Winter Sports
Close-up of the Villa sward
too brutal, or the fibre strands will be ripped out.” “The Desso pitch at Villa consists of over twenty million 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, the pitch is re-dressed with 80 tonnes of sand to match the rootzone. This is followed by vertidraining and dragbrushing to incorporate the sand into the newly created holes. An 18:22:5 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 ryegrass mix, using a dimple seeder sowing in three directions. Jonathan doesn’t like to see the seed establishing in rows. “The ideal scenario would be to use a dimple seeder in conjunction with a disc seeder to get maximum even establishment,” he says. “After eight days, we begin mowing at 35mm, and apply a granular 12:0:12 fertiliser, as nutrients leach quite readily in the predominantly sand rootzone.” “We’ve been using DLF Johnson’s
Premier seed mix for a number of years and are really happy with its performance. It retains a good winter colour and recovers well. It stands up well to the hard wear of an intensive programme of fixture and training sessions.” “We have perfected our own way of managing our playing surfaces. I’m no longer so paranoid about grass cover, and am more focused on playability - speed, trueness and traction. Yes, colour and
Smaller goalmouth rigs
presentation is still high on the agenda, but other criteria come first.” Lighting rigs, targeted feeding
programmes that also include a number of other applications of products, such as growth retardants, bio stimulants, fungicides and trace elements, along with traditional cultural practices - brushing, aeration and mowing - help produce the quality of pitch the modern player requires. “There is no one thing that makes a good pitch,” suggests Jonathan. “It is about managing all the components and resources effectively, and not being afraid to try new methods of maintenance and application of products. That’s where the training ground comes in handy, as any new methods can be trialed there first.” The club have invested in Stadium
Grow Lighting (SGL) costing around £350,000, which allows good turf growth conditions and makes overseeding possible in the winter months. The system is used from mid October until March or April, depending on conditions. “We have six SGL MU360 lighting rigs, along with smaller rigs for the goalmouths, which allows us to cover one third of the pitch at any one time,” explains Jonathan. “They are left on for two days, before moving to the next position, therefore the grass gets a four day break before it gets the next dose of light. We need to be careful not to overdo it, it’s all about getting the balance right. If they are overused, the plant can become overworked and weakens the sward.”
Jonathan logs on to the SGL website to monitor the amount of light other clubs are using. “I’m often surprised to find that they can be utilising them three times the amount that we do at Villa, but
understand that no two stadiums are the same in terms of shade and light and, along with local weather conditions, the groundsmen will have done their homework to suit the needs of their own pitch.”
“One of the major factors that has to be considered with these lighting rigs is storage. We have to store ours in the car park, and the only access onto the pitch is by taking them down the road, which takes up a lot of time. This, in turn, can reduce the time available before and after matches.” “The lights, used in conjunction with all the other practices, have certainly helped produce a better sward,” explains Jonathan. “Using them also means that, even in winter, the grass plant needs feeding just as regularly, so we’ve formulated a regime that provides the right amount of essential nutrients to keep the grass performing throughout the year. Regular soil analysis tests are taken to monitor nutrient status, and appropriate products are applied. These are centred around a slow release base feed, topped up with additional granular and foliar feeds.” “During the main growing season, something like a 12:0:12 is applied every two to three weeks, depending on growth levels, plus further doses of 19:5:18 every eight weeks. In addition, a bio-stimulant liquid is sprayed onto the pitch, at efour- week intervals. To balance fertility, we use a STEP trace element package every three months.”
The mowing height is gradually
lowered to 21mm for the start of the season, and the fertiliser programme changes, in the autumn, to applications of conventional 7:0:14 every 14-21 days, and a 15:0:28 slow release formulation every
Six SGL MU360 rigs cover one third of the pitch, which are moved every forty-eight hours
68 PC APRIL/MAY 2012
Honda rotaries are used
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