THATCH MANAGEMENT ON SPORTS FIELDS

The accumulation of thatch or mattress is one of the main reasons for the occurrence of turf damage.

It is very important to manage the thatch or mattress on playing surfaces. Sports fields, especially those consisting of side-growing varieties such as Bermuda, Zoysia or Poa pratensis, result in the creation of high densities of mattress or matting. thatchi.e, organic matter which includes roots, rhizomes, stolons, seedling crown, etc. This organic matter is located between the soil surface and the first centimetres of the soil profile.

This mattress has different negative effects, such as a decrease in the saturated hydraulic conductivitydecrease of the rooting depth, appearance of "dry" or "dry patches"nutritional deficiencies, increased temperature rises and drops, restricted movement of air, water and pesticides, scalding of surfaces, increased proliferation of pests and diseases, etc...

The formation of thatch occurs when the rate of decomposition is lower than the production of organic matter. Nowadays there are preparations based on algae and micro-organisms that help to increase the decomposition rate and thus minimise the production of thatch.

In addition, fertilisation control is essential to control the thatchand should not be done randomly. Tiloom offers fertilisation control based on the average temperatures and varieties of your field through the tool. i-greenkeeping.

There are several alternatives to the removal of the thatch already created. The verticut or the scarification is used for mattress prevention by means of blades that rotate through the turf, expelling the organic matter to the outside. Routine use of this tool is necessary throughout the year in order to achieve the reduction of a significant part of the accumulated organic matter.

As a more novel technique, it is possible to reduce the thatch by means of new implements that instantly remove a large part of the vegetation mass from the sports surfacesExamples of such implements are the "Koro" or "STEC Combinator".

The "fraze mowing"is the removal of the topsoil much more aggressively than scarifying or verticutting, using powerful blades. They are versatile, both for the superficial removal of organic matter and for the removal of varieties with poor rooting, such as the Poa annuapromoting the growth of other varieties such as bermudagrass.

These implements can also be adjusted for the complete renovation of heavily padded fields, such as certain bermudagrass sports fields.

Studies have shown a decrease in the incidence of diseases such as spring dead spot in bermuda by decreasing the cushioning of these areas.

In the following video we can show an example of work between Tiloom and Tapiz Verde for the renovation of a football pitch at La Manga Club Resort.

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