Grounds Maintenance Tips - June Operations

We feature monthly maintenance guides in our members' magazine to help you keep your sports surfaces in top condition all year round. Here is a preview of our June operations, featuring tips for cricket, bowls, and horse racing. For our full June guidance across all sports, see the latest edition of our members magazine, Grounds Management. To find out more about becoming a member, visit our membership page by clicking here.

Bowling Greens

  • By now the greens should be producing a very good playing surface.
  • Verticut and groom regularly to help control annual meadow grass seed head production and to produce a more upright growing grass sward. This will also provide a faster surface without the need to reduce the height of cut.
  • Maintain a suitable height of cut, typically mowing four or five times per week.
  • Disease pressures may increase this month and localised Dry Patch may start to appear however, this condition should not be confused with a poorly developed root system, which will also produce a rapid browning and drying of the surface. • Surface aeration should not be neglected.

Cricket Squares

  • Continue using the verticutter, rake or brush to maintain a clean upright sward.
  • Weed growth may be a problem, so June operations Our monthly maintenance guide to help you keep your sports surfaces in top condition all year round consider control methods.
  • A balanced fertiliser application may be required towards the end of the month.
  • Immediately after a game is finished, carry out minor repairs and overseeing.

Cricket Outfields

  • Cut on a regular basis each week with a ride on/pedestrian cylinder mower if possible, reduce frequency of cut and increase height of cut in hot dry conditions as growth rate decreases.
  • Check outfield for broad/narrow leaved weeds and consider control methods if required. Only apply a herbicide when growth is active and ground/climatic conditions are favourable.
  • Repair any worn/damaged areas as soon as possible.

Football Pitches

  • Make sure any end of season renovation work is properly maintained.
  • Important maintenance includes: regular irrigation; a balanced fertiliser application; overseeding areas that aren’t thickening up; cut regularly as conditions and growth allows to promote thickening sward; lightly top dress any uneven areas
  • Try to keep people and animals off the renovated areas.