Pitch Problems

[tHeArAb]

Point one - I'm not sure how many times the undersoil heating's actually been used at Dens over the last year.

Point two - baking the soil hard, baking the fkn soil hard? Have a listen to yourself please. It's soil, not fkn BeRo.

Point three - the 'tractor' is a small lightweight one with large tyres to spread the load. Designed in fact to avoid....... well, you tell me. A grass cutter's nowhere near heavy enough to cause significant compaction.

Point four - are you saying that grass seed is sown in sand? Wow, such a fertile substrate.

We're guessing, that much is correct, but our guesses are a good bit more believable than, for example, your idea that grass grows in sand.

1. The issue of compaction hasn't just arisen over the last year. It'll have been 4/5/6 years, maybe more. That's why the pitch will be getting progressively worse each year.

2. What happens in a drought? When there's no rain and lots of sun/heat? Soil becomes hard. It'll happen in your garden of 13 years. It happens in football pitches.

3. The tractor still weighs 1.5 tonne. Couple that with attachments on the back, you're looking at 2 tonne going up and down the pitch spraying, brushing, rolling etc. Also, think of all the heavy machinery used when the pitch gets re-done in the summer.

4. No, it sown into the existing soil. The sand is purely a replenishment for the organic matter that's stripped off the pitch beforehand. It also protects the seed. FWIW, seed grows in sand. What do you think new football pitches are made of? It's isn't soil.

[ROMA84]

Decent answer to them but they hate the truth and make up their own stories to feel happier. Ive seen grass seed left to germinate in a bath then spread on a pitch, this stopped a lot of the local pigeons having a feast.

[Deeranged]

1. The issue of compaction hasn't just arisen over the last year. It'll have been 4/5/6 years, maybe more. That's why the pitch will be getting progressively worse each year.

2. What happens in a drought? When there's no rain and lots of sun/heat? Soil becomes hard. It'll happen in your garden of 13 years. It happens in football pitches.

3. The tractor still weighs 1.5 tonne. Couple that with attachments on the back, you're looking at 2 tonne going up and down the pitch spraying, brushing, rolling etc. Also, think of all the heavy machinery used when the pitch gets re-done in the summer.

4. No, it sown into the existing soil. The sand is purely a replenishment for the organic matter that's stripped off the pitch beforehand. It also protects the seed. FWIW, seed grows in sand. What do you think new football pitches are made of? It's isn't soil.

So football pitches are 100% sand now? You live and learn I guess. Sand alone contains insufficient nutrients to sustain a good coverage of grass.

In a drought the soil on my lawn would dry out, it would become crumbly but it wouldn't become compact. I'd then water it and voila, back to normal.

The tractor won't cause significant compaction and even if it does one of the attachments it pulls will be an aerator which will relieve the compaction.

[tHeArAb]

Decent answer to them but they hate the truth and make up their own stories to feel happier. Ive seen grass seed left to germinate in a bath then spread on a pitch, this stopped a lot of the local pigeons having a feast.

Indeed. Have similarly done it dampened in a bucket of water. Wait until it turns white and spread it. Seed will germinate literally anywhere there's water and heat.

[Deeranged]

Decent answer to them but they hate the truth and make up their own stories to feel happier. Ive seen grass seed left to germinate in a bath then spread on a pitch, this stopped a lot of the local pigeons having a feast.

How long would that seed last if it was left in the bath and not put into an environment from which it could draw nutrients?

Which United player would get into our current team?

Two simple questions, I doubt you'll be able to answer either mind.

[ROMA84]

Not sure how long it would last, it was put on the pitch shortly after germination. Liquid nutrients can be added to help germination.

[Dodbroon]

First one DAB now another full of 'knowledge' about us and Dens offering advice and getting pelters from a few regular posters on this thread. But we tolerate them and don't ban them. As I posted before I ventured once over onto Dayglo' Mad to express my views on a United matter i.e. their crowd fantasy figures and got an immediate month's ban. But then they've always been thin skinned and intolerant of any other's views.

[tHeArAb]

So football pitches are 100% sand now? You live and learn I guess. Sand alone contains insufficient nutrients to sustain a good coverage of grass.

In a drought the soil on my lawn would dry out, it would become crumbly but it wouldn't become compact. I'd then water it and voila, back to normal.

The tractor won't cause significant compaction and even if it does one of the attachments it pulls will be an aerator which will relieve the compaction.

All new pitches are made using a silica sand base with a sand based root zone on top. The rootzone will have something like 10% soil through it to help stabilise nutrition. As you've said, sand doesn't naturally hold nutrients which is why your teams with new pitches have to plough insane amounts of fertiliser into them.

It doesn't become compact because you aren't constantly running over it with heavy machinery.

Third point is correct, providing you have an aerator.

[tHeArAb]

First one DAB now another full of 'knowledge' about us and Dens offering advice and getting pelters from a few regular posters on this thread. But we tolerate them and don't ban them. As I posted before I ventured once over onto Dayglo' Mad to express my views on a United matter i.e. their crowd fantasy figures and got an immediate month's ban. But then they've always been thin skinned and intolerant of any other's views.

I'm doing nothing more than offering a bit of 'knowledge', but I'll happily f*ck off and leave you to blame blocked drains on Dens Rd if you'd prefer? 👍🏼

[ROMA84]

First one DAB now another full of 'knowledge' about us and Dens offering advice and getting pelters from a few regular posters on this thread. But we tolerate them and don't ban them. As I posted before I ventured once over onto Dayglo' Mad to express my views on a United matter i.e. their crowd fantasy figures and got an immediate month's ban. But then they've always been thin skinned and intolerant of any other's views.

not said anything untrue or called you any names. just saying there is a way out this mess but you are all sportsturf specialists and dont want to listen to anyones opinion. Alot of you hate the truth