The pitch

There has to be a reason why they are doing this though.

 

Looked perfect no idea why they’ve ripped it up.

 

Weed and moss removal, stale soil overturned, fertilised, reseeded and drainage checked. Normal for grass pitches?

 

Absolutely. The pitch is/was in good nick due the drainage, weather and maintenance.
Relaying what is only the top surface won’t do it any harm whatsoever

 

Spot on Kevin.

 

Just needed weeding and feeding and re seeding not a wholesale digging up, If we have a wet season it will be back to boot skids and cutting up like a park pitch

 

With respect Trevor that’s not correct. If you don’t do the work (korrowing) you get exactly the issues you mention. The best example was the F.A. Cup run year when exactly what you propose was done and from Match 1 the pitch cut up and the end result was Pitchgate.
Since then drainage has been improved and there has been a steady year on year improvement with the annual work.
Just come past the training ground and the same work is ongoing there too.

 

I wasn’t aware of the term Roger used but found this which explains it. Quite interesting.
Source Torquay Utd.


Korrowing

First, the old playing surface is removed in a process called ‘korrowing’.

“Inscapes stripped the surface and power-harrowed and cultivated the pitch,” said Chris. “We’ll get some better levels – the surface should be smoother with fewer highs and lows, so less puddling in heavy rain.

“The power harrowing and cultivation helps to break up all of the top root zone. Another advantage is that we will have significantly aerated the root zone. It will break up black layer which sits in the soil; it’s a layer where gases build up and struggle to escape. We should get deeper rooting for the grass and better surface drainage”







Drainage

Plainmoor has suffered in the past because of insufficient drainage. Being a clay-based pitch, water isn’t able to permeate well enough through the surface, but the new drainage should help significantly.

“We’re had initial primary drainage channels installed,” said Chris. “It consists of lateral piping placed across the pitch spaced every five meters. Last season the margin between having a game on, and it being postponed, was small. This work will help in tipping the balance in our favour.

“It will help with the firmness and consistency of the pitch. It will help with getting more games played through the season and will be more resilient to heavy rain. It won’t guarantee a game no-matter what the weather, but it will further improve the odds in our favour.

“We will look at how the pitch reacts during the season and during the winter and may look to further work at the end of the season.

Irrigation

“We’re installing a central irrigation system as well,” added Chris. “Because it is a clay pitch, it dries hard in the summer.

“We have a perimeter automated system in place, and we’re now adding a central system. Small, turf-capped sprinklers will pop out of the pitch and perform the irrigation.

“It will cut down on the use of the hose and watering the pitch by hand. It provides a more consistent and even watering of the pitch. We can also turn it on at night, which is the best time to water the pitch. It takes in the most water without risk of it burning off in sunlight. You encourage the grass to grow deeper through the root zone this way.”

 

I think those responsible for managing the pitch have earned the trust and credibility to do whatever they deem necessary for next season.

 

Well hope you are right, our pitch has been Korrowed in the past a couple of times to make the surface more even which is why it is so good now as it takes time to establish, Playing football on a newly grass sown pitch ( unlike turfed ) will loosen the new roots it in wet weather and cut up, But we will see

 

The pitch wasn’t dug up in the summer of 2019 and the result was an appalling pitch by February just before the COVID lockdown. Watch the Plymouth game on u tube our last home game before lockdown and see the state of it. Been dug up last two summers and much improved.

 

The pitch was korrowed last summer and later than this year. The results speak for themselves by common consent.

 

Thanks for all the insightful posts, I’m now going to hit up Charlie Dimmock and do some mowing!

 

Bringing back an old thread just to say a friend of mine was down at VP yesterday and spoke with the groundsman and he said Hughes has been very specific to want the grass cutting to 23mm and the pitch widening, regarding the grass this is the same configuration as the Millennium stadium, small details but it’s things like this that add an attention to detail we’ve lacked for a long time.

 

How are we making the pitch wider. Is that how Eisa got injured, running along the front row of seats in the main stand.

 

I did notice on Tuesday that the touchline seemed to be nearer to the dugout and edge of the grass than normal, a wider pitch should really help us out with the wingers we've got and also when teams sit behind the ball it should create a bit more space on the wings.

 

I saw someone on Twitter mention it after Derby can’t say I noticed or paid it much thought until he said yesterday, I’ll make sure I keep an eye out again Donny as you say it’ll be definitely done with a plan in mind.