Football pitch maintenance and management

Football Pitch Maintenance: FAQ 13. How much water do we need to put on the pitch at renovation time? advert image shown if present
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This will depend on how much rainfall is also occurring, but the aim will be to ensure adequate and rapid germination takes place.

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Football Pitch Maintenance: FAQ 14. How much line marking paint is needed to mark out a pitch? advert image shown if present
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This does depend on the make and type of material, whether an initial mark out or an overmarking of an existing but worn or faded line, the thickness of the concentrate, the density of required line, as well as the actual dilution rate used.

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Football Pitch Maintenance: FAQ 15. Can I roll the pitch? advert image shown if present
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The quick answer is well you can do anything you like, however, whether it is the right thing to do is another matter altogether. In general terms the answer is no.

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Football Pitch Maintenance: FAQ 16. What’s the best sequence of fittings for a combination implement? advert image shown if present
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These implements typically consist of a shallow slit tine aerator, metal tined rake for light surface scarification, a light roller and a plastic bristle brush.

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Football Pitch Maintenance: FAQ 17. Should I use a cylinder or rotary mower to cut our pitch? advert image shown if present
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This will depend on what you have available. Both can be used to good effect on a football pitch, in particular where a rotary mower also has a rear roller to provide stripes the presentation can look very similar to that of a cylinder cut pitch.

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Football Pitch Maintenance: FAQ 18. How often should we aerate the pitch over the winter? advert image shown if present
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This does depend very much on soil moisture content because if the soil is quite moist to wet then the main result will be smearing and compaction taking place.

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Football Pitch Maintenance: FAQ 19. What can I do about earthworm casts? advert image shown if present
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The main physical activity is to use a drag brush (typically 1.8-2m wide plastic bristled brush) or power brush (such as the Redexim Top-brush, which is a 3x2m wide PTO driven rotating brush) when the casts are dry as this helps disperse them.

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Football Pitch Maintenance: FAQ 20. Do we need a soil test before buying our fertiliser? advert image shown if present
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Not necessarily, but it is beneficial to know some characteristics about your soil as this can help inform on what is most likely needed rather than just guess work.

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