Introduction
The work carried out during this period will cover January to April.
Adequate pre-season work is essential if a well prepared court is to be presented for play during the summer months.
When soil conditions are wet during this period it is usually beneficial to keep off the court as much as possible. This will help to reduce the chance of soil smearing and compaction which the relatively heavy tennis court soils can be prone to.
Mowing
Gradually reduce the height of cut from the winter height of 12-15mm to the start of the season height of about 6-8mm.
Ideally keep the grass topped so that no more than about 3mm is removed at any one time. Therefore if the grass reaches 18mm in height, it will be topped at 15mm.
(The exact height will depend upon whether the court is mostly perennial ryegrass or a fescue/bent sward).
It is important to reduce the height slowly over the whole of this period otherwise a rapid reduction can lead to a drastic thinning of the sward. This thinning will become very evident if a late frost, cold wet spells or cold winds occur.
If at all possible try and start the season with as much leaf height as practical, i.e. 8mm or so.
Always box off the clippings to reduce the chance of disease attacks and earthworm activity.
A typical sequence of cutting height reductions might be as follows:
| Period | Height of cut |
| January - mid March | 15mm |
| Last week in March | 13mm |
| 1st week in April | 12mm |
| 2nd week in April | 11mm |
| 3rd week in April | 10mm |
| 4th week in April | 9mm |
| 1st week in May | 8mm |
Scarification
During April a light to medium scarification might be carried out to remove surface thatch. This operation should only be carried out when the weather is mild and the grass is growing relatively strongly.
Dragbrushing
Carry this operation out on a regular basis to keep the grass upright and to help keep adequate air flow around the grass blades. Earthworm casts, if present, will be dispersed on a regular basis and this will help to prevent the grass from becoming smothered. A consequence of leaving undisturbed earthworm casts on the court is that not only can the underlying grass die out but weeds, especially annual meadow grass, will be able to invade the weakened areas.
Fertiliser Application
A light application of a fertiliser during the middle of March may be considered. A typical application might provide 1 g/N/m² in a liquid form by applying 5 g/m2 of sulphate of ammonia. A small of amount of iron within the fertiliser may also be considered. The precise make up of the fertiliser, which is effectively a tonic, will also depend on the species present within the tennis court as care will need to be taken in applying acidic fertilisers if the sward is predominantly perennial ryegrass.
Adequate nutrients will need to be applied throughout the whole of the growing season to ensure a hard wearing sward is maintained. A range of fertilisers are suitable for use on a tennis court and the following typical nutrient requirements could be used as a starting point: (Reference, STRI 'Fertilisers for Turf, 1996, p.36)
- Nitrogen: 8 -12 g/m²;
- Phosphate: 2 - 4 g/m²;
- Potash: 4 - 10 g/m².
The quantity of phosphate and potash will depend upon soil analyses and sward assessments, however, an application of phosphate can be beneficial at the end of the season when the court is being renovated.
An April fertiliser might consist of the following:
- 14:0:7 @ 25g/m², providing 3.5 g/N/m², or
- 12:0:6 @ 25g/m², providing 3 g/N/m²,
- or similar.
Chemical Applications
The need to spray pesticides will depend on weather conditions and the condition of the court. Fusarium can be a problem during moist and relatively warm spring conditions, whilst earthworm activity can be a problem on heavy soils.
Moss can also be a problem during the pre-season period.
An initial application of a wetting agent may also be beneficial to assist water penetration when the drier spring and summer periods arrive.
Rolling
An initial light rolling will probably commence in March (with a 3-5 cwt light roller).
The weight can increase to 10-12 cwt during April, although care needs to be taken not to roll too frequently, otherwise excessive compaction will be caused.
Other
An application of top-dressing is not normally carried out prior to the start of the season as the material is unlikely to become adequately incorporated into the soil profile before the commencement of the first match.
Set and mark out the court ready for the start of play.