I
t is that time of year again when I have to blow the dust off the rollers and look to start
my pre-season rolling programme. A lot of local Groundsmen ask me about pre- season rolling, when to start, how do you know when to start, how much to do, what weight of roller do you use. There are many answers to these questions, and some people would both agree and disagree with all these answers.
Karl McDermott
PRE-SEASON ROLLING AT CLONTARF
What I do tell them is that it’s a vital part of preparation for the season ahead. Many local Groundsmen over here are volunteers, and time to work on their square is limited to afternoons and weekends. I also tell them that it is a tedious, time-consuming job but, if they show some patience and self- control to stay off the square with the heavy roller once the sun comes out, they will get the kind of results they are looking for. I feel it’s really a trial and
error process. Since I’ve started working here I’ve made some mistakes, especially in my early years. I’ve made the mistake of going on the square with the roller when too wet, but, the most important thing is to learn from this. Now I take note of what rolling I do and the conditions I roll in. It’s a good
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reminder to look back on as a year is a long time to remember when you started rolling the season before.
Over the years I have learned
from experience how much to roll and when to roll. Instead of sticking to times and dates I use the experience I’ve gained. I judge by looking at the square, and feeling the square. It’s all about ‘ideal conditions’. I would hope to start rolling during the first two weeks in February. I pre-season roll up to the end of March. We always host Ireland’s first Friends Provident home match in mid April so this allows me time to prepare the match pitch. I try to roll most days but that all depends on the weather. No doubt there will be times when there is frost or constant rain, or even snow, when I may not get on the square for days. I feel little and often gets me the results I want instead of rolling for the whole day once or twice a week. It seems to put less stress on my grass as well. I also roll in as many directions as possible, avoiding rolling in the direction of play until I start wicket preparation.
This all depends on the underfoot conditions. I feel the square for moisture content. If there is any water coming up
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