Heat Stress

July 2018

Heat Stress

With temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius for much of the month, it wasn't only the turf which was suffering from heat stress! irrigation breakdowns and high winds made it a challenging month.

I usually welcome the warm summer months, the pitches are at their best at this time of year and I feel I have more control over the pitches as they are growing and their health can be controlled easier with applications of products, water and mechanical operations.

This summer has been different, with no rain for 9 or 10 weeks, temperatures more than 10 degrees warmer than the rye grass plant thrives on, the pressure has been on to not miss a square inch of the pitch when watering or it shows up within a day or so due to the intense heat.

Heat stress caused by irrigation missing areas due to wind

With most pitches being on a semi automatic or fully automatic watering system, it shouldn't be too difficult to keep the pitch area watered - until it gets windy...

The wind was strong for much of the early part of the month, leaving some areas of the pitches with drought stress. Some early morning hand watering was required to try and catch up on these areas, hoping enough went on to see it through the day.

With such a long period without rain, the ground water has diminished with reduced amounts being drawn at the training ground and no water at all being taken from the bore hole at the stadium. We have the ability to switch the mains on and off as required, but it does come at a cost.

Pitch 6 holding up well after the first run of games

On some days when it has been really hot, we have missed cuts on the pitches to reduce the stress on the plant and avoided putting products down which may cause problems in the continued heat. 

Primo Maxx application at the end of July

Only at the very end of the month once the temperatures have fallen to just above average for the time of year has the growth retardant, Primo Maxx been applied to the stadium pitch. Like many stadiums, Portman Road has its own micro climate. the wind is stronger in certain parts of the bowl and it tends to swirl. It is certainly hotter in the summer than outside of the stadium and colder in the winter too. For this reason, the first Primo Maxx application has been held off longer than normal. The stadium pitch is now 9 weeks from seeding (23rd May), and the first application has now been made. Energy from the plant is redirected from the upward growth into creating plant density and increased rooting. It also reduces the amount of poa annua seed heads which can show up now.

The first use of the Stadium pitch is always at open day, which is a training session on the pitch in front of the fans. It is our first chance to see how the pitch performs. We are generally looking for evidence of the strength of the plant/rooting or lack of it which will be shown up quickly!

Pre-season friendly 28/07/18

As we have don't have any reinforcing fibres in the pitch, it is vital we work on root development as much as possible. coupled with a comprehensive aeration programme, we are applying products to the pitch regularly to encourage root development. We are also looking at more products which are trialled at the training ground to see if there is something better on the market we can use on the stadium pitch. As a rule, we don't try anything out at Portman Road unless it has proved its worth at the training ground first.

Two days after the open day, we had our first home pre season friendly, which is more full on for the turf than a training session. Tackles aren't held back and the twisting and turning is a good test to see where we are at.

Due to the first league fixture drawn at home on 4th August, the pitch was aerated 5 days before the friendly held on 28th July, which leaves the pitch a little on the soft side, so some damage was expected but I was pleased with how the pitch came through. The pitch will play a little firmer going into the first league game, then a two week gap in fixtures, so we will once again be able to relieve any consolidation in the soil created by the mowers in the build up to the game.

The Training Ground kept well watered in the heat

All in all, a hot summer is preferred to a cold winter every time, and we should be grateful for the irrigation we have, even if the wind does cause havoc now and again.