Full TGIF Record # 113101
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Web URL(s):https://stri.lib.msu.edu/vol69-1993/pdf/sptri93069133.pdf#page=3
    Last checked: 07/28/2006
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https://stri.lib.msu.edu/vol69-1993/sptri93069133.html
    Last checked: 9/14/2006
    Notes: Available to TGIF and STRI users
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Publication Type:
i
Report
Content Type:Q & A
Corporate Author(s):Sports Turf Research Institute
Title:Wet hockey pitch
Section:Enquiries and replies
Other records with the "Enquiries and replies" Section
Source:Journal of the Sports Turf Research Institute. Vol. 69, 1993, p. 135.
Publishing Information:Bingley, West Yorkshire, UK: The Sports Turf Research Institute
# of Pages:1
Question:"We share our hockey pitch with the local cricket club, being partially sited within the boundary of the outfield. Since the heavy rains of August and September the pitch has remained wet and virtually waterlogged through the section taking up part of the cricket field. What is the cause of our drainage problem and can we solve it without resorting to the introduction of a costly pipe drainage scheme?"
Answer/Response:"Compaction is a significant feature in the soil profile, the native soil is a light sandy loam which would otherwise have good drainage qualities. We understand that the cricket and hockey clubs have rolled the outfield and pitch regularly in the past and this is certainly a major factor in the boggy condition of the hockey pitch and even wetter condition where it cuts across the outfield. In addition, moisture is retained in a dense fibre layer, promoted by a sward dominated by bentgrass and a dearth of regulatory maintenance, e.g. aeration, in the past. The combination of compaction and fibre is promoting shallow rooting and a sward prone to drought and lifting of large divots. To improve matters it is essential to reduce compaction as this the primary cause of your problems. If the pitch dries out enough to allow you to take machinery onto it then hollow tine now, sweeping off the cores to lift a proportion of the water-holding fibre. Plan to Verti-Drain at the end of the winter playing season to alleviate compaction at depth. Slit tining through the hockey season, together with scarifying the pitch spring and autumn, will help limit future compaction and fibre development. Keep rolling down to the absolute minimum and if deemed necessary, use a lightweight roller, such as a large 900 mm (36") mower with cutting cylinder drive disengaged. Alternatives to promoting a smooth surface for play would be a chain harrow or even better, a tractor-mounted brush/rake or sweeper/scarifier combination, implements which will restore pitch condition following play without inducing compaction. Ensure that adequate aeration is carried out in future to compensate for any rolling before significant compaction develops. The introduction of a drainage scheme may prove necessary in the future, depending a great deal on the amount of play the ground receives and your response to our advice."
Keywords:TIC Keywords: Compaction; Drainage improvement; Field hockey pitches; Recommendations; Rolling; Sports turf maintenance; Waterlogging
Language:English
References:0
ASA/CSSA/SSSA Citation (Crop Science-Like - may be incomplete):
Sports Turf Research Institute. 1993. Wet hockey pitch. J. Turfgrass Sports Surf. Sci. 69:p. 135.
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Web URL(s):
https://stri.lib.msu.edu/vol69-1993/pdf/sptri93069133.pdf#page=3
    Last checked: 07/28/2006
    Requires: PDF Reader
    Notes: Available to TGIF and STRI users
https://stri.lib.msu.edu/vol69-1993/sptri93069133.html
    Last checked: 9/14/2006
    Notes: Available to TGIF and STRI users
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MSU catalog number: SB 433 .A1 S63
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