21 Jan 2010 by adam fairbrother
I have just taken over the running of the cricket wicket and I have been informed that no spiking or loam was put on the wicket at the end of the season. Is it possible to do it now or wait till it gets dryer or is it a waste of time and do it after the end of the season.
Please Help
Adam
21 Jan 2010 by leon
Hi adam
it is ok to spike untill the end of January if the conditions allow. I would wait untill the end of the 2010 season to do any mager work on the square. but you could in early spring re seed and put a light dressing on just to cover the seed and repair the bowlers and batsmans foot marks at the ends this also needs doing in the right conditions ( when soil tepreture are on the rise ) also a spring feed.
Redbourn Cricket Club
You don't say what level the club plays at so I am assuming that it is a level or three below ECB prem standard - I could be way off mark though.
What is the condition of the square?
To me, loam should be added to a cricket square for one or more of the following reasons:
* to restore levels lost over the season - e.g. footholes
* to cover seed and aid germination
* to improve the soil strength
* to replace soil removed through deep scarification (or hollow coring)
Note that "because we always do it and so do all the prem clubs" isn't there!
Therefore, if you have a flat table with good grass coverage and the soil composition is right, then why would you need to add loam?
If, more likely, you have one or more of the above issues, then your square will benefit from good maintenance which may well involve fresh loam.
But is right now the time to do it? Probably not unless the table is in a really bad way. You're not likely to get grass seed to germinate well for the next month and any repairs that do come through in March may still be weak in late April.
My reco, unless you already know the square well, would be to get to know the square before attempting significant works. Take some cores now from several places across the square and see what's under the surface. Take photos and write a report for the club so that you can let them know the condition of their asset (the square) and explain what works might be needed to improve it. Adding expensive loam on top of thatch won't do much good and could just be a waste of time and money. Find out what loams and seed were used before.
Spend spring and early summer getting to know your turf. Yes, repair footholes and treat weeds / moss as soon as temperatures allow, but I wouldn't do any major work until I knew more.
As for spiking, that too will depend on what's below the surface. If your root depth is shallow or you have a serious "break" in the top inch or two, vigorous spiking could rip the surface off and you should instead look for a gentler way. If the cores show the root depth to be good and the soil to not be compressed then spiking may not be needed. We are getting close to what most guys say is the latest for spiking. Again, you may be best to wait until you know the square better.
If you don't feel up to the coring etc., try to get the club to pay for the county pitch advisor to visit and prepare a report. It will very probably save the club money in the long run and will also provide you with the evidence to support your plans if and when you ask for the money that they didn't spend last year.
The ciderman rolls
One of my best investments was buying a 'corer', I regularly take samples on a weekly basis or when I'm looking at a new track, like you say Jon, get to know the square, I've been doing ours since 1985 and I still learn stuff every season.
What goes around, comes around
21 Jan 2010 by adam fairbrother
Leon
Thanks for your help you say "it is ok to spike untill the end of January if the conditions allow" what are the right conditions..
21 Jan 2010 by olaf
Adam,
Arrange for your ECB County pitch adviser to come and visit, contact through your county board.
It appears (correct me if I'm wrong) that you are pretty new to cricket pitch maintenance. The county pitch adviser and enrolment on a IOG foundation level course will be the most suitable initial approach to getting some idea of how to go about things.
You will find some good info and practical advice from a lot of the guys who post on this site but that will have to be temepered with some complete twaddle, filtering the rubbish from the useful can be a difficult process, especially for a novice.
Remember free advice is just that, free. It carries no weight nor guarantee.
All the best........
Some people are like Slinky's, totally useless but amusing if you push them down the stairs
21 Jan 2010 by pacman75cricket
Adam,
Think you need to assess the surface that you have, & what the surface needs, rather than what maintenance which is usually carried done that has not been carried out.
I am one of many who have not been able to spike due to weather conditions/ circumstances. I would have spiked 3-4 times since november but this has not been the case & will be relying on the results of frost heave like other.
Wherabouts in the country are you adam
I thought Jon covered everything pretty well. Not much 'twaddle' there. Certainly getting your Pitch Advisor on board is the best first step.
Might I dare add a couple of suggestions?
If your footholes weren't repaired and you have to do it in the spring, try to top up in stages once it warms up rather than put 2" of loam in the holes and don't either bury the seed too deep or sprinkle it on the top.
If you have any flexibility in exactly where to centre your pitches, try to move a foot or so left or right to avoid the new repairs being pounded by bowlers before the grass is fully established.
Proud to serve grassroots cricket
I'd add one more reason as to why they might need to add loam:
lack of verticutting throughout the season leading to thatch build up and thus the need for aggressive scarification at renovation time - so loam is needed to restore levels after aid scarification.
Personally I'd use aggressive scarification anyway just incase, but that would depend on the level of cricket being played and the budgets available.
If the club hasn't done anything, the question is why ?
It could be that they just didn't know - in which case do you have the experience to explain to them ? I think it likely you benefit greatly from getting the pitch advisor in, if nothing else it's someone to bounce ideas off and getting a second opinion is never a bad idea.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
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