bit of rain so I decided to spike the square. I have a Groundsman 460 SDR which was fitted with new 5” long 7/16th diameter solid tines. The 460 has four arms, each carrying two tines at about 3” centres. Within seconds I was in trouble. The spiker simply lifted blocks of turf up above the marl layer. I removed every other tine and tried again with the same result. Maybe I should have gone for the Koro option. I abandoned the spiker, deciding to try again in late October when the new grass was
established and we had had more rainfall. I hired the heavy duty scarifier off the ECB trailer. It only costs £20 for the day. The square was scarified in four directions. The first three passes at an angle to the direction of play to a depth of 6mm. The final pass in the direction of play to about 10mm. It was amazing the amount of rubbish that came out. Once all this was cleared up, I overseeded with four 25kg sacks of Bar Extreme which was drag brushed into the grooves. Next, the square was top dressed with 160 bags of Kettering loam. I did not use fertiliser at this stage as I believed there was sufficient nutrients in the
existing soil and the new loam to get the young shoots going, preferring to apply it two weeks later when the seed has germinated. Three weeks later I had a fully grassed square. We had had some steady rainfall resulting in a good even germination, even though the local pigeons had put on weight. The square was cut at 1” in various directions throughout the winter to encourage tillering. I started spiking again in the middle of October, again with only four tines. By now we had had considerable rainfall. Although there were areas where the turf lifted, it never actually broke free. The idea is that the roots will travel down the tine holes pinning the layers together so that, each time you spike, the situation should improve, eventually resulting in all the layers being mixed together. The spiking continued at fortnightly intervals until the end of December, by which time there was no evidence of the turf lifting, although I never tried with all eight tines in. On Christmas Eve I sprayed the square with sulphate of iron. As well as giving the grass a tonic, it gets rid of any moss that might be trying to establish itself.
The third week in February, I gave it another application of winter fertiliser. Through the winter I serviced and sharpened all the mowers, which were in a really bad state. It is amazing how much difference a properly set mower makes. All the rubbish was removed and the seats were either repaired or renewed. By the start of the new season, the ground and particularly the square looked really good. It is now Autumn and the season is over. The pitches have played really well with good even bounce. The average first innings score has been 250 and this has normally been knocked off by the team batting second. The pitches have been a bit on the slow side but I am confident this will improve each year. I have just finished the autumn renovations, which have gone really well, and I managed to spike with all eight tines fitted with no sign of the turf lifting.
Whether the outcome would have been better if I had gone for the Koro option, I don’t know but I am happy with the outcome and the comments from the players have all been favourable.
“the local pigeons had put on weight”
Days OFF!
... or what Pitchcare readers get up to out of office hours
TREVOR LEDGER, Freelance journalist and all round good guy (he reckons): Since getting fired off GCNi back in January (narrow squeak there, lucky escape) I’ve had quite a lot of days off. It might be quicker, in fact, to write about what I do on my ‘day on’. But there it is, days off have been forced upon me and I have had to endure the dreadful prospect of walking the dogs along Kingsbarns beach in the sunniest summer on record. Dreadful business but save your pity, Job had it worse... Occasionally (about twice a week) I have also had to play golf on some of the finest links courses in the world. Again it’s a bit of a bugger I know but I must take my punishment for being so stupid as to edit the best golf trade paper and refusing to dumb it down. If only I could be paid while enduring such hardships I would be happy with my days off. While taking my golf medicine I rather foolishly tried to get my handicap up to a more jocular level prior to friends coming up for a golf fest round Aberdeen. The plan was to reach 16 or 17 so that, for the first time ever, I would receive shots from my brother in law. Unfortunately, those particular days off proved to be wasted as I was cut to 11, a level at which I struggle to compete. Disgusted with the iniquity of it all, I have taken to other activities that might prove more profitable; relating to the public for Keith Kensett and his beloved Graden machinery, writing freelance articles for anyone with a few bob spare and taking photographs that people are actually paying money for. Folding money at that, splendid. What else on my days off? Trying to ‘cleak’ lobsters from under rocks at low-tide - limited success and very messy; looking after my family - by moaning at them mostly; designing gardens for friends - no money but an opportunity for free lunch and beers; walking round mountains - and trying to avoid climbing up them; trying to learn more about God - and realising that he is very, VERY big.
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