26 Nov 2009 by korky
We have a very old pitch that has not seen fertilizer in donkeys years ,if ever, or been aerated at any stage. It is impossible to keep the grass cut at the moment due to its vigour (and poor weather). Is this the soil biology in action?
If you ticked the box to be notified by E mail on this subject then I think you may soon have a full inbox.
26 Nov 2009 by IGS
It is the biology and the natural biotic characteristics of the soil, helped of course by adequate water (rainfall)
from tiime to time the pH may need to be corrected but otherwise the biological activity can maintain a good quality sports pitch.
grass clippings will in time be returned when decomposed.
apply a load of nitrogenous fertiliser and the whole system will change for the worst
How much play is this pitch subjected to?
Believe it or not, grass was growing for millions of years before man-made fertilisers. But if you use your grass intensively and don't help it along in one way or another, it will suffer.
Are any top flight stadium pitches managed "organically"?
The ciderman rolls
27 Nov 2009 by IGS Last edited 27 Nov 2009
That is correct
The first grasses to evolve were simple grasses such as the bromus spp / poa annua and others.
The high grass species are the lolium spp, festuca, gramminae spp and so on.
It's is not a matter of managing turfgrass Organically, it is a matter of managing soils and plant biologically.
Enhance the biological activity and the need to apply inorganic or organic 'fertilisers’ can be reduced and where the soil is a natural soil some times omitted all together.
There are football & rugby pitches receiving more than 17 hours a week play at several sites in the UK which have not had any 'fertilisers' for over 3 years.. and more following suit. The quality of the sports surfaces are very good, the health if the grass plant is vibrant and the costs are far less than applying bags and bags of 'fertilisers'.
If the rootzone is virtually inert sand then some additional nutrient elements will be needed unless the roots can be developed into the lower soil horizons then maybe not
I doubt that the pitch that Korky is managing is a specified sand based soil but who knows without quantifying its characteristics.
'Removing Blinkers'
Korky
Your old pitch is obtaining nutrient in the same way as virtually all un managed grasses. The clippings decompose and return organic matter to the soil to help feed the soil biology. However the main source of food for the soil biology is not clippings but the plant itself. When the plant produces shoot and root growth during photosyntesis it leaks protein and carbohydrate from its roots. This protein is eaten by the bacteria around the root system, which in turn get eaten by protozoa and nematodes. When these higher organisms eat protein filled bacteria they excrete ammonium which is converted via the nitrogen cycle to nitrate for grass growth.
Put on an inorganic fertiliser which is a mineral salt and the whole system will collapse and you will be locked into a cycle of fertiliser boom and bust.
You do not have to aerate healthy soil nearly as much because bacteria produce polysaccherides which aggregate the soil and hold it together to create air spaces, fungal hyphae grow between the soil particles and fungal feeding nematodes follow the fungi to eat it creating tiny channels lined with ammonium into which the root hairs can grow.
It ain't broke so etc.
27 Nov 2009 by korky
Thank you gentleman. I am very enthusiastic about this "organic" approach to managing playing surfaces.Some more questions---IGS can you explain a "natural soil". You say it may not need any additional fertilizer. I must have such a soil on this ground. How can I have this soil tested to assertain its properties?What management practices must I employ to maintain/enhance this soil?Aeration?decompacting,we have a slitter. What "food" other than clippings are necessary?There is a bit too much clover in the sward and I would like to elimenate this and any broadleaves in Spring time. I know this will harm the microbes? but how else can it be done or when to minimise damage to biology?
Korky, I told you about your inbox, right?
What brilliant information you're getting and with such enthusiasm, you came to the right place.
Cal
Korky another part of the jigsaw falls into place with your comment about clover
Clover takes nitrogen out of the air, into the soil because it hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria living in nodes along the roots, this will be a source of nitrogen for your grass(Organic farmers plant clover as a cover crop to put nitrogen into the soil inbetween food crops)
Clover can also tolerate compaction better than most grasses
.
I am not sure when herbicides work best but you will do least damage to soil microbes if you apply when they are most dormant i.e. soil temperature below 5oC. However if you keep it on the leaf and do not drench the soil you will not have much adverse effect
You can have the soil tested for biology www.laverstokepark.co.uk but if the soil is a rich brown colour for a spade depth, you can grow perennial grasses and is friable when moist it is good healthy rootzone and analysis is more for interest than necessity.
If you remove the clover then you may need to increase the nitrogen made available by photosynthesis. But don't rush into applying anything it may be fine just as it is
If the clover removal leaves patches first find out if there is enough N in a few m3 of green waste compost. You can get it at 6-10mm granulometry and it will spread vis a top dresser with belt and spinners. If you need more you can try a mix of molasses, seaweed, fish hydrolysate and humic acid to make a broad spectrum bio stimulant or if it obviously needs a feed liquid organic or granular organic fertilisers but aeration alone may do the trick.
You are in a lucky position with this pitch, there are not many about- it maybe that the less you do the better it gets.
27 Nov 2009 by IGS
Careful with humic acid with germinating seeds
Clover also exudes various toxins that will kill grass to aid its dominance and will spread so it may be prudent to treat this is deemed not to be acceptable for a hard wearing sports turfgrass. Best to wait when climatic conditions and season is are more favourable for over seeding / establishing a new grass sward.
The uptake of any herbicide may also be low at low temperatures / slow growing conditions.
As martin mentioned a MATURE compost can be beneficial
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