full binding strength. This is enhanced when you have a good root growth that helps bind the clay soils together. Spring renovations consist mainly of


overseeding to fill out any weak or sparse areas. We begin by using the sarrel roller to produce a seed bed, I overseed at double the recommended rate as ryes


my root growth by 50mm in the last couple of years which, in turn, has improved plant health dramatically. There has been less plant disease and I have been able to maintain good vigour and colour throughout the season. I have also improved water movement through our soils by the use of wetting agents which I apply once a month between April and August. Verticutting is carried out from April once a week until the opening of the season, this helps keep the sward open and clean. We stop this operation once play starts to prevent plant stress. Our preparations have been going very


well so far, but I am always wary because, in this country, bad weather can strike at any time. Snow in April is not unheard of and downpours in May can occur, which can undo all the good work we have achieved in winter and spring. There is never a time when we can relax and take things for granted. From now on, as always, we are at the mercy of the elements.


Days OFF!


... or what Pitchcare readers get up to out of office hours


RICHARD WHYMAN, Chairman of BIGGA: I don’t suppose I’ll get many days off this year! Having been involved with the industry for over 30 years I consider it a great honour to be the Chairman of BIGGA and in a position where I can continue to promote the growth and sustainability of golf in the UK. During my year I want to continue the emphasis on education. My driving ambition is to keep youngsters coming into greenkeeping, offer them more educational opportunities and encourage them to become active within the BIGGA structure. My own career began way back in the mid 1970’s working at a number of courses. I then managed to settle down and spent 18 years at Bude and North Cornwall Golf Club before taking up my current post at Burnham and Berrow in Somerset. I have always been stunned by the comradeship we have in our industry. It’s always been close-knit, and especially down in Devon and Cornwall, we keep in touch with one another and are able to help out whenever needed. I have been married for 25 years, to Denise, and have two grown up children. My son, Andrew, has decided to follow me into the golf industry and has been learning the ropes at DeVere's Carden Park and studied at Cannington College, and my daughter Nikki has just finished university at Exeter where she studied history and society. Away from golf my main passion is football. I have been an active Leeds United fan for many years and travelled from Bude to Leeds to watch as many home games as I could. Even my son is an avid supporter, we’ve had some great times following them, despite some lean years recently! Actually, I enjoy watching most sports and tune in to Sky sport whenever I’m at home. I don’t know whether it would qualify as a Day’s Off activity but I do like my food, particularly a nice steak. Other than that I tend to be committed to golf.


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