ROLL O


Frequency/intensity:


Perhaps the best and possibly the most contentious question to answer about pre-season rolling is: “When do I start?” In my experience the best time to start pre-season rolling is when there is a period of sustained spring growth. This is because, on a typical soil during winter, soil moisture is maintained at, or near field capacity. Although excess rainfall / water is removed by gravity (gravitational water) there is insufficient


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uptake by dormant grass roots to extract significant amounts of water held in the soil (capillary water) until there is growth. As the turfgrass begins to grow it removes the capillary water from the soil to the extent of its roots, taking the rootzone from field capacity towards wilting point, thus drying the soil. This creates air spaces within the soil profile that can subsequently be consolidated; water cannot be consolidated! Therefore, initial pre-season rolling is only necessary when there is growth.


If the weather turns cold again, there is less water extraction (transpiration) and therefore less need to roll. The frequency or intensity of rolling should reflect plant growth until the wicket is sufficiently consolidated.


This policy of matching growth with consolidation would mean that less rolling is needed on cold days with low transpiration rates, than on warm days with greater transpiration rates. If it rains during the pre-season it’s worth considering that the rate at which


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