Message Board - Cricket: Dry cricket renovations

Just finish our end of season renovations on our sq, never in twenty past years have I had to water the whole sq, prior to start and especially today proir to using a mecanical seed slotter, as the it just did not make a impression untill the surface was wet enouth..........lovely sunny days....it will proberly be heavy rain next week...but here in the south-east , no sign of it yet.

Nigel.

Same problem here in South Shropshire, was hoping to do renovations on Sunday but I doubt I will be able with the dryness of the square and not enough time to water sufficiently (we have an away friendly on Saturday).
I could leave the sprinklers going in my absence , but even though we are in a fairly remote spot, knowing my luck somebody will turn it off or something.
So it looks like watering next Saturday and renovations on Sunday, have to do next weekend (3rd/4th) as away on the beer in W-S-M (10th/11th).
First time I can remember it being like this for after season work (been doing it since 1985)

The Graden is still quite happily getting through the surface in Wiltshire, firm and dry though it is, down to 5mm at least. As I have said on other threads, getting the work done now in the dry is great, the moisture can come later.
Never used a mechanical seed slotter, just dragging broadcast seed into slits along with top dressing has always worked fine on Surrey and Kaloam squares. Seed application rate averages 2 bags per 12 pitches - coverage good so much of it must germinate even without 'planting' mechanically.

I am watering all weekend for Autumn work (square is like concrete in Nfk ) , water is on a timer , so all i have to do is move sprinklers up and down the square.
Philmort.. we are the same as you seed in to slits and then i brush it in, loam after (ongar ), also 2 bags per 12 strips, a little extra on some thin ends and on a odd strip.

The seed slotter we used fits, on to the front of the sissis auto turfman previously we used to go in many directions with a soril rolller, bl**dy hard work, but have found the slotter a bonus , also for the first time, tryed a method told to me by a agromist advisor to broad cast the seed first, then use the seed slotter, in many dirctions as possible, hence pushing seed in each pass, finially before dressing use a brush to put any available seed into holes.
Used one 20kg bag grass seed for eight tracks.

nigel from a lovely sunny kent

Nigel S... having read your posts i see no mention of a scarifier? why buy a mechanical seeder or use the sarrel roller to create seed pockets when the furrows created by a scarifier do the job just great. plus if your not scarifying then your renovation work is in vain and all your doing is creating problems, no thatch removal and top dressing over thatch will lead to untold problems in times to come such layering, moss etc. please correcy me if im wrong and you do scarify.......