Technical
MONTHLY Diaries
August BOWLS
JULY will be a busy month for bowling clubs; there is usually a high demand for play, with many clubs involved in domestic competitions. Greens could well be in play on a daily basis. Coupled with the long daylight hours and warm temperatures, grass growth will be quite prolific, if there is plenty of moisture about.
July
Early in the month, continue to carry out routine maintenance tasks, mowing, verticutting, fertilising, watering to keep the green in a playable condition.
Grass growth will dictate mowing frequencies, in most cases clubs are cutting daily or on a three - four times a week regime.
Only apply fertilisers if you have significant moisture in the green, clubs that are struggling to water should refrain from applying feeds whilst the greens are dry.
Try and keep a diary of what work you have undertaken on your green, and keep records of how it has performed; take some pictures of the green and make note of any issues/problems you have.
Get into the habit of taking a number of soil core samples to monitor what is happening underground; a visual look at a soil profile will
I still see too many bowling greens that have been put under undue stress by the mere fact that the greenkeeper has, in most cases, been pressurised into cutting the green much to short (below 4mm) and rolling more frequently to increase green speed.
These practices will, in the short term, give the members what they want - fast greens. However, there is often a cost to bear for doing this. It generally comes in the form of the green suffering as grass cover begins to thin out and bare areas develop, which allow weeds and mosses to establish. Beneath the surface, the constant rolling will have compacted the soil profile, reducing the air spaces. This leads to poorer root growth, less movement of water and resulting in flooded surfaces.
Continue to carry out the regular maintenance tasks, cutting, feeding and irrigating, if required. Use wetting agents if you feel the water is having difficulty going through the surface. It is important to get the water into the roots.
A summer feed can be applied, but go for liquid rather than a granule to minimise the risk of scorching.
Later in the month, begin to plan your end of season renovations, calculate your material requirements, seed, topdressing and pre-order to prevent any delays in delivery.
You may need to hire in professional equipment, scarifiers and aerators to complete your end of seasons works.
Pitchcare’s online monthly diaries are offered as a general overview of the work required at that time of year. Here, we offer a summary of the work to be carried out in July and August (subject to weather!)
For more up-to-date information visit
www.pitchcare.com where you will find details for all sports
enable you to monitor thatch content, moisture levels and root depth.
This information will help you ascertain what work needs to be done.
On the machinery front, keep your mower clean and well serviced, check bottom blades and cylinders for sharpness.
CRICKET
JULY is seen as the busiest time of the season as we approach the half way stage, with repairs and pitch preparations in full swing. July should, hopefully, provide some favourable soil and air temperatures to finally promote some decent grass growth and, more importantly, give you the drying weather to help prepare firmer wickets.
Any recent hot, dry, windy weather may have dried out many cricket tables, with some showing signs of cracking caused by the shrinking of the clay soils. The extent of cracking will be down to the type of loam you are using; heavier clay soils tend to shrink and dry out more substantially, therefore irrigation is an important management tool. Maintaining grass cover and keeping the soils in a moist condition will help prevent the extent of cracking.
July
Uniformed irrigation of the square is important as pitches come out of use. Maintaining consistent moisture levels will help with promoting new pitches and re- establishing old strips.
Regular mowing of the square will need to be continued whilst preparing pitches. Make sure your machinery is up to the task with regular
124 PC JUNE/JULY 2012
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