Message Board - Natural Turf: pitch renovation

9 May 2003 by no idea

pitch renovation

What the best type of overseeder to buy?

9 May 2003 by Scorer

goal mouth

What the best method to renovate a worn goalmouth on an ametuer pitch

10 May 2003 by pete

best method

i find the best method on any sports pitch renovation is to pay a qualified groundsman to do the job that way you get a good job done

10 May 2003 by jon

best method

my dear pete, there have been many, many instances when you have posted answers similar to that wonderful chestnut above! Professional, helpful, qualified, considerate, high profile groundstaff throughout the country probably check this site every day and see if there are any of your woefully retarded answers which are driven by bitterness and ignorance,keep up the good work and keep us helpful souls laughing, in this far too serious world.xxxxxx.

10 May 2003 by pete

method

so u think it is ok for unqualified people to do a groundsmans work groundsmanship is a trade unfortunately many people see it as a hobby or just the same as doing the lawn at home . They think there is not much skill involved and that they can do an adequate job by just reading what to do. If these same people wanted to fix their car or build a wall they would call on the services of a mechanic or brickie . The sooner we are recognized as professional tradesman the better so I dont agree with giving professional advice to people who are unwilling to employ a professional groundsman.

11 May 2003 by Dave

advice

anybody for some book burninglove thegood cop bad cop routine

11 May 2003 by Kyle

repairs

Given the personal vindictiveness of some members, I would suggest that someone at least offers some good advice, otherwise you'll have no grass in your goalmouth come start of season. Most of the country in most sports is reliant on volunteers to provide sport for the many, while there are moves afoot to change this, it will not happen overnight, and I fo one am not prepard to have lesser quality pitches because of the 'tell em nowt' brigade. I would suggest that Pete is worried about others learning a little more than him thus putting his own job at risk-or maybe he just doesn't have any knowledge to answer in the first place. For the benefit of 'no idea' and all those others who require some free help and advice................
Turn it over with a fork or rotovator, making sure to get in to a good depth. add sand or topsoil if required to build up to level and mix thoroughly. firm with feet and rake area removing any stones. Once consolidated, seed with an appropriate rye mix and water in. To keep area from drying out use polythene or hessian and keep area damp. remove sheets once grass germinates, but for the next couple of weeks make sure the area doesn't dry out. DO NOT TURF-it doesnt do as good a job as a properly cultivated/seeded area.

12 May 2003 by pete

advice

well done kyle i like your angle on it giving bad advice well done

12 May 2003 by dog

eat dog eh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kyle I agree with some of your points but not all.
This is fact pete, what is bad about kyles advice? he has touched a sore nerv YES are you worried the lawn man will be better than you and be after your job!! there are many like you pete. Like your term for them Kyle "tell them nowt brigage" what is the problem pete scared? I thought that is what this site was set up for help others that need help and advise. see what others do and gain from what they do and improve your site. if you cant pete may be just may be this is the wrong place for you to come. or YOU may not like kyle ???

12 May 2003 by pete

advice

Ive no problem giving advice and have given advice many times on this site what i am against is the club secretary that looks to save money by not employing a groundsman in the first instance . As for me being scarred of someone taking my job that is a hard thing to happen as i run my own company and employ other groundsman I very often go out of my way and consult at small clubs and grounds free of charge and encourage these places to employ groundsmen thats what i do to try and promote our growing industry tell me what u do if anything?

14 May 2003 by no idea

pitch renovation

Thanks for all your comments, Let me explain a bit further I manage a boys team who have a kick around at the weekends on our local council pitches, the council come along at the end of the season and chuck a bit of soil into the goal mouth and a bit of seed and rake thats it no forking or or anything after a weekends weeks play it turns to mud and we are back to a crap pitch again, so i was wondering if any proffesionals could help, unforunatley there does not seem to be any here!!!

14 May 2003 by pete

help

even if the council carried out a proper renovation playing on the renovated areas afterwards would still turn them to mud

14 May 2003 by Dave

agree

quite right pete but i think he means at the start of the season. i could be wrong

14 May 2003 by Peter (I say) Peter Craig

Same old pete, same old chip.

The paragraph below has been copied and pasted from a contribution I made in January this year. If pete insists on saying the same old thing then I will too. I repeat-pete!
So you want this site to be available only to the professional groundsman who knows it all.
There is no such person, and what is good about this site is that ANYONE can access it for advice. There are probably twice as many enthusiastic volunteer "groundsmen and women" in this country as there are professionals. Without them amateur sport would not exist. It is great that these people can talk to sports turf maintenance professionals like us who can help the amateur produce better surfaces on mostly zero budgets.
If you don't know the answer, ask someone who does. That's what I have done throughout my career and will continue to do, because, unfortunately I DON'T know it all.Do you Pete?

15 May 2003 by pete

re peter

no one know it all and im all for volunteer groundsman who do a great job its the comitees and club secretaries who pick up bits of information and use it against theire groundsman or try do the work themselves to save paying groundsmen thats what i am against

15 May 2003 by pete

re peter

i dont mind answering questions but sometimes you get the question like how can i mark out a rugby pitch or how do i open a bag of grass seed these types of questions are not from other groundsmen and are usualy from people trying to cut out the role of the groundsman

16 May 2003 by Dave

agree

compelling though, isnt it peter

16 May 2003 by Phil

oh my

I am an amateur groundsman, doubling up as Stadium Manager, matchday preparation,and any other jobs we care to find, as well as being on the board of directors. Clubs in the past have paid little attention to their pitches, instead paying layers, etc. I have been chipping away at this for sometime and gradually the club are turning more to the side of pitch renovation. I do not know much but I listen and learn and have this year produiced an excellent surface with some 25 finals being played over the past month with little sign of wear apart from the goalmouths and centre circle area's. All this was achieved with some good advice, and some hard work from volunteers. we are now currently spending around £1800 during our close season programme with much of the money being spent through a salesman who gave us advice when we had no money and both he and our club are now prospering as a result. In closing I am just trying to put an amatuers view over and what can be achieved with good advice being given from some very helpfull fulltime people in the trade and via this website. Carry on with that attitude Pete and you nice little nest egg may find itself under the title 'closed for business'. I hope it does not happen but if it does take a good look at your attitude. Lastly thank you to all that do help us mere amatuers out.

17 May 2003 by i

Think

hi just thought i would add my little bit to this debate! well it started as that and now has ended up as the same old s--t! Blame culture that seems to have grown and swamped our great trade. over the last few years that i have been working in it i have seen more of it happening and i for one (having been effected by those who do this) dont think its too healthy, this site was set up to help all who want help! to provide those with NO money or Staff ideas how to combat problems. We all have opinions that is the nature of being a human. but why oh why are there so many people who come on or into the message boards and slag each other off how unhelpful is that????? I think MR EDITOR you should make a new ICON to show peoples OPINIONS ? finally if this sort of s--t carries on we will loose members and them the site will follow down the road of the IOG, lack of intrest and loads of bitter moaning old farts. that will be a waste as this site is the way forward for groundsmanship! Take care :')

17 May 2003 by pete

attitude

nothing wrong with wanting the best for groundsmen as for my little nest egg as you call it employing over 30 groundsmen and women and holding 50 contracts ive already cracked it

17 May 2003 by F T groundsman

RE PETER

I am afull time cricket groundsman.Working at a lovely ground.Privatly run.I totaly agree with above peoples comments.This is the type of profession were you are always learning new ideas.And one were people have lots of ideas and remmidies.Sometimes it is annoying when commities try to tell you how to do your job.But there are alot of people who genuinly try to help,and sometimes do.

My point is no matter how much of a good job we do. We should all remember that, we all have to start somewhere.
I dont feel threatend by trying to help someone with advice or the like.And niether should anyone else in this industry.Not if you have confidence in your own abbility.

I will gladly give help were i can.And hope that other people in this profession will give me advice were they can.This site came to my attention by chance.And are now a regular visitor.Plenty of advice for amatuers and professionals alike.Keep up the great work.A for any volunteres out there,i would like to think there are plenty of us out there willing to help were we can.And hopefully the feeling is mutual.
A allways learning groundsman

18 May 2003 by i

Think

Dear pete, i am not knocking what you own just mearly your smelly atitude towards helping others. my hat comes off to you for your little net egg (As you call it)but why oh why have you such a sad atitude towards most people who have replied to this message???? come on tell us all why you diss all that have tried to help. you of all people running your own thing must know and understand that what is right this year may not work next(and i am sure your budget plays a massive part on how you do a job)so that little bit you COULD give to others is so important. not for you for the trade.

19 May 2003 by Mark

advice

All this bitching and back stabbing isn't helping to portray the groundsman as a professional to any visitors to this site. Why don't people use the site for what it's for......offering help and advice to others, and keep all the toys in the pram 'till you get to work.

20 May 2003 by repeter

repete again

if people would read the posts properly i help many people in the industry and am only against the people that try to cut the groundsman out i help out many small clubs and give them plenty of free advice also when another contractor in my area had his machinery stolen i lent him mine at no charge until his insurance paid up how is this a smelly attitude?

20 May 2003 by David Saltman

Sweetness and Light.

Lads, lads, lads.... Pitchcare is purely a vehicle to share advice and information and the internet provides a near perfect platform for this. But as I have found, it sometimes makes it difficult to express one's feelings perhaps as clearly as you would standing face to face or talking on a phone . I am certain that Pete's intentions are honourable and I do in part understand where he's coming from. The thousands of members that have joined this site have done so to gain knowledge from experienced amateurs and professionals alike and to that end it serves its purpose well. Every article that I publish doesn't have a disclaimer saying 'non experts don't read'! I personally want the Industry to become entirely professional, with fully trained, experienced Groundsmen and Green keepers earning a decent wage, and respect from their employers. But as Peter Craig stated, the majority of private sport is currently maintained by willing volunteers and therefore we, as professionals, have the opportunity to impart our knowledge to them. This makes the job easier for them and hopefully safer and certainly from responses we get here, many are encouraged to get more involved in our profession. We can't change our Industry overnight, it has been misguided for far too long from some quarters, but between us we can now move it on to a level of professionalism that it deserves. Bickering will get us nowhere.

20 May 2003 by peter craig

?

Who is Dave Saltman? and does he smell!?!

20 May 2003 by Dave

No one in particular

There's no one complaining near me!

20 May 2003 by Peter Craig

Public apology

I would just like to apologise to Dave. I know who he is and his B.O has never given rise for concern!!!
Just trying to make light of what was becoming a very heavy discussion about "smelly" attitudes etc.
Onwards and upwards!!!

20 May 2003 by lj

the lynx effect

a can of lynx on its way to pitchcare-just in case!!!!!

20 May 2003 by Phil

Half an hour wasted reading

The original question seemed interesting to look at with lots of responses, thought I might find loads of great info, and different ideas on pitch renovation which is paramount at this time of year for rugby clubs, but hey its now quarter to eleven and I still havent learnt anything, might as well go to bed and hope it stops raining so that i can scarify the remaining 4 rugby pitches tomorrow and think about how succesful the collector will be in the rain

20 May 2003 by Phil

20 May 2003 by William

overseeder

All this started on " What was the best overseeder to buy " good job it was nothing to serious we would be at war !!!! mowers at ten pace`s

20 May 2003 by Peter Craig

Ten paces!!!

Everyone knows you can't have a duel with mowers. If you would only ask a professional groundsman instead of .......

20 May 2003 by William

22 yards

21 May 2003 by Nigel.S

same question, top of list

Ive just logged in at 6.45 and see that theres a new question appeared on top of the list, can some one please answer this properly or it will be too late to overseed!!!

22 May 2003 by no idea

Pitch renovation

Thanks for all your comments, my problem has caused quite a debate amongst you proffesionals, however could any body make some positive suggestions regarding goal mouth renovation, we wont play on until the season restarts in august, but that wont stop the locals playing on it, are there any suitable tractor mounted machines avavilable for this job? any help would be appreciated

22 May 2003 by pete

locals

whatever you use if the locals are playing on it all the time you will be lucky to get any germination try find a way to keep people off like roping the areas off or covering with germination sheets

2 Jun 2003 by andy p

making a mockery

if you would only take a few moments to look at yourselves. this poor man(no idea) has asked for help on a simple but serious matter and all you can do is quarrel between each other you really should be ashamed of yourselves BUFOONS!
David saltman you may not like this but as groundsman we are considered by are employers as scum and there are no two ways about it we will never be treated as we should be and we will never be paid as much as we should be and one internet site with a bunch of hypocrits is not going to change that so come on down and join the scum and while you are at it join the real world
NO IDEA e-mail me at andyp_lcfc@hotmail.com and i will help you as best as i can

2 Jun 2003 by Alan Titchmarshmallow.

making a rockery !!??

Andy P,
if you read the whole page, you will see that the goalmouth question was answered on 11/5 by Kyle.
Why not make a rockery, its easier. Start with large boulders, human head size, fill with about 4 ins of root zone, add smaller stones, place another 4 ins of soil,healing in all the while, smaller stones, add 4ins of soil, place smaller stones, more soil, smaller stones, more soil, smaller stones, more soil, more stones, more soil, more stones, now the exciting part, add Andy P as organic fertiliser..... lovely. Water in, plant some hardy alpines and leave to go wild and a haven for dandelions and groundsel. Then join andyp_lcfc@hotmail.com, he has more wealth of experience than ALL subscribers to this site......

3 Jun 2003 by Editor

Andy P

Please call me Dave, only my mum calls me David!

3 Jun 2003 by Groundsmaiden

Share it!

Andy P, instead of Dave e-mailing you , please could you share your advice and wisdom on this message board so that we can all be enlightened? In particular, I like to know what YOU, as an indvidual, are doing to move our industry forward?

3 Jun 2003 by David's mum

You big bully Andy P

How dare you talk to my son like that!! Dave - sorry David is a kind sensitive boy who is hurt very easily.
Apologise now or I'll send the girls round!!

3 Jun 2003 by Dave

?

i quite like the namemyself

3 Jun 2003 by the men

the girls

shouldnt the girls be at bingo or doing the washing up..............................

4 Jun 2003 by no idea

Professional groundsmen

What a fun lot you are, I'm now thinking of becoming a proffesional groundsman, where do i start?

4 Jun 2003 by know all

where to start...

in the repeated words of another member may i suggest this starting point-firstly employ a groundsman............and so on!

4 Jun 2003 by The Editor

all

I think that i should quit to give alan (rockhead) titchmarshmallow more room to swing his small stone sized brain!

4 Jun 2003 by andy p

all

I stand corrected, firstly i apologise to pitchcare for bringing a little unrest and secondly to Alan TIT marshmallow for assuming that his brains (if ever found) were bigger than a very small stone!

I think i prefer David (the name that is!)

4 Jun 2003 by Will

record

47 replies for a goal mouth ! WOO

16 Jun 2003 by norbert colon

rockery

thank you for your invaluable advice on making a rockery. i started it last week and it is coming on quite nicely. i had a few initial problems i.e. finding human head sized stones. was it adult or infant that was required? i am going to make a water feature next. have you any advice on that subject? perhaps how wet should the water be! thank you again for your knowlage and advice. i know you have more qualifications that you could shake a stick at. ill tell charlie dimmockingbird you were asking after her

2 Jul 2003 by no idea

goal mouth renovation

And still it goes on, I've now built a rockery in the goal mouth, can anybody tell me what the best plants are?

Please!!!

2 Jul 2003 by Tommy Walshower

Plants

Not my domain, plants, howsabout a nice bit of timber decking, luverley jubberley

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