Summer Sports - Cricket
My moustache almost dropped off that night, thank goodness nothing else did!
By consolidating the load with six other
grounds, it brought the cost, including delivery, down by two pounds for each bag. Grass seed and fertiliser was also supplied, which achieved even greater overall savings. Spread with a powered topdresser, eight bags of loam per pitch completed the covering of the seed, with the whole of the square being leveled with a 3 metre Levelute. Additional loam was applied to any low areas and bowlers’ footmarks, with a sprinkling of grass seed being applied by hand in particularly deep spots, and mixed through with a Springbok rake. With rain falling that evening and a soil temperature of 16.8O all but guaranteed!
C, germination was
Sixteen days later the entire square was able to be cut in two directions with a
First time dethatch - and lots of it!
sharp, correctly set cylinder mower at a height of cut of 19mm. An inspection of the square had
revealed areas where new grass had not appeared. These areas occurred where, a few weeks earlier whilst cutting the outfield, a pipe had split on my outfield mower and had sprayed hydraulic fluid over some wicket ends. A post on the Pitchcare message board asking for advice was answered by Andy Mackay, Head Groundsman at Sussex County Cricket Club. In the past he’d had a problem with rock salt contamination on his grass and suggested I try spraying carbon on the affected spots. He suggested I contact Collier Turfcare of King’s Lynn who could supply a product manufactured by Prestige called Super Liquid Carbon. At this juncture, I must say that I wasn’t
Trusty old cyclone spreader
too hopeful of a result, as their Managing Director warned that it really needed to be applied within an hour or so of the spillage occurring to achieve maximum results. Equally, it wasn’t going to do any harm either. So, the recommended dose was duly applied, with the affected areas being oversown again and lightly topdressed a few days later. Three weeks later, still no recovery. Ah well, was worth a try!
By this time, following 68mm of rain and three frosty nights, the square was capable of ‘taking a tine’. Over the past six seasons, conditions hadn’t been conducive to getting a spiking machine on and, when they were, I couldn’t get hold of a vertical cam-action machine quickly enough, as I don’t have one in my garage.
Constructing natural and synthetic surfaces across the sports turf spectrum
Construction solutions for your worn out wickets and outfields – Kempton CC- refurbishment of existing wickets - Slough CC - drainage installation - Eversley Sports Association - full construction.
Tel: +44 (0)1256 880488 Fax: +44 (0)1256 883504
www.kestrelcontractors.co.uk Email:
info@kestrelcontractors.co.uk
90 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
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