According to British Seed Houses (BSH), Spring is one of the busiest periods in a groundsperson's calendar and planning ahead is absolutely essential.
After Winter has taken its toll on hard-worked pitches, its time to think about your reseeding programme, according to BSH's Richard Brown: "Think about your grass seed mixture selection well ahead of when you want to reseed. Look at the STRI list and check the qualities of each cultivar."
Choosing the exact mixture for your needs is important. One option is the BSH A20 Ryesport is a mixture of perennial ryegrasses Vesuvius, Lucius, Cadix and Carnac that offers outstanding cultivar performance, an attractive colour and excellent recovery after matches.
Brown also advises groundspeople to take time to consider their fertiliser programme: "Don't sit tight until the grass desperately needs the fertiliser - why not put some down now? Floranid fertilisers use slow release Isodur technology, converting nitrogen into ammonium and nitrates which can be used by the plant only when conditions are right for growth. So, put Floranid down before the grass is growing. As soon as the grass wants the nutrients, they will be there. Put it down early in the season - that is now, while there's not so much going on in your regular maintenance schedule, and enjoy the results when the pace of life starts to pick up!"
Paul Fiske of Aberdeen Football Club is one head groundsperson who has seen the benefits of this approach: "I've been very impressed with our training pitches during the extremely wet summer and autumn of 2009," he commented.
"The use of Floranid fertilisers in conjunction with A20 seed has not only cut costs compared to our previous use of conventional fertilisers, but also offered time savings. We have been able to significantly reduce our applications as we are getting up to 12 weeks longevity from Floranid. In the extremely wet period we've had this last six months that is remarkable. Going into a new budget year, Floranid fertilisers will certainly be at the top of my list," Fiske concluded.
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