Seeding in February

Hello again to everybody at Pitchcare and to people reading how guys like me make a living. Last night the 6th of March we played a game here at Ewood Park for the first time in five weeks. The last home fixture was on the 30th of January when we played Arsenal. Thankfully I can report a great and very badly needed home win giving us three vital points.

I consider myself to be very very lucky. The reason? For three out of the last five week the pitch has been saturated on a daily basis. But not to give up all hope I decided to try my luck with some pre-germinated seed, and half a dozen germination covers.

The day after seeding, it rained. I thought the seed would all end up being washed down the running track around the pitch. Fortunately, the next day it was dry enough to apply a light fertilizer application to assist the newly sown seed. This consisted of a dressing of 5.5.10. The method of seeding with pre- germinated seed is just to broadcast it on by hand, because the seed is still damp, and would clog up most seeders.

A light roll with the pedestrian mastiff the following day and then fingers crossed for the results. After nearly four weeks of moving the germination covers about the pitch we started to see some new seedlings here and there. This I have to say is the first time I`ve ever grown any grass from seed in Lancashire in the month of February.

So the message is, don`t give up hope. Saying that, in the fourteen years that I have been Head Groundsman at Blackburn Rovers I have never before had a five week break during any season. It does make you wonder who sorts out the fixtures.

People keep saying that Spring is just around the corner. Let`s hope so because the price of pre-germinated seed is scandalous!