It's sportsground renewal season in Boroondara. Our turf expert Steve explains what's involved.
The secrets are hidden under the surface with turf. We build a really intricate system of trenches, drainage and irrigation pipes, different soil and sand layers. Your average footy player or dog walker would be unaware of what's going on under their feet.
We have 54 sportsgrounds. Some are upwards of 30 or 40 years old with no drainage or irrigation.
The main reason for renewing grounds is the growth in sport and increased usage. Community sport - especially women's sport - has exploded in recent years and community recreational usage of grounds is up too since Covid.
We're not just building a sportsground any more. It's a recreational space so it needs to be useable 12 months a year for everyone - teams and clubs, dog walkers, picnickers, people just getting some sunshine and exercise, personal training, school sports.
We don't want the ground dry and hard like concrete or a bog heap in winter. People's expectations of turf spaces have increased and they don't want to get covered in mud any more.
We do condition audits on all grounds every year to decide which ones get renewed next. It's not just about the ground. We look at lights and fences, goal posts and cricket nets. Once the ground's chosen we go to the design engineers and then the fun stuff starts.
We start by digging out the original turf and 100 mm of soil under that. Then we re-level the base and install the underground irrigation. On top of that comes the drainage system in 3 layers. First is the web of pipes inside the playing field that collect water and take it to the main drains and stormwater pits. The layer above that is 'sand-slit' drainage trenches filled with gravel and sand that take water to the pipework. The third drainage layer is 100 mm of sand across the whole playing surface - it has the potential to drain between 300 and 400 mm of rain in an hour once the water penetrates through the turf! Then comes the turf surface.
We've changed to a new grass species that's 25% more drought-tolerant than others on the market. It's thick and aggressive and allows us to use less water for irrigation and handle possible drought conditions even better. It also wears better through winter and has a slightly shorter dormancy period. In peak growing summer conditions, we can control aggressive growth by minimising irrigation and fertiliser. This gives us a more environmentally sustainable surface.
The turf suppliers contract-grow these species in rural Victoria on sand-based farms to mimic the newly installed sand-profile conditions. The farms specialise in sports turf and mow, fertilise and irrigate to match what we need. It's harvested the day before we install and trucked to the site for an early-morning start.
Contractors can lay about 3000 sq m of turf a day. It's laid and rolled with a heavy roller to help it settle in then we irrigate immediately. The first 2 weeks are moisture-critical until the roots have worked their way into the sand profile.
Our new sportsgrounds are designed to withstand 15 to 20 hours of sports usage each week. That includes matches and training days. Historically training was only 2 nights a week. Now some clubs are using the ground 4 to 5 nights for a couple of hours at a time. These grounds cater for soccer, football, cricket, lacrosse, baseball and rugby.
We've made a conscious shift to consider environmental sustainability. That means using efficient watering systems, drought-tolerant grass species, efficient drainage systems. And we're moving away from synthetic surfaces because they're difficult to recycle at end of life.
The life expectancy of these builds is 25 to 30 years when correctly maintained. We're building them to last. We're a lot better placed now to handle excessive drought and when it rains the drainage gets water off the field of play faster.
This year we're renewing grounds at Greythorn Park, Willsmere Park and Ferndale Park. That work started in September and the turf will be laid in mid-summer. We expect it to be settled in by the end of autumn and ready for winter sports in 2026.
People love grass. Why? You can smell it, you can lie on it. You can just enjoy being on good turf! A lot of people make a hobby out of looking after their backyard turf so they can relate to nice-looking grass.
Top turf tips you can use at home
- Choose a drought-tolerant grass species - it will need less water and can survive extreme heat and dry periods.
- Lay turf in spring or autumn. Daytime conditions during this time are perfect for growing.
- Roll new turf straight away to help it settle in and allow the roots to make good contact with the soil. You can borrow or hire a water-fillable roller.
- Install a sandy topsoil if possible but this isn't essential for the home garden.
- Fertilise at 4 to 8-week periods from spring through to autumn. There are plenty of organic fertilisers available. Warm-season turf species respond really well to natural seaweed extract fertilisers.
- After laying it's vital to water every day for at least the first 2 weeks to allow the roots to work their way into the topsoil.
- Control summer growth by easing off on water and fertiliser.
- Warm-season turf grasses are creeping species. Regular mowing helps them creep more and spread across any gaps.
- By controlling fertiliser and water, you can keep them ready to survive drought conditions. Avoid over-fertilising and over-watering. Keep them keen!
