Rugby club pitches get the TOPSOIL treatment
As a thriving local rugby club, Bury St Edmunds RUFC sees plenty of action. Two of the three grass pitches at its Haberden ground were consequently showing signs of wear and tear and Groundsman Oliver Deeming chose British Sugar TOPSOIL’s Sports & Turf dressing to give the turf a boost.
Sports & Turf is a blend of 80% sand and 20% of British Sugar TOPSOIL’s BS3882:2015 certified topsoil. The sand is predominantly medium to coarse (67%) and sub angular in shape, which assists free drainage and promotes good integration into the surface of the turf. The soil within the blend contains both phosphorous and potassium, which contributes to soil fertility and encourages healthy growth.
Bury St Edmunds RUFC has four senior men’s teams, a ladies’ team, and an active mini rugby and youth section, with over 300 young people in both. Its 1st XV plays in National League 2 South and the club also hosts an International Sevens competition each year that attracts many national sides, Premiership clubs and specialist Sevens teams. Keeping the pitches in tip top condition, therefore, keeps Oliver busy:
“It’s been over two years since we applied a topdressing to our pitches and we needed a product that would open up the soil profile and improve fertility after over-seeding” Oliver explained. “Sports & Turf has the high levels of medium to coarse sand we needed to improve drainage, plus 20% soil in the blend to provide the nutrient value and help germination. I was very impressed with how easily the dressing flowed through the dresser and bedded into the grass sward.”
80 tonnes of Sports & Turf were applied on 10th May 2017 after over-seeding using a TURFCO WideSpin 1550 Topdresser supplied by Ransomes Jacobsen.
