A quality playing field thanks to high-performance products: the vision of an experienced field manager

Providing acceptable quality at the lowest possible cost. That is the challenge that practically every field manager and greenkeeper faces every day. The same applies to Martin Brummel, grounds manager at AFC Ajax's De Toekomst Sports Park and independent consultant with GrasMeesters. A wealth of expertise, which also benefits his local sports club in Epe. Vice versa, it allows Brummel to test innovations in the sector close to home, for example, and thus expand his knowledge.

For Brummel, quality equals a mat that is vital and level, has a good and reliable ball roll, and is safe for the players. Thus, playability outweighs the visual aspect. A well-considered choice of fertilizer is primordial to reconciling these two net for the perfect overall experience. 

COMPO EXPERT offers quality, high-performance solutions for this with its range of specialty fertilizers, soil conditioners and biostimulants. But how does Brummel make his choice now? 

Soil analysis

"It starts with knowing the state of the field, and for that I take an annual soil analysis in the winter. This then allows me to set out the chalk lines for the coming season, and right now I don't see a whole lot of difference between consecutive years, so my fertilization strategy is pretty well balanced. "For professional fields, Brummel recommends taking a sample annually, but for municipal fields, every two to three years is more feasible. "Once seeding occurs, the mat needs to close as quickly as possible to keep out unwanted plants. I have good experience with COMPO EXPERT's fast-acting EasyGreen Mini 21. This is because an organic fertilizer is not suitable for this purpose because the organic matter must first be digested before nutrients can become plant-available."

Once the mat is closed, the throttle may be released a bit and it is necessary to get the grass plant stronger. At this stage the fertilizer choices are also legion, but Brummel sees a clear trend: "In agriculture, they have to make do with less and less, and I'm convinced this is coming for sports fields as well. So we have to look to fertilize as efficiently as possible, in other words, that what we give is also effectively absorbed by the grass plants. Spoonfeeding, liquid or otherwise, and slow-release fertilizers with Isodur® and Crotodur® undoubtedly help with this. For example, I use Floranid® N 31 and Floranid®, among others.^Twin Eagle Master as soon as the mat is dense, to have a gradual, efficient N release and uptake, and thus avoid growth spikes." 

An appropriate, balanced supply of nutrients is the basis for a vital plant, but due to field access, mowing and variable weather and growing conditions, there are also various stress moments with the risk of weakening and damaging the field. So it is necessary to continuously steer towards resilience, recovery and growth. For this, COMPO EXPERT offers, among other things, Vitanica® biostimulants that have been specially developed for grass stocks. 

Firmer leaf cells

"Biostimulants are an integral part of my program," Brummel says. "I usually use all types, being amino acids, seaweed extracts, humic and fulvic acids, and silicon, in which I alternate applications every two or three weeks. Especially in silicon I see added value in generating firmer cells in the leaves and a consistent ball roll, and with a more vital plant there is also less chance of infection by pathogenic pathogens. I also use biostimulants for the establishment of a new turf on the substrate, albeit supplemented with a stock fertilizer containing sufficient phosphorus. Afterwards, however, I deliberately keep phosphorus fertilization low to give street grass as little opportunity as possible to establish itself."