I’m knackered, not been sleeping very well, decorating all weekend and generally cheesed off.....but after a mow and a pitch assessment I’m all good again. The job, when it goes right, does wonders for the soul 🙌🏼
Day 37: Double cut, rotary at 31mm and cylinder at 27mm and last foliar spray this week. Managed to miss all the showers somehow (result!) Start dialling in now.
A few battle scars but she’s dialling in lovely. Spray has gone on in preparation for Saturdays match. Looking forward to another packed stadium. 👊🏼👍🏻🌱🏴🏉
@EnglandRugby
@Twickenhamstad
@SixNationsRugby
Pitch prep done, just the logos to complete then we are all set for Quins v Bath tomorrow. Great team work and certainly some mileage clocked up in the legs too.
All prepped for Captains runs tomorrow, the foliar spray and light granular applications earlier this week have kicked in. All set for a busy couple of days and our last Six Nations match of 2021. Some miles put in by the team!
#SixNations
#rugby
#ENGvFRA
#EnglandRugby
Well after a wet morning we managed to run the cylinders over it and gave it another spray, due to the clip rate we’ve dropped a touch of primo in the tank to level it off a bit and slightly change the growing characteristics. HOC goes up to 35mm from Sunday. 7 days to go.
It’s waking up a bit now. 1st day of our build up to France this weekend. Rotary mow at 30mm with the stiff brushes. Then a light granular feed and a good drink. Weather is a bit up and down but then it’s match week, it’s standard!
Match day +3 and recovery is in earnest. Plenty of light hours, full pitch divot repair, light cylinder trim at 30mm. The mild daytime temps so far have certainly helped enhance that recovery. Rest day for the pitch tomorrow then prep for the weekend begins.
Cut, spray and posts up yesterday, double cut today in between the rain periods. Primo has kicked in now so I’m hoping all that energy is sending some roots down. Rugby will soon be upon us!
Last 40 ton on first thing. Raked again, procored with 19mm tines, brushed, and first pass with seeder so far today. Great team work again. Hopefully have it all seeded today and nutrition and sheets on tomorrow.
Taking the height of cut up always sees a significant change in the sward colour (we’re up to 30mm), more leaf means more green! Removes a bit of stress and allows the plant to photosynthesise a bit easier as the light levels start to drop. Keep doing the basics really well.
Good post match clean up and did a few repairs. After a few trials and adjustments on the application the logos were coming out well too. Loved my first
#SixNations
match
#turf
#groundsman
#rugby
#ENGvIRE
Well for me Saturday was one of those days that makes me love my job even more. Pitch played well and it was one hell of a game played on it. Great to be part of the team that create this surface for test match rugby.
Big upgrade investment made with
@SGLsystem
we now have switched out our old MU360’s which had done a great job for us. We now have 10 x LU440’s and 4 x LU120’s covering 4,880m2 this will go a long way to help us maintain the pitch throughout the winter. 💡💡💡
Well I’m finally back to work and it’s great to be back 🙌🏼 1 week off with COVID (not needed) and 10 days with a break away with the family (absolutely needed). Longest time I’ve had off work in 25 years, guess that says a lot about the work us turfies do!
Hot today. Peaked at 28.9 celcius for air temperature and 31.2 celcius for canopy temperature. Pitch has become more tolerant to these temps and looking pretty good for a 40% reduction in Nitrogen. However we have unmasked the nematode patches 👀
#groundsmanagement
#turf
#rugby
Yesterday was a good rake out and clean up for the pitch and
@bigbird2402
has been working some magic on “The Patch” in the west fan village. This is an
@NG_AirFibr
rootzone installed to deal with the wear and tear of six nations activations and referee training.
So it’s improving all the time. 48 days from seeding. I’m hoping we have some good growing conditions now for the next few weeks and it continues, still some stubborn areas. Let’s see how we go! Countdown 10 days.
Dialling in the colour, it’s a little soft for my liking but it was bound to happen with the amount of surface disturbance it’s had. Gearing up for training session on Saturday. Tomorrow it will be marked out and officially be a rugby pitch again! 🙌🏻
Another week down, busy as always. Pitch is in a decent spot just a little outbreak of disease which has annoyed me more than it should. Roll on training session next Friday. Light feed and bio-stimulant went down today and have gone really easy with the light hours.
#groundsman
No game, no pattern! It’s all about the turf health for us at HQ. Primo just about getting a grip, will monitor clipping rate and maybe go again in the next week or two. Minimal inputs just enough to keep it fit and healthy.
#rugby
#turf
#weirdtimes
Well this week has been very good weather wise. Over the last couple of weeks we have been removing a fair bit of the lateral growth and trying to reduce the density and lower the nutrient levels to maintenance. Turf health all the way!
#rugby
#turf
#stadiumlife
The decisions can look like a spur of the moment thing, the reality is I had a disturbed night sleep thinking about making just this decision. Scenario planning all the time! Verticutting on the run up to test match. Pros outweighing the cons, conclusion….do it.
So we are 28 days in from seed in the ground and 14 days away from first use. Cylinder cut 28mm, root drench spray with a wetting agent, light irrigation cycle, lights on and let tomorrow’s rain do the rest! A good week for the team
@bigbird2402
@andymui37590339
Penny Hill Park all set up for
@EnglandRugby
first training session. Fantastic work by all those involved, especially the grounds team who have had to put in some work to get this to the level required. 7 weeks grow in. 💪🏼👍🏻
So safe to say the pitch has made some significant strides since the barbarians match. With a 1000 kids playing on it for 4hrs it was truly battered in places and needed some serious TLC. 25 days between photos Working hard as always the team delivered.
Day 25 from seeding. Managing my own expectations, I have to be reasonably happy with where we are. The temps are not conducive for a grow in but it is developing and establishing slowly. A rotary mow at 30mm and a conventional feed with a humid acid granular following on.
Day 11! Rigs off, sheets off, not a bad strike at all for time of year. Rotary mow at 40mm approx. First spray. Rigs will go back on tomorrow after its first granular application. Undersoil heating staying as is for now.
The ominous shade line becoming ever more noticeable. Not as bad as some, but bad enough! 2nd trim today down to 35mm. Slow and easy, 2nd leaf stage. 🌱🌱
Recovery in full swing. Nice to sit at the back of the stand and survey the pitch from a different perspective. Think and reflect, plan, goals. Proud to work in this industry…always have been, always will be.
#GroundsWeek
Well that was a great day yesterday. Pitch performed pretty well, above that though it was brilliant to have our first full house for a 6N match since 2020. As always a brilliant effort by my team, always grateful.
So it begins........The weather being the weather this Winter the forecasting went a bit awry again so not as bad as they first said. Not to worry pressure is off and the pitch is still presenting well.
#groundsman
#turf
#sixnations2020
#ENGvIRE
Great team work today on day 1. Rotary mow again down to 10mm. Koro with the spring tine reel to remove the vegetation and remove 2-3mm OM, double Unirake to stand up the remaining grass and some fibres. Carry on tomorrow!
Good day today, cut to 20mm, apply soil amendment, top dress 10 ton of kiln dried. First time myself and
@bigbird2402
have worked together in 2 months! Social distancing throughout the afternoon. Tomorrow dimple in and procore.
#turf
#rugby
#groundsmanagement
#seizetheday
Early start this morning from the team. Light rigs off, strings out, top dress, brush and rotary cut all before 09:30! Sprayed a root drench, irrigated 7.5mm and lights back on. Should see some green shoots from the overseeding soon.
Sustane 10.1.4 and the Carbs cocktail doing its work over the BH weekend. Another rotary mow and additional carbs spray today. Grow lights doing their thing. Spring??? When you’re ready!!
Well that as they say....is that! It’s been a whirlwind crazy 4 months with the Winter renovation, grow in, the 6N home matches and the Red Roses training camp. My team have been exceptional throughout. Now what next.......👀
Seed seed seed! Vredo doing the seeding the dimple has two jobs, soften the sand and make it easier to see for the following Vredo run. 50g/m2 in total on! Tomorrow nutrition, sheets on and lights on!
Clean out day for the pitch! 2 x run through with the Unirake, 1 x run with the verticutters +2mm, rotary mow to clean up at 26mm and a foliar spray to finish. Needed some Primo to get it back into regulation. Ready for the next sponsor event day.
Pitch has responded well to the verticut and feed on Monday. Spray with a little kick and a fungicide. We now build up to the Big Summer Kick Off Harlequins vs Bath this weekend.
What do we think to bigger bays? 🤔Using the pitch markings to set the pattern......just because we can! 🤷🏻♂️ Rotary mow after the weekend prepping for Red roses training camp day 1 tomorrow.
Little cocktail for the pitch to continue our grow in. These little sprayers have been great, super silent so doesn’t affect visitors in the bowl and designed so we can spray widthways and the goals no longer become a problem. Boom width designed to fit our pitch pattern too.
First sand dressing of the season, 8 tons of kiln dried sand applied. Will keep the crown clean around the base and break up the organic layer and algae we have in some areas. Was nice to be doing some “real work” after a week of meetings and visits.
#groundsman
#rugby
#turf
MD-1 complete. Final preparations will be done tomorrow. Exceptional team work again and it’s always nice when a plan comes together. Looking forward to the
@premrugby
final tomorrow.
Steady week at HQ before the BH weekend. Light granular feed Tuesday, foliar spray Wednesday with a foliar and primo and a dew mitigation spray today. All with the aim that it can look after itself for a couple of days! 🤞🏼
Pitch has turned a corner, the disease pressure over the last 6 weeks has been relentless. Last clean out with the verticutting and brushing. Sustane 10.1.4 to aid recovery and continue to build towards the Autumn Series. New roof is looking 😍. 📸
@Phillip1Mc
Great to have a crowd back
@Twickenhamstad
and we came through relatively unscathed. A great big thank you to the grounds team (tagged) for helping me to deliver a surface fit for international rugby. Onto the next one!
#AutumnNationsSeries
#rugbyunion
Steady as she goes! One thing I’ve learned in all my time doing this job, embracing, flexing and flowing with nature. Four words. Believe in the process 🌱🌱
It’s slowly getting there. After yesterday’s rain I was happy to see the movement of water is how it should be. Cylinder cut and rotary cut to tidy up. Few stubborn slow areas which need to catch up and the resident foxes using it as a toilet. Time to get home for a 🥃 or six.
Big clean out with the verticutter today. Went at -2mm.....have to admit I was surprised at the amount of debris that came out! Cleaned up with the rotary mowers with the brushes down. Next step slowly increase the N input. Time to get rugby ready!
The team is beginning the slow dialling in process as we build up to
#SixNations
the pitch today mowed and Vertidrained (procored around the centre sprinklers), irrigated and of course the obligatory rig moves amongst all the operations. Stellar work as always
......and we go again. The cultural practices continue at Twickenham. A double Unirake (wheels up setting 7) and a double vertibrush skimming the surface, relieved the pitch of 1500lts of debris and lateral growth. Just keep making sure I can see the soil surface
#turf
#rugby
Made the decision to go for our full, full renovation now. Busy week coming up with the aim to make sure we are ready for rugby come the end of June and take us right through to July 2022! Pass one with the Koro with its spring time reel. Engineering at its finest.
Team work making the dream work. Well into the build up to the Premiership Final this weekend. Pitch has been verticut lightly both ways, rotary mowed to clean up and cylinder cut too. Sprayed yesterday afternoon. Goals up and ready for intial mark out tomorrow.
Far from ideal prep last night in minus temps, but it was the better option than this morning. It’s a bit scarred and battered after Captains runs but ready to go for
#sixnations
#rugby
65 days old and I’m taking it. Ready for the next few weeks to continue the grow in!
So a double rake and double hoover up by
@bigbird2402
yesterday. Followed up today, I hid in a cab due to the weather and punched a load of holes in the pitch. Key time to aerate with root development in its peak.
#rugby
#turf
#twickenham
#airisgood
Great recovery plan has come to fruition from the double header Varsity match 3 weeks ago. Great work from the team. 1 more week of growth and prep, until we go for another double header for the Army v Navy, my first one!
16 ton of kiln dried sand down after the 2nd pass with the seeder. Nearly there! Vertidrain and feed tomorrow, lights back on Thursday! (Well that’s the plan anyway)