This is the JULY installment of Horticulture Week's month-by-month guide to essential maintenance and management tasks for turf and sports facilities such as bowling greens, cricket pitches, football pitches, rugby pitches, golf, lawns and other recreational and fine turf.
All turf areas
- Check for disease activity and treat appropriately
- Watch for pests and control when necessary
- Be careful not to under or over irrigate
- Control weeds
- Mow regularly
Winter games pitches
- Lightly top dress any uneven areas following establishment
- Irrigate, with attention to goal mouth and centre circle
- Maintain growth by applying a liquid nitrogen fertiliser
- Mow regularly to 25mm for football and 35mm for rugby
- Check goal posts and nets are ready for the season
- Order line marking paint
Golf
- Summer temperatures and long evenings mean the course will be busy this month
- Mow regularly
- Irrigate regularly with additional hand watering to dry areas
- Feed greens and tees if needed
- Lightly dress greens
- Watch for red thatch and treat
- Divot tees regularly
- Rake bunkers daily
- Reduce fairway mowing during dry summers
- Mow greens to 5mm, tees to 8mm and fairways to 12mm
- Clear ditches ready for thunderstorms
Bowls
Summer temperatures and long evenings mean the
rinks will be busy this month
Spread rink usage
Light use of thatch control reel may help increase speed
Spike and feed
Irrigate regularly
Mow to 5mm but raise cutting height if weather proves hot and dry
Watch for dry patch
Order in materials for end-of-season renovations
Cricket
- Verticut
- Continue preparing wickets to meet demand
- Renovate used wickets and repair footholes
- Mow square to 2mm
- Irrigate thoroughly and roll regularly
- Apply a balanced fertiliser if this has not already been done
- Mow outfield to 12mm
- Order in materials for end-of-season renovations
Lawns
- Water if necessary and if no drought orders in place
- Mow 6-8mm for ornamental, 12mm for general and 25mm for amenity but increase during drought
- Apply suitable liquid feeds if needed
- Control weeds
- Change position of benches and other furniture to avoid wear
*Jobs should only be undertaken when ground and weather conditions are suitable and will vary according to location and may vary significantly from year to year. And remember that while the year nicely divides into 12 months, activities often overlap.
- SEE SALLY DRURY'S TURF TASKS MONTHLY CHECKLISTS FOR THE WHOLE YEAR
