Technical
MONTHLY Diaries
April BOWLS
I STILL see too many clubs not doing enough work on their greens during the winter months. The clubs that made the effort to keep on top of basic maintenance regimes, that is to say they carried out some forms of aeration, kept their sward mown and applied some iron to help retain colour, will have a head start on those who did nothing.
Soil and air temperatures will soon rise once we get a few hours of bright March sunshine (hopefully). Surfaces will dry out, allowing you the opportunity to get on with your planned spring work.
March
Priority work for the start of the month is to aerate the green to help gaseous exchanges and increase water infiltration through the soil profile, an application of iron sulphate will help improve colour and kill any moss that has established during the winter months; some clubs apply a lawn sand to kill the moss.
You will need to ensure your mowers are ready for the start of the season, serviced and sharpened and ready to go. Check your height of cut, you do not want to be cutting too low; some clubs may even use pedestrian rotaries to help clean up the green and carry out their initial cuts.
Mowing should be more carried out more frequently now, at least 2-3 times per week. These frequencies can often be dictated by budget and the club's level of play. The height of cut should be decreasing until the optimum cutting height is achieved for the standard of play, usually between 4 and 5mm.
Do not be tempted to cut any lower, especially if members are complaining the green is too slow. Cutting below 3.5 mm is really asking for trouble. Cutting off too much leaf material will put the sward under stress. The grass plant needs its leaves to manufacture energy for growth.
Mower blades should be adjusted and checked before use, mowing too low, and with blunt blades, will affect your sward in many ways, leading to uneven surfaces and scalping. This can leave your turf grass susceptible to disease.
The bowling green playing surface will benefit from some light rolling in April. This is usually achieved whilst mowing, using the weight of the mower to achieve the desired results. Motorised turf irons (fine turf rollers) can also help prepare final levels on the playing surfaces.
The condition of the green will dictate what remedial works need to be carried out as part of your spring renovation programme. In most cases the Greenkeeper will be looking to aerate, topdress and feed his green.
CRICKET
AS we move out of winter, and with spring just around the corner, we are hoping the worst of the winter weather is behind us. With the increased daylight hours, milder weather and warmer temperatures, this should stimulate some much needed grass growth. We can now look towards to getting on with some serious business of preparing the cricket square and outfield for the forthcoming season.
March
Keep an eye out for disease and worms, spray accordingly.
Brushing or switching of the square is a must to keep any disease from attacking the sward. As soon as possible, the square must be "squared off". Check all machinery has been serviced and sharpened ready for use. Light verticutting and mowing the the square at 15- 18mm should be carried out, subject to local weather conditions.
Fertilise the square with a low nitrogen, higher potassium feed to harden the sward, NPK 6:5:10 +6% Fe would be suitable in most cases. Carry out renovation to bare areas such as ends and foot holes. Start pre-season rolling, if not already done so.
Continue with pre-season rolling. Aerate the square by sarrel rolling when finishing your
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 March and April.
For more up-to-date information visit
www.pitchcare.com where you will find details for all sports
Ensure you brush the dew off the green before cutting, this helps reduce the amount of water on the leaf blade, a dry leaf cuts better than a wet one. This can be done dragging a hose pipe, a drag mat or drag brush or a switching cane, which keeps the green clean and removes any dew or surface water. Keeping the surface dry will help stop the spread of disease. There are a number of drag mats or brushes that can be used. See the Pitchcare shop for details - brushes/ drag mats.
122 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
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