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Five tips to perfect your pitches for spring
Sports pitches take a battering over winter. With months of cold weather, reduced growth, and higher than average rainfall, grass fields can end up tired, compact or patchy. This can quickly lead to muddy areas, poor grass coverage and uneven playing surfaces – all increased safety risks. The joys of unpredictable English weather!
It's not always easy to avoid damage to your sports fields, but with the right grounds maintenance approach, pitches can recover strongly, and quickly.
Here are our five top tips to getting your pitches spring- ready.
Aerate (spike) the pitch
Compact soil is one of the top killers of healthy grass and after winter rainfall and regular use, soil can naturally become dense. Aerating the turf helps to:
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Relieve surface compaction
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Improve drainage
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Allow oxygen to reach grass roots
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Stimulate strong, healthy spring growth
Aeration also prepares the surface for overseeding, helping rejuvenate worn or thinned areas caused by winter conditions.
Overseed thin or worn areas
Thicker grass is durable grass (and much better for celebratory knee slides). Overseeding helps repair winter damage by building overall grass coverage and density:
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Fill gaps in the grass
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Reduce muddy areas and slipping hazards
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Improve the visual quality of the pitch
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Boost recovery throughout the growing season
Apply fertiliser
When temperatures rise, grass growth accelerates, which makes supporting the roots with the correct nutrients essential. A balanced low-nitrogen, high-potassium fertiliser helps the turf recover from winter stress and promotes healthy new growth:
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Strengthen root systems
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Encourage growth
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Improve colour and overall turf health
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Reduce susceptibility to diseases and wear
Clear surfaces of debris and contamination
Winter typically leaves behind fallen leaves, twigs, moss and general debris that can block sunlight and trap moisture. Clearing pitches in early spring helps to:
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Restore airflow to the turf
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Reduce risk of disease and moss build-up
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Improve presentation and playability
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Prevent dead patches forming beneath debris
This is also an ideal time to assess the playing surface for any divots, scarring or high-wear areas that may need additional attention. Through clearing pitches and preventing moss growth, the need for costly scarification later down the line is greatly reduced.
Review drainage
One of the biggest challenges sports pitches face is waterlogging, and waterlogging is usually managed in one of two ways; by cancelling your game, or by playing anyway and facing the consequences later on (notably, costly damage to your pitch).
Addressing drainage solutions early will help to protect your playing surfaces as usage increases. Turf maintenance will look difference case by case, but common support involves:
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Inspect and clear existing drains
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Identify areas prone to puddling
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Slit to encourage surface drainage
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Deep decompaction where necessary
A well-planned maintenance package for your sports facilities sets your pitch up for a successful playing season, and helps recover damage left from the winter months. If you’d like a hand, some expert support or advice on your pitches, our team is always happy to help – and your pitches will thank you!
