to elite status with qualification for the UEFA Cup after a victory over Odense BK at Villa Park on 26th July.
Another addition to the Villa team in 2006 was Jonathan Calderwood, who was appointed Grounds Manager at the stadium. Jonathan had actually worked at the club since 2002, but as Contracts Manager with the contracting company then responsible for maintaining Villa Park. His position also took in maintenance of Tranmere Rovers (for one season) and Wolves where he was voted Groundsman Of The Year in 2003. Prior to that, he spent three years as Deputy Head Groundsman at Wembley Stadium. A former Myerscough College student between 1994 and 1997, Jonathan originally hails from Clough, Nr Ballymena, in Northern Ireland where he worked as a groundsman at Glentoran FC in Belfast after leaving school in 1994. The pitch at Villa Park is built to Desso specification and was installed in 2006 as a replacement for the previous Desso Grass Master, which had been in place since 1996. The original pitch was one of the first of this specification to be used in the UK and the rootzone then used was of very fine particle size which, unfortunately, compacted very readily. “There wasn’t anything wrong with the old pitch in terms of wear and tear,” says Jonathan, “but the severe soil compaction meant that replacement was the only option. The new version uses a coarse, virtually pure, sand rootzone and required an intensive trace element package application every four weeks for the first two years to build up nutrient values in the inert rootzone material as supplied.” Jonathan is a big fan of the Desso system, but is keen to stress that good maintenance practices are essential to get the best out it. “It’s like owning a Ferrari, you have to be able to afford to fuel and service it otherwise it is soon running off tune and won’t perform at peak
levels” he says.
The end of season renovation begins with stripping out all of the natural grass species. This generally requires approximately eight passes to avoid disturbing and damaging the precious Desso sythetic fibres, which are intentionally left in place. “We bring in contractors to do the specialist work as they have the correct specifically designed machinery. You don’t want to use anything too brutal or the fibre strands will be ripped out, we trust the guys and leave it to them in theory, however, in practice, I always make sure I’m here to oversee every operation” says Jonathan laughing. The Desso pitch at Villa consists of over 20million artificial grass fibres which are injected to 20cm depth. This still only represents 3% of the total grass area, so that 97% of the turf will be natural species, but three times more durable than 100% grass. After the natural Perennial Ryegrass and old topdressing has been removed from the surface and hauled away by trailer, the pitch is re-dressed with 80 tonnes of pure Mansfield Sand. This is followed by Verti-Draining and then drag brushing to incorporate the sand into the newly created holes. An 8:12:8 pre-seed fertiliser is then applied together with a calcium based PH correction formulation to maintain levels at 6.5. The next process is overseeding with a 100% perennial rye mix using a dimple seeder sowing in three directions. Jonathan doesn’t like to see the seed establishing in rows and feels it looks unsightly. “The ideal scenario would be to use a dimple seeder in conjunction with a disc seeder to get maximum even establishment” he says. After twelve days mowing commences at 35mm cutting height and an application of granular 12:0:12 is applied, as nutrients leach quite readily in the predominantly sand rootzone. A week later the grounds staff are applying a slow release 19:5:18 to boost establishment and encourage
The old grass and topdressing is stripped out in eight passes
Only the Desso fibres are left before topdressing
The debris is removed
Cleaning synthetic surfaces? We’ve got it covered!
Keeps synthetic turf infill clean, germ free and porous
encouraging water penetration Verti-Top ® HAS IT COVERED
Uses a rotary brush to collect debris and some infill, separates and filters the infill material and returns it clean to the sward of the carpet
Uses a fixed brush ensuring even redistribution of the returned material
Verti-Broom™ Verti-Brush™ Verti-Groom™
Call for more information and your free demonstration 01428 661222 or visit
www.charterhouseturfmachinery.co.uk
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