There’s really only a fag paper between the major
producers so, for us, given our tight margins, a rapidly germinating seed that turns around quickly will get my vote every time”
fence from Hotline - the best £800 I’ve ever spent, I reckon.” I stretch my leg gingerly over the fence and step on to the pitch, before Mark informs me that he only switches the power on when they leave for the day! The lush, vibrant green forms a perfect platform for, what all of football hopes will be, an upswing of fortune for Palace this season. The topdressing is still just visible - it’s another source of weeds, he says. “Seeds are imported in the mix, but an application of Vitax Green Up sorts the broad leaf stuff out.”
In terms of mowing, the applications
of Primo Maxx has cut the quantity of clippings dramatically, also encouraging
Urban foxes are kept out by an electric fence
development of the rootzone which, Mark believes, is better for the pitch over the longer-term than any need to constantly cut it very short. “When I first started here, we were taking off more than twenty boxes a cut during the growing season. We’ve halved that now - any more than ten boxes and we know we’re applying too much fertiliser.” He prefers to keep sward height to around 28mm in the summer, spraying regularly and “leaving it as high as I can get away with” - a programme that continues into winter. Slim budgets have offered scant scope for investment in new machinery, yet Mark seems content with the few
machines he retains, employing two Dennis G860s with independent cassettes for the “vast majority” of pitch work. “It’s a lightweight machine and is particularly good for football pitches as it has a minimal footprint.” A ten year old Tym T290 tractor still sees regular duty, whilst Mark spikes with a Multicore MC15 that, “despite its age, circa 1990, continues to deliver the goods.”
Other than on match days, the Palace first team and academy sides spend their time at the club’s training ground in Beckenham, some five miles south of Selhurst Park, on what was the Lloyds Bank site. Major redevelopment is set to
engineered for perfection
A first class finish …. every time
For more information on our full range of stadia maintenance equipment call 01332 824777
PROUDLY BRITISH
www.dennisuk.com 47
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