top dressing A COMPLETE GUIDE

Top Dressing What is a Top Dressing and where should it be used? What Does Top Dressing Mean?

The term Top Dressing is used to describe the surface application to turf of sand, soil, organic matter or any combination of the three. When added to the surface, over a period of years the Top Dressing becomes part of the rootzone and will alter or sustain the physical and biological properties of the rootzones.

Why Are Top Dressing Necessary?

The long term maintenance of any sports surface is difficult. It’s not just a matter of getting good grass cover but helping hold the character of the surface and rootzone. It is often used to level off any undulations in the playing surface whilst giving good response in rain, allowing the water to permeate through the soil profile at a controlled rate, which will not only help to reduce surface water, but will also allow the roots to get the necessary natural feed it requires.

BEFORE

Composition and Physical Properties of Top Dressing

Top Dressing becomes part of the Rootzone, so AFTER logically they should have compositions and properties similar to the rootzone you already have. This being said, changing the sand grading to course sand on poorly draining surfaces can dramatically improve game playability. In all cases, the sand in the Top Dressing should be of a uniform size. Cheap Top Dressings are often comprised of sands with a wide range of particle sizes even when the amount of fine particles is small. When compressed they have a smaller total pore space than uniform sands and are therefore inferior.

Choice of Top Dressing Fine Turf:

Winter Games Pitches:

For areas cut to below 5mm e.g. golf greens and bowling greens.

For longer grass than fine turf e.g. football and rugby pitches.

• Fine Turf Dressing: A blend of sand and organic • Design Rootzone: A blend of sand and organic amendment that has been kiln dried and finely amendment to your soil profile requirements screened (3mm maximum) to produce a and screened (8mm maximum). sterilized and free flowing material. • Sports Sand: A washed and graded moist silica • Dried Sports Sand: Kiln dried and screened to 2mm. sand available in various gradings.

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Outfields: Golf fairways and cricket outfields. • Design Rootzone: A blend of sand and organic amendment to your soil profile requirements and screened (5mm maximum). • Sports Sand: A washed and graded moist silica sand available in various gradings.

Synthetic Pitches: Any synthetic surface pitch. • Silica Sand: Double washed and kiln dried for a free flowing material and screened (3mm maximum). Summer Games Cricket wicket and tennis courts. • Clay Loam: A blend of clay, silt and sand to give a Motty strength which provides the required bounce during game play and screened (5mm maximum).

Understanding Top Dressing What are the benefits of using Dressings?

two products must be compatible i.e. have similar composition and properties.

• Helps to maintain a smooth, true running surface. • Improves mowing efficiency. • Helps prevent the build-up of thatch. • Enables control of organic matter content, water infiltration and aeration. • Essential in the maintenance of rootzone depth. • Improves germination in over-seeded areas

• A quality Top Dressing supplier will want you to test your greens before selling you the right product for your particular application.

How to choose the right Dressing: • Firstly, there is no such thing as a universally ‘good’ Top Dressing. • Test and establish the existing soil profile of the green before selecting a Top Dressing. Over time a Top Dressing will add to and become part of the Rootzone, therefore the

• Samples should be taken from the greens and tested to determine particle size distribution, pH and organic matter content. • This information is used to identify a suitable Top Dressing that is compatible with the existing rootzone. All topdressings should contain the rounded silica sand and never sharp or building sand. This will, over a matter of time, cause the soil profile to bind together and reduce the drainage capabilities resulting in any rain water sitting on the surface and puddling.

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This will cause playing conditions to deteriorate dramatically, so getting the cheapest product for the sake of cutting your budgets could end up costing vast sums to resolve in later years.

Application

Typical rates of Top Dressing range from 2-5kgm². Single application rates should be around 5kg/m² as any more is often difficult to integrate into the existing Rootzone at any one time.

The results of using a miss-matches Dressing: Frequent, light applications are recommended for the • Layering problems – layers of different pore size systems within shallow depths of the rootzone. • Water retention. • Reduction in porosity. • Problems with the air/water balance causing anaerobic soil. • Rooting depth can be affected.

following reasons: • Promotes fast integration. • Prevents layering. • Avoids smothering grass when growth is slow (Spring and Autumn). • Avoids significant disruption to play.

• Cancellation of games causing loss of revenue.

Over the years it can build up a depth of high quality Rootzone on top of inferior material used in By the time the problems become apparent they may the original construction. be impossible to rectify and you may be better starting from scratch!

The 70/30 Myth

The use of generic terms such as 70/30 and 80/20 are common in the natural turf industry but actually mean very little. Knowing the ratio of sand/soil does not tell the user about the quality of either the sand or the organic amendment that has been used. A purchaser should request a precise analysis of the Top Dressing in terms of: • Grading of silica sand. • Silt and Clay content. • Percentage of Organic matter.

Handling Tips

What should also be highlighted is the actual and content to any topdressing.

Incorrect handling of the Top Dressing will have a detrimental effect on product performance.

Although a 70/30 is 70% Sand and 30% organic mendment, people tend to forget that topsoil is made up of 50-80% sand in its self. This would cause the analysis to give a greater sand content then you may have expected.

To assist, the following Handling Tips are recommended but are not all encompassing: • Site surface onto which the Top Dressing is discharged should be as hard, clean and as dry as possible.

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• Top Dressing should be handled as little as possible. • Top Dressing should be stored in a way which minimises the risks of contamination. • Top Dressing should not be stored for prolonged periods. • The Top Dressing should not be over-compacted e.g. by heavy plant and equipment. • Installation during excessively wet conditions should be avoided. The formation of the British Rootzone & Top Dressing Manufacturers Association (BRTMA) in 2000 by a group of specialist manufacturers within the industry, of which Bourne Amenity Ltd are founder members, was an important development in ensuring the supply of materials to high standards of specification and quality control for the varied applications on natural turf areas. All member companies of the BRTMA offer consistent, repeatable and quality controlled products for the construction and maintenance of natural turf areas.

The BRTMA is managed by an Executive Committee made up of elected members, representing manufacturers of Rootzones and/or Top Dressings. All materials must conform to a standard approved by the Association’s appointed Testing House i.e. USGA or UK guidelines.

The Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) has been appointed as the official Test House for the BRTMA, ensuring independent assessment of rootzones and top dressings.

All Bourne Amenity Ltd Fine Turf Dressings are heat treated to 200°C and then passed through a 2mm screen to ensure a weedfree, easy flowing product. All Bourne Amenity Ltd Top Dressing Rootzones are shovel mixed and then screened through a 5mm screen directly into the delivery vehicle to avoid contamination.

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Bourne Amenity Ltd The Wharf Newenden Cranbrook Kent TN18 5QG Tel: 01797 252299 Fax: 01797 253115 Email: [email protected]

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