This is the OCTOBER 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
- Mow less frequently and raise mowing height
- Remove dews and debris
Winter games pitches
- Repair divots
- Harrow worm casts when dry
- Seed thinning areas
- Inspect goal posts before each game
- Mow regularly to 35mm for football and 50mm for rugby
- Irrigation may still be required on sand pitches
Golf
- Complete renovation of greens and tees
- Slit tine greens
- Fairway divoting and repairs will be ongoing
- Remove fallen leaves and debris from greens and tees
- Mow greens to 8mm, tees to 12mm and fairways to 18mm
- De-commission irrigation systems later this month
Bowls
- Complete end of season renovation
- Repair edges
- Watch for fusarium and consider a preventative treatment
- Clean ditches
- Repair banks
- Mow to 12mm
- De-commission irrigation systems later this month
Cricket
- Open up square to relieve compaction
- Finish renovation as soon as possible
- Fence the square
- Brush regularly
- Mow square regularly to 25mm
- Aerate outfield throughout the month, especially if used for football, to improve
- drainage and maintain root development
- Mow outfield to 25mm
Lawns
- Continue mowing 10-12mm for ornamental, 18mm for general and 50mm for amenity
- Control moss and scarify
- Remove leaves and debris
- Top dress if required
- Begin repairs to edges and uneven areas
- De-commission irrigation systems
*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
