TUAFC caught up with groundsman Julian Goldthorpe to get the next update on the pitch renovation work at Plainmoor.
“Once the guys from Inscapes had finished the sandbanding, which was putting in around one hundred tonnes into the pitch to link up the drainage, they then went onto topdressing.
“This is when they put the sand into the back of the topdresser, which is attached to the back of the tractor, and then they run that up and down the pitch to give that a nice even coating across it. They did this around three times to spread what was left of the forty tonnes.”
“After completing the topdressing, they then used a machine called a stoneraker, which has got big teeth on it, so it churns up the top soil & it mixes with the sand as well, as doing what the name of it would suggest, so you are getting a mixture.
“They are also putting it at a level so the pitch is more level than it would’ve been if they had just left it. The machine itself mixes and levels out the pitch, and then once that’s finished, they then go onto the spreading of the pre-seed fertiliser.”
“The seeding machine is a twisting disc-seeder. Inscapes do five passes of the pitch, going up and down the pitch as well as diagonal and criss-cross. This feeds the seed into the ground at a 5mm depth so the seed is already in the ground, and also levels out the pitch as well, because with the disc cutting a slight groove into it. It can become a little bit bumpy, so there is a roller behind to level it out.
“To finish the work off, they use what they call a dimple seeder, and with this they put a few bags of grass seed into it and it makes little dimples, as the name suggests! It has got a brush and a roller on it so that it makes it nice and flat ready for the germination process. It’s then left down to the weather and watering to help the grass grow ready for the pre-season friendlies!”