Containing everything needed to over-seed and feed tired and worn sports pitches, the budget-friendly packages contain top quality grass seed and the necessary fertilisers required to ensure the new sward germinates as quickly as possible and continues to thrive once established. Three sport pitch renovation packages have been announced, all of which are based around the use of Germinal’s A30 Rapid Sports Renovator Plus seed mixture and NovaTec Premium slow release fertiliser. The third ‘Pro-Pitch’ option also includes Germinal’s G13 ProteKt autumn/winter fertiliser.
The three packages are as follows: Goal Mouth and Touchline Repairs: contains enough grass seed (three 20kg bags of A30) to renovate two goal mouths, both touchlines and centre spot, plus enough fertiliser (ten 25 kg bags of NovaTec Premium) to feed the entire pitch during the grow-in period. Package price: £550 Full Pitch Renovation: contains enough grass seed (seven 20 kg bags of A30) to over-seed an entire pitch, plus enough fertiliser (ten 25 kg bags of NovaTec Premium) to feed the entire pitch during the grow-in period. Package price: £800. Pro-Pitch Renovation: contains enough grass seed (seven 20 kg bags of A30) to over-seed an entire pitch, plus enough fertiliser (ten 25 kg bags of NovaTec Premium) to feed the entire pitch during the grow-in period. This option also contains ten bags of Germinal’s G13 ProteKt fertiliser to feed the sward during the autumn and winter. Package price: £1,150. A30 Rapid Sports Renovator Plus is the perfect seed mixture for sports pitch repairs and renovations thanks to its blend of two perennial ryegrasses (35% Calico and 35% Carnac) and a creeping perennial ryegrass (30% Zurich). A30 produces a hardwearing playing surface which, thanks to the creeping growth habit of Zurich, offers excellent recovery and persistence.
Novatec Premium (15-3-20, 2%MgO +TE) is a cost-effective slow release fertiliser with added trace elements and 2% MgO. It disperses rapidly into the sward where it releases its nutrients over a period of 12 to 16 weeks, thereby significantly reducing labour requirements throughout the pitch’s grow-in period by eliminating the need for subsequent applications.
As well as helping new plants to establish, Novatec Premium is also beneficial to established swards, with its high potassium content helping to stiffen leaf blades and protect them from cold weather damage and disease. G13 ProteKt (3-0-22, +3% Fe) is a micro-granulated fertiliser which contains 22% potash and 3% iron to help harden turf, heighten sward colour, and protect grass plants from disease.
Applying G13 to the established sward in the autumn and winter improves wear tolerance and enables the pitch to recover more quickly in the subsequent spring. All three packages retail at a discounted price compared to purchasing their individual components at full retain value – a fact club managers and groundsmen, especially at those clubs financially affected by the Covid-19 crisis, will appreciate.
“We recognise that, at the time of year when the majority of sports pitches should be being renovated after the long wet winter, many groundsmen find their hands tied either by a shortage of funds as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, or because they and their teams have been furloughed during the ongoing crisis,” Richard Brown explains.
“As these grass roots facilities move out of lockdown and the Football Foundation’s Pitch Preparation Fund starts to be implemented, groundsmen are bound to be under significant time and resource pressures, so we’ve taken steps to make their subsequent pitch renovation projects as simple and easily to implement as possible.
“By formulating three ready-to-use packages – all of which are available to buy online at www.germinalamenity.com – groundsmen can quickly and easily order all the seed and fertiliser they need without having to spend too much desk-based time researching which products to buy or where to find the best deal.”