Baseline Maintenance

A category of turf maintenance which groups variables in a way that captures the general outcomes and returns from inputs to a sports turf surface.

This category is what is needed to maintain a playing surface that is no longer in use, but which is likely to come back into play some time in the foreseeable future. Normally a surface has been taken out of use due to political, social or economic reasons, with an example from 2020 being the coronavirus COVID-19, which significantly affected all sports matches and surfaces. In essence it is being temporarily mothballed.

This situation could readily arise in many local authority situations, although typically, in practice, maintenance would drop below the baseline maintenance level: The opportunity is certainly available for many local authorities to keep mothballed sports surfaces in a suitable condition ready for when conditions, especially economic ones, improve.

Minimal maintenance will be required, but it will be able to be brought back to a usable level (which is called a core level of maintenance) following some form of routine renovation work, within a relatively short period of time, possibly from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending upon the time of year, the condition of the sward and soil profile and the type of sport.

Mowing at a higher than usual height of cut will be the main activity, with the increased height of cut reducing stress on the grass and encouraging deeper rooting but will result in a more open sward which can be liable to weed invasion, so a balance will need to be made as to the most appropriate height of cut.

Reducing fertiliser input to a minimum to maintain plant resilience, but not to encourage much growth as usage would not be taking place so wear is also not being inflicted on the grass surface.

Some form of scarification and verticutting would also be needed to reduce the chance of a surface mat of dead material building up. This would be more frequent on finer turf surfaces such as golf and bowling greens, reducing but also required on cricket squares and tennis courts, and to lesser extent being needed on rugby, football and horseracing surfaces.

Selective weedkilling may also still be needed if weeds are not to gain a significant upper hand.

Occasional, infrequent aeration might also be needed if the area was subject to foot traffic causing compaction, especially if the area was a football pitch located in a public park. Other occasional work would also be required, depending upon the sport and surface type.

The ground, however, will not have been left to become overgrown and in need of a major overhaul and major reinstatement as this would be categorised as below the baseline maintenance level. See also Core Maintenance, Enhanced Maintenance, and Enhanced Plus Maintenance.