Winter Sports - Football
groundsman fashion we will have a go first, then call
“In true
someone in if we can’t fix it ourselves”
say unfortunately because the sand in our profile is extremely fine. Exeter has, in the past, been an area quarried for fine red building sand and also home to successful brickworks. To add to the problems, our subsoil is predominantly clay.” “These fine sands do compact very easily and reduce pore spaces within the profile, so we need to aerate often; usually fortnightly. Our drainage lines can easily become obstructed by the finer sands from our soil if they aren’t regularly kept open at the surface. Budget permitting, we like to dress little and often and we have some sprung tine harrows, which are extreme, but effective, and used regularly.”
On such a tight and well controlled budget, it is unlikely that Clive will ever enjoy the benefits of undersoil heating or grow lights, but is benefitting from a soil bypass drainage system installed four years ago; main drains at 3.5m centres and sand slits at 1m apart. “We only have a small 110mm output, so there is a limit to the speed at which it will drain,” he explains. “But, we have only been caught out when we experience rain of biblical proportions which, to date, has happened twice this year. We also have frost covers.” “Since the installation of our drainage system, we have approached winter maintenance differently,” Clive continues. “We now try and keep the natural soil
Renovation work is carried out in-house
fairly compact so that all rainwater finds its way into the drain lines and doesn’t get trapped in the soil between. We also put a lot of effort and thought into keeping drain lines open at the surface.” The diligence of Clive and his team has
rewarded the players with one of the better playing surfaces in the lower leagues, and this is due to the maintenance and renovation procedures in place. “As mentioned earlier, we aerate regularly. We have our own Charterhouse Verti-Drain and a Sisis slitter, and we also hire in an Imants Shockwave from Devon Garden Machinery (DGM). I like to vary types and depths.” “The pitches are cut at 25mm as our manager wants to play a passing game. This is done using a Toro 2000D or Honda rotaries in the stadium and a John Deere 3235B at the training ground, where we are responsible for a 5.5 hectare site.” “We fertilise about every three or four weeks, alternating between granular and folia as it leaches fairly quickly. I buy mainly in bulk, and usually as cheap as I can get something that suits.” Those budgets again. “We continually overseed goalmouths and linesmen’s runs if temperatures are high enough. We find that broadcasting just before a game, so the studs push the seed into the ground, works fairly well. We also have an old six foot Pattinson
scarifier which we use when we have plenty of growth. This, along with the use of our spring tine harrow, helps keep drain lines open.” “I like to give all staff every opportunity
to prove they are competent enough to undertake all tasks, although I still mark out the stadium before each game. That way, if there is a bit of a wobble, I can only blame myself,” he confirms with a smile. End of season renovations are carried out in-house. “We have to be very shrewd, resourceful and manage our budget carefully. Doing everything in-house reduces the cost significantly. “ “Last year, we fraise mowed to about 5mm depth, decompacted with the Shockwave and then overseeded and topdressed. In truth, I don’t believe we removed enough of the surface, as we had plenty of poa annua regrowth. So, this year, we will be looking to go deeper. We did find that the poa doesn’t like growth retardants and a scarify soon after, so we will be trying that again this next year.” “I suppose our biggest concern is the possibility of play-off involvement, which would be fantastic for the club, but which would determine the start date of our renovations. The difference could be almost a month’s delay,” he reckons. “We are also a club that relies heavily on income from pre-season fixtures with higher division teams. These are generally played from mid-July, which may only
Machinery is hired from Devon Garden Machinery as required 42 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
Pop-ups in action at St James Park
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