Limerick produces Best Practice Guide for Sport Pitch Renovation

horticultural graphicIn 2011 Limerick Clare Kerry Regional Waste Management Office and Limerick City Council came together to make the local authority’s Mill Road Horticultural Depot more sustainable.

Following the audits and training LCC and RWMO then partnered with RX3 in a pilot study to look at the potential to improve sports turf management by using compost from organic waste collected in the region.

In 2012 this research led to the development of a guide: Best Management Practice Guide  Using Compost for Sport Pitch Renovation in Ireland within a Sustainable Sport Pitch Maintenance & Management System 

The purpose of this guide is to illustrate how to use compost as a topdressing for the renovation of sport pitches in Ireland and explain how to integrate it into a overall management programme in order to maintain sport pitches to the highest possible standard.

A compost-based topdressing is a key ingredient in the effective maintenance or renovation of  sports pitches in Ireland. In trials conducted in both Tralee and Limerick during 2011, pitches  treated with compost far outperformed the control plots which represented the traditional  method of renovation (aeration, application of chemical fertiliser and over seeding). The results  were quite impressive: denser and fuller growth, less weeds, improved soil qualities &  structure, good colour and healthy lush grass. When done in combination with an effective  maintenance and management programme, the renovation with compost works well to keep  sport pitches at their optimum level of performance for consistent use.

 

To download this guide click here.

 

For further information contact:

Pauline McDonogh

Regional Waste Prevention Co-ordinator

Southern Region Waste Management Office

Tel: 061 496844/0872755538