Autumn Rains

Dec 19'

Autumn Rains

The South East has recorded the wettest autumn on record and in Ipswich we have measured 263mm to fall at Portman Rd in the last three months. This is 128mm (5 inches) above average over the last 6 years. 

With the climate changing, we are told to expect warmer and wetter winters in the future. Consideration needs to be made to make sure pitches are able to cope with the weather expected. This will come down to a number of factors; correct soils/ sands in the pitch, primary drainage (pipes) and secondary drainage (gravel bands/sand slits), equipment available to keep the pitches open and free draining. To have all of the armory to battle the weather can cost a small fortune, so it may be necessary to borrow and share equipment to some degree, depending on different step level clubs. 

At Ipswich, we have two pitches with drainage in which is the stadium pitch and the main 1st team training pitch at Playford Rd. Both of these are a god send at this time of year. We are also lucky to have sand dominant pitches, although non of them have been constructed at the training ground, the correct grade sand has been added to them over the last twenty years, which helps, but is not as effective as having a full modern construction.

The stadium pitch's drainage has been running hard over the last couple of month dealing with the rain. We have had 263mm over the last 12 weeks which is approximately 1.8 million liters of water to fall on the pitch. Every time the irrigation is run, the drainage pit empties back into irrigation tank and is pumped back onto the pitch.

drainage pit

 During the winter when the irrigation is rarely applied to the pitch, the drainage pit needs to be pumped out or it will back up the drainage pipes.
Due to the old construction of the stadium pitch (believed to be 1970's), the gradation of sand is not of that recommended in a modern construction. It has a percolation rate of around 80mm per hour where the modern pitch is expected to drain in excess of 500mm per hour, The pitch does deal with rain well in time, but it does hold too much moisture in the top 50mm and during the winter it takes damage if it has rained on the day or during a game. This excess moisture softens to surface too much and it loses stability and grass coverage.

Sand gradation curve showing high fine sands percentage in red on the left

To manage this as best as possible, the pitch is kept aerated and then firmed in the lead up to the game. There is also a wetting agent program used to move moisture from the surface and spread it evenly in the profile. care must be taken not to dry the surface out too much as this will also lead to an unstable surface.

Grow lights on the shaded or high wear areas of the pitch

Even during daylight the grow lights are effective 

At this time of year shade is a big problem too. The grass plant thins out and is more susceptible to disease. The strongest part of the pitch is the north east corner (shop corner) as this area tends to get more light than any area. The parts of the stadium we struggle with is the south end and the west side (co-op wing). there is little or no light seen in these areas for around 6 months of the year due to the high stands.

Shade diagrams for December. The coloured in areas are shaded areas of the pitch from 9am to 330pm

To combat this problem grow lights are put on the pitch. Unfortunately, they are both expensive to buy and run. We cover about 530 sqm of a 7000sqm pitch (approx 7%) so we have to target the areas which need it the most.
It is noticeable where the lights have been once an area has been targeted for approximately a week or so, with a denser plant and new growth from seed. by fleecing areas and having a light on top is the best way to grow new grass. the difficult thing to do is hang on the the new grass plant because as soon as it is played on a percentage each time get kicked out before they have enough time time to establish properly. nevertheless, at this time of year we are working on small percentages of gains and it is worth the effort.
The most recent fleeced effort was cut short by the FA cup replay which we had hoped wold happen at home but some things are out of our control. Ground temperatures had been raised enough from the heat of the bulbs to germinate seed under the fleece. The areas outside the fleece and lights were less successful.

On a positive note, from now on the days will be getting longer and more natural light onto the pitch. We are still probably 8 -10 weeks from getting the temperatures we would like to assist growth and another 8 or so games to get through. It is definitely game of pitch preservation now and fingers

crossed for dry match days!