level and extent the spring renovation should take.
A turfgrass sward may decline for a number of reasons - lack of cultural practices, drought, weeds, diseases, shade, poor soil, neglect, abuse and over use. All natural sports turf pitches and facilities will encounter wear from play and the effects of compaction. Even on well constructed pitches and greens the re-arrangement of soil particles and the accumulation of organic matter can influence the physical performance of the surface layer in terms of its drainage and playing qualities. Spring renovation helps restore turf health and quality, rejuvenating the soil and sward after winter, thus preparing the surface for the new growing season.
Weed control
Weed control may be dealt with prior to or after spring renovation, and will be determined by the amount of weeds present in the sward and soil temperature. Treatment with temperatures below 12O
Scarifiying
During growth the grass plant produces a lot of dead material above and below ground level.
Above ground (Thatch layer): this layer of thatch can create a microclimate that is detrimental to turf, preventing water infiltration and providing ideal conditions for fungal and disease establishment.
Below ground (Mat layer): root growth involves increased biomass of the root system and, like the grass shoots above the ground, some of this new matter dies back leaving a dead mass of root material which can often prevent and restrict new root growth and affect gaseous exchange in the soil.
C will be wasted.
The best defence against weed invasion is a dense sward, thus preventing weed seedlings from germinating or getting established.
Moss/algae should be killed with herbicides before removing it by raking/scarifying. Moss can be eradicated by the application of either ‘dichlorophen’ or lawn sand containing ‘iron sulphate’. These applications need to be completed two weeks before renovations commence, thus allowing time for the chemical to work and kill off the moss/algae.
Spring renovation helps restore turf health and quality, rejuvenating the soil and sward after winter
Mowing
The grass will usually be mown prior to starting any renovation works. The purpose is to clean and prepare the grass surface. Grass growth in spring can be uneven and varied. Mowing the grass to a uniform height will help prepare an even surface for scarification and topdressing operations.
Cuttings should be boxed off; the height of cut will depend on the type of surface being prepared. For fine turf, golf greens and bowling greens the cut may be down to 5-6mm, for tennis and cricket outfields 8-12mm, football 25-30mm and rugby 35-100mm.
Cylinder or rotary mowers can be used as long as they are able to collect the cuttings.
Scarifying is the term used to remove this unwanted vegetation. There are many different ways and methods of scarifying lawns and turf surfaces. The process usually involves a raking/cutting action to clean out the thatch debris, and can be done manually using spring tine rakes or mechanically using specially designed rotorakes, verticutters and knife action machines.
It is important to validate what is trying to be achieved and what will be the consequences of overdoing it. Trying to remove too much debris is likely to scar and damage the playing surface, resulting in surface disfigurement that may affect ball role and play.
The depth of penetration for effective scarifying must be through the mat layer and into the soil. For an effective, vigorous scarifying, the blade should be at least 3 mm wide. Scarifying in two directions, at an angle of less than 90 degrees, gives the most vigorous working. Scarifying at right angles has the tendency to cause severe damage, with small squares of turf being ripped from the surface. After scarifying, the surface will require an application of top dressing materials to restore levels and to provide a bed for grass seed.
Aeration
Aeration is an important part of the renovation programme. Not only does aeration remedy any compaction problems by restoring and improving air movement in the soil profile, it also provides channels and openings for the top dressing materials to integrate, particularly if hollow coring or hollow tines have been used. The benefits of aeration are:
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