Jimmy Lea and Sam Newton
are heavily raked to loosen the soil and then sown and lightly topdressed. For larger divots, pre-grown grass is placed in the divot holes and lightly pressed in, applying a small amount of pre-seed fertiliser and keeping the areas moist to encourage germination.
Renovation
This is is the most important time of year and sets the standard for the whole of the following season. Renovation begins the week following the last game of the season, usually mid- September. Firstly, the square is deeply scarified in at least two directions. When Jimmy arrived a few years ago the square was suffering from a deep thatch problem. To combat this the whole
square was hollow tined at differing depths, this was repeated annually until the thatch was reduced to an acceptable level.
Loam containing only 28% clay is used to aid drainage, which has become an issue during the recent wet summers. Currently, Jimmy has a problem with saddles on the square. Due to the limited funds available, for the past two years the saddles have been repeatedly hollow tined, rolled and tined, with the aim to diminish them over a period of time. After the square is tined it is overseeded with a perennial ryegrass mix and then topdressed. The square is then dragmatted to provide as even a surface as possible.
Winter work
Out of season, soil samples are taken to determine the nutrient levels and balance in the soil, which allows the correct amount of fertiliser to be applied. The square is vertidrained in mid- November to ease the existing layering problem, relieve the summer’s compaction and introduce some much need oxygen into the soil profile. Weather permitting, the square is mown and kept to a height of approximately 15mm.
Again, weather permitting, light rolling may commence in late February. The heavy roller is only employed 2-3 weeks prior to the commencement of the season. Rolling is always performed in a
CASORON GONE ... A
Residual weed control in amenity areas
fter many years of ‘one size fits all’ residual weed control, using dichlobenil granules, everything changes this year
for the management of weeds in amenity areas. Casoron, and its variants, has now gone. This popular product has been extensively used in many different situations including ornamental shrubs, fence lines, around tree bases and street furniture and even cemetery headstones, not to mention aquatic weed control. Not any longer! Many larger users have relied on just two herbicides, dichlobenil and glyphosate, simply buying and using these in large volumes without needing to think much about the job in hand or needing advice on how to use the products effectively. Winter applied dichlobenil has provided residual protection for many months and dealt with smaller seedling weeds. Glyphosate has been used to clean up and deal with deep- rooted perennials, ‘spot’ treating the problems that dichlobenil did not control. From now on, a choice of alternative products is available, but this will require
planning, expert advice on how, when and where to use them, and a change in operating methods. The overall application of a granule that drops to the ground through shrubs without causing them problems has gone, so spray application by knapsack sprayer, CDA or ULV lances will become much more necessary. Some herbicides, such as glyphosate, are highly systemic so, in circumstances where work in or under shrubs is more necessary, glufosinate ammonium (Finale) may be a better and safer choice. Older residuals like propyzamide (Kerb) can be used, perhaps in tank mix with other products such as isoxaben, metazachlor, oxadiazon (Ronstar liquid) or glufosinate ammonium (Finale). Choices will depend on whether treatment
is to existing clean ground, the weed spectrum present - which could include difficult weeds such as couch grass (Elymus Repens) - and the soil type.
In that respect, the fashion of applying large amounts of bark mulch to shrub beds can be a problem. Many residual herbicides simply won’t work in organic soils or on organic matter. If residual control is limited or fails, then there are specialist products such as Panarex (quizalofop-P-tefuryl) that are highly selective and can deal with couch grasses during the growing season by foliar application. Product mixes are a minefield, so an on site meeting with your BASIS
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