Spurs pitch reconstruction (Part Two)
Diary of a pitch reconstruction (Part 2)
By Darren Baldwin
The summer period is always a difficult time, it starts with renovation, and in this case reconstruction. You think that there is plenty of time before the start of the following season, but as days become weeks, the time soon goes by and it becomes a race to see if the grass is sufficiently thick and strong enough to get you through the ten month of onslaught that follows.
Day 34 The start of June
The Desso machines continue to weave in the synthetic fibres, we continue to keep the sand moist, using the irrigation system.
Day 35 Desso continues.
Day 36 Desso finished today. It has taken a total of 13 days to complete the fibre reinforcement work with two machines working.
Day 37 - Cloudy, odd sunny spells and light showers.
Day 38 - Dry to start, heavy rain rest of day.
Two more passes to finish the seeding. Spread 20 bags of Hewitts 10:15:20 fertiliser with a Vicon Vari-spreader. Automatic watering system not working; spent virtually the whole day finding the fault; one of the Desso machines had gone through the cable twice by the stop net sockets at the north stand. Had to do watering manually.
Day 39 - Overcast and showers, some heavy.
Repaired watering system. Some repairing and re-Desso sewing around the pop-ups.
Day 40 - Cloudy, sunny spells and showers.
Finished repairing, re-Desso sewing and seeding around pop-ups.
No work on the pitch.
Day 43 - Cloudy, odd sunny spell, showers, some heavy.
First signs of new grass growth on the pitch. Put germination sheeting at south end (approximately 230 ft x 45ft) and around the
Day 44 - Cloudy with odd sunny spell.
Arranged the watering system pop ups to make sure the arcs were set up properly. Watering and some general clearing up.
No work on the pitch.
Days 47 - Cloudy, odd sunny spell with late afternoon showers.
Days 48 and 49 Watered on both days.
Day 50 - Sunny and hot.
Grass now growing well about 60mm in height. Marked out length way bays 12 x 6 metre in readiness of first mowing. First cut with Honda rotary mowers to height of 35mm.
Marked out across bays 6 x 5.5 metres and 12 x 6 metres. The first three mowing blocks at each end are measured to coincide with the six and eighteen yard boxes.
Day 52 - Odd cloud, long sunny spells.
Cut across bays with Honda rotary to approximately 35mm. Watered and marked out for fertilising.
Day 53 - Cloudy morning, sunny spells afternoon.
Fertilised with 20 bags of Hewitts 10:15:10 using the Vicon Vari-spreader. Watered.
Day 54 - Cloudy with sunny spells.
Cut lengthways bays with Honda rotaries to 35mm. Watered.
Days 55 and 56
Watered and left pitch to grow.
Day 58 - Sunny spells.
Cut across bays to 35mm with Honda rotaries. Watered.
Day 59 - Sunny spells.
Watered.
Day 60 - Sunny.
Fertiliser beginning to kick in. Cut length ways to a height of 35mm with Honda rotary mowers. Watered the pitch afterwards.
Day 61 - Cloudy with sunny spells.
Cut across bays to 35mm with Honda rotaries. Watered. Put up goal at north end for Sky Sports.
Day 62 - Cloudy with odd sunny spell.
Took goal down. Cut length ways to 35mm with Honda rotaries.
Days 63 and 64.Watered.
Day 65 - Rain at first, then cloudy with showers.
Cut length ways to 35mm with Honda rotaries.
Day 66 - Cloudy, sunny spells, rain later.
First cut with a little more weight. Cut across the bays to height of 28mm with Dennis cylinder, then rotary cut to pick up any dropped grass.
Day 67 - Rain, overcast then showers.
Cut length ways to 28mm with Dennis cylinder.
Day 68 - Sunny spells.
Cut across ways to 28mm with Dennis cylinder. Took soil samples.
Day 69 - Overcast and showers.
General clearing up.
Day 70 - Cloudy with sunny spells.
Cut length ways to 28mm with Dennis cylinder.
Day 71 - Cloudy and light showers.
Rest day for pitch and staff, whew!.
Day 72 - Overcast and light showers.
Cut length ways to 28mm with Dennis cylinder.
Day 73 - Morning rain, cloudy afternoon.
Cut across the bays to 28mm with Dennis cylinder. Filled in and over seeded turf cups and odd areas around the pitch.
Day 74 - Light showers then heavy showers, odd sunny spell.
Cut length ways to 28mm with Dennis cylinder. Fertilised with 12 bags of Hewitts 12:0:9+0.5Mg (large granules). Used Scotts pedestrian spreader.
Day 75 - Cloudy with odd heavy shower.
No work on the pitch.
Day 76 - Cloudy with odd heavy shower.
Cut across the bays to 28mm with Dennis cylinder. Rotary cut after to remove any loose clippings/debris and stand the grass back up.
Day 77 - Sunny.
Cut length ways to 28mm with Dennis cylinder.
Day 78 - Sunny.
Rest day.