Many invest in a playing pitch with synthetic turf because is possible to use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, a playing pitch it is rare exceeding 1200 hours of play per year, because, during the day, most of the children are at school and adults at work. In most cases, the pitch is used after 16:00 pm, until 21:00 in the evening and, at least one day a week is closed.
Those are the real demands where POWERgrass hybrid grass system perfectly fits because is resistant up to 6 hours per day.
Thanks to the synthetic carpet backing, the natural grass grass roots are well anchored and the sods will not raise providing a playing surface without divots meanwhile the synthetic fibres protect the grass crowns and the grass will recover quickly after intensive use.
Applying a simple but constant maintenance is easy to get a high quality playing surface in reinforced natural grass to withstand the load of the season. During the season break of 6 weeks, specialised maintenance can renovate easily the pitch.
POWERgrass system is also playable without grass but with a few precautions during the "dormancy period" of natural grass a good ground coverage can be maintained. During the growing period, the natural grass supports a high number of hours but, the playing activity should be reduced when the natural grass is dormant. The ideal growing period of cool season grasses is from 15-24°C meanwhile warm season grasses from 24°-35°C therefore, select carefully the right species of natural grass depending on the climate and the intense of use during the season. Cool season grasses go dormant <5°C above 32°C meanwhile warm season grasses go dormant below 15°C and above 39°C.
POWERgrass hybrid grass is frost and heat resistant because of the special designed backing which has an isolation effect. However, in extreme climates, is recommended to integrate a heating/cooling system in the rootzone. Against severe frost cover the field with a non-woven geotextile during the frozen nights and, if frost persist, also during the day.
In the summer, if the temperatures persist for long above 30°C and you have to play intensively, you may have to install warm season grasses in the POWERgass hybrid grass system. In that case, overseeding with cool season grasses in late autumn will maintaining the green colour until next spring.
The regular and constant maintenance of natural grass provides a pitch with homogeneous grass coverage almost all year round. In this way, natural grass covers and protects the synthetic turf, so that it is not exposed to sun and does not undergo the aging of artificial turf. On the other hand the natural grass regenerates, by recovery of existing grass plants after heavy use and/or by overseeding, therefore does not have an expiration date.
The durability of POWERgrass system is then estimated above 20 years, with some precaution on operations with maintenance equipment that may damage the synthetic fibres and/or the backing. For example, avoid aggressive verticut with fixed blades that may harm the synthetic fibres. Instead, light verticut with mobile blades, scarifing with springs and/or harrowing with light springs is recommended at least once a month, during the growing period, to reduce the thatch formation and raise the fibres bent on the surface.
For obvious reasons, hollow coring and slicing in depth with the spikers are not allowed to avoid damaging the artificial backing. Instead, use the Verti-Drain or Procore periodically with thin tines of 5 or 8 mm to decompact, if necessary, the sand based growth medium also below the backing.
Compaction occurs higher on the surface layer therefore the frequent use of a sorrel roller is the most cost-effective operation; it will relief the compaction and restore ideal growth conditions above the backing. Apply light verticut, scarification or harrowing after the sorrel roller passage to clean better the surface and raise better the fibres.
Do not use overseeders with rotational discs, but those with pins or springs that tend to move aside the grass together with the artificial fibres.
Avoid heavy top-dressing that bury the artificial fibres, because, in this way, the crowns of the grass plants are not protected. Topdressing in sand based growth mediums is normally used to level the surface and close the small divots that players form in the surface. This does not happen easily in POWERgrass hybrid grass. However, if necessary reduce the amount of sand and/or periodically, every 4-5 years, when the artificial fibres are buried remove all the grass, harrowing the top-soil and eventually integrate with the sand and ZOEsand mineral-organic soil conditioner. Then reseed the natural grass and after 4-6 weeks, the pitch will be ready for the first games.
Football on sand
A sand based pitch often does not support players actions, but in POWERgrass you can count on the roots that anchor to the artificial backing.
Dormancy of natural grass
Select the right grass species according to the dormancy period.
PowerGrass Roots
A cross section where roots develop above and below the artificial turf backing.