Schools & Colleges
mowing and feeding strategy, soon transformed the quality of the surfaces. After twelve months of working the
ground on his own Stephen asked the school to take on an apprentice groundsman, and Leigh Chapman was employed, with Stephen as his mentor. A suitable work-based sports turf course was sourced, which allowed Leigh to be on site every day working on the grounds and not in a classroom miles away.
The course began in September 2010 and, within a few weeks, both Stephen and Leigh had settled in to the one day a week course work. Each week, Stephen timed the course around the work that was actually going on at the school. Every six to eight weeks, Leigh’s assessor would come in and mark the work that he had completed. Leigh would fill out a job sheet every time he completed a task. After each task, Stephen was required to complete a witness statement, which was basically a short report on the tasks that Leigh had undertaken. These job sheets and witness statements were then assessed and added to Leigh’s course folder.
The time period allowed to complete the course was sixteen months, but Leigh managed to complete his course work in just under twelve months. In that time, he not only learned the basic skills and knowledge, but also passed his PA1 and PA6 spraying certificates.
Like most schools, the pitches at Dixie’s are in constant use, with different sports being dictated by the school terms. Football and girls hockey is played during September and October - the autumn term. Football, hockey and rugby during the winter term; football and rugby in the spring term; and football and athletics in the summer term. The pitches are rested from classes from Christmas through to early February, as the school play net ball and basket ball. The only exception is when there are matches planned. Renovation of the winter sports pitches begins towards the end of March, when Stephen will overseed using the Blec multiseeder, applying between 6-8 bags of MM60 per pitch, depending on the requirements of each pitch. The rugby grids and football grids will also be seeded at the same time. Its important for Stephen to get the seed in early whilst there is still plenty of moisture in the ground. The pitches receive a summer dressing of slow release Lebanon 20:0:5 in April, with a second dressing being applied in June or July depending on the weather conditions. As the year goes on, Stephen then applies an autumn/winter dressing of Country Club 8:4:24. After the turn of the year, a second dressing of 5:5:10 will be applied.
The pitches are generally mown two or three times a week during the growing
season using the triple cylinder mower. Twice a week the pitch surfaces are tractor brushed to keep the worm casts to a minimum. That criteria, though, has to allow for a pitch to be mown and marked out on the day of a fixture. The rugby pitches are kept at 50mm, whilst the football pitches are mown at 25mm. The direction of mowing is changed for every cut. Being soil based pitches, it is important to keep them well aerated, ensuring any surface water is able to access into the drainage system via the sand bands and primary drains. Stephen aerates every five to six weeks using the verti-drain, and weekly using the Sisis Multitine. Within this regime, he changes the tine size and operates at different depths to avoid creating a pan layer.
The school also have an artificial
cricket wicket which, when in use during the summer months, requires the outfield area to be mown at 17mm. Before the school closes for the summer break, Stephen has the ground sprayed to kill off any weed that are in the sward. After the school has closed for the summer the renovation work starts. This involves cutting down the sward, aerating with the verti-drain and topdressing, using forty tonnes of material on the senior pitches and twenty-five tonnes on the smaller pitch. The sand is brushed in three different directions, and then a second pass is
96 PC JUNE/JULY 2012
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