TER SCALE
dry summers and cold winters with heavy frosts, the average rainfall is only 400mm per year.
The farm is equipped with good
overhead irrigation systems. Water is drawn from local wells and fed from a central pump station through a sub- surface piped network to service the whole 700 hectare farm. The overhead linear systems used in Slovakia are not affected by wind and use smart technology to keep movement stable over a length of 400 linear metres. The turf plots are grown in 100
hectares, and there are three independent systems to water the fields.
The particularly long and hot summer of 2006 meant that the irrigation was in near constant use. Generally, water is not normally used
excessively, instead the plant is asked to develop an excellent root system to cope well with drought. Although the indigenous rootzone is
exceptional, for the football turf further sand is added. On newly cultivated ground prior to seeding, silica sands are added to improve the rootzone. Through extensive testing this mix is about as good as you can get without adding artificial fibre. The drainage rates sit nicely within the European Din Norm standards. The field is cultivated
and prepared for seeding, rates on the new fields are very low, preferring time for plants to naturally colonise the spaces using the rhizomes to create new plants. This gives the grass space and time to get an optimum sward of strong healthy plants.
The field, whilst maturing, is then
regularly topdressed with special silica sands to optimise shear strength and further stabilise the rootzone mix. On average the sportsturf is topdressed with around 8mm of sand during the two years of growing. Alex believes that his company was the first to start topdressing fields with 100% silica sand, enabling top quality sports grade turf for football and golf. As well as topdressing, intensive care
is taken with the premium turf in terms of annual scarifying, and interim verti- cutting to reduce thatch build up and promote a healthy upright growth habit. The Ph on the fields is an optimum 6.6 and turf is fertilised infrequently using low levels of nutrients. The philosophy is to allow the plant to be adept around low nutrition levels and, therefore, be able to establish quickly when laid in a new environment after harvest. Adding more nutrients would force cell building and provide a weaker plant structurally. While all landscape and garden turf
is grown more as quick cash crop, on 12-month turnaround, the sports turf ideology is to provide well-established turf that has had natural time to reach its optimum. This is important for stadium turf as it is usually harvested to go into a difficult environment. All the turf species used are specifically chosen for drought and shade tolerance. Loretta was actually found nearby in a local village.
The company have invested in good machinery and can lay big roll turf 122cm wide. They also harvest 75cm and small roll at 40cm wide. There is further investment due for harvesting equipment, and next year new office buildings and staff facilities as well as a new barn to store more equipment will be constructed. The proof of Alex’s philosophy is
already on view at many major stadiums across Europe, where his winter sports turf stands up well to increased use and harsh stadium environments.
Right: Alex Richter
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