The twelve stadiums hosting the World Cup in Brazil will no doubt be impressive come the Opening Ceremony next month. 

However, the heavy wear and challenging growth conditions will put a lot of pressure on the pitches so the preparation has seen much turfstripping, verticutting and overseeding in the build up.  Redexim products have been at the forefront of this work.

The Redexim Speedseed WB at the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio.

Brazilian football pitches are generally Bermuda grass based which doesn’t stand the Brazilian tropical conditions very well. Due to the winter dormancy of this species the pitches need to be reinforced with temperate sports turfgrass to provide the perfect playing surface during the tournament. 

Only one stadium, the new Corinthians stadium of Sao Paulo, already contained ryegrass – and that is being cooled down through pipes containing cool water from underneath. The other 11 stadiums, as well as in most of the training grounds, currently contain Bermuda grass.  In the months of April and May the process of replacing this grass took place. 

The Redexim Turf Stripper machines was applied to either ‘fraise mow’ or ‘verticut and thin out’ down to the roots.  Fraise mowing removes turf, weeds and thatch from a pitch in one pass and the optional rotor containing verticut blades completes the thinning out. 

The process then called for heavy overseeding ryegrass with the Redexim Speedseed machines right up to the start of the  first match on June 12, 2014.  The Speedseed punches thousands of tiny holes in the ground for the seed to drop in, ensuring maximum germination with minimal surface damage.  

The towed Redexim Speedseed 1600 model is ideal to overseed large areas quickly.  When both the front and rear rollers are equipped with the individual cast rings, a total of 1840 holes per m2 can be achieved.

The self-propelled Speedseed WB, fitted with a 6½ HP engine giving a forward speed of up to 5 km/h, carries out all overseeding needs on fine turf areas.  A rear brush sweeps the seed into the mass of holes – leaving a groomed finish.