Precautions

During the vegetative period, the natural lawn of POWERgrass can withstand up to 7 hours of play per day, without suffering particular damage, however it is advisable to reduce the activity, during the winter period, when the natural grass is dormant because over time it can thin out, even if the fibers, present in large quantities, can guarantee a playable surface. POWERgrass mitigates the thermal shock and protects the roots, thanks to its backing and higher biological activity, but playing on frozen ground should be avoided so as not to cause significant damage to the lawn and to preserve the health of the players.

If the climate is extreme, it is recommended to integrate a heating system in the root area or cover the field with a non-woven geotextile during frosty nights and until late morning the next day, if the temperature is expected to be below -5°C for several hours during the night. If the frost persists during the day, it is good to keep the cover and suspend sports activities.

For professional players' training and playing fields, bear in mind that physical preparation begins a month earlier than for amateurs. In Italy, through August to mid-September, we have high day and night temperatures for the growth of microtherm (Lolium Perenne, Poa Pratensis, and Festuca Arundinacea) and the double stress of heat and intensive play can damage the grass mantle, therefore, it is best to use the field early in the morning to avoid excessive stress to the grass carpet. If intensive use is necessary with temperatures above 25°C, it is recommended to sow the macrothermic such as Bermudagrass (Cynodon Dactylon) or Paspalum Vaginatum if saline water is present.

It may seem obvious, but it's worth repeating, that grass is resilient and recovers quickly in the POWERgrass hybrid system, provided the play is distributed across the entire field. Therefore, all static training is prohibited and players should move around the field every day, changing their training zones. For instance, stationary "skip" exercises are extremely intense for natural grass and may cause it to give way after a few hours. Concentrated training should be arranged in different areas of the field each day, for example, goalkeeper training, short ball passes etc.

The person in charge of field care, must collect every object at the end of each training session and move the cones to different areas of the field the following day.

The field operator must collect every object at the end of training and move the reference cones to different areas of the field the following day, to distribute the weekly load of the game across the field surface. When it is impossible to establish a dedicated area for goalkeeper training, it is necessary to use movable goals, to be moved every day, to preserve the area of the fixed goals, which are best used only for matches.

The resistance during the season and its durability depends on the maintenance of the natural grass, taking care not to damage the synthetic turf.

Properly balanced nutrition, combined with frequent raking for surface cleaning, light punching up to the backing to alleviate ground compaction and periodic targeted re-sowing of the most damaged areas, help to mitigate and compensate for the stress from intense play. The cultivation according to the HEALgreen method, along with careful water management for irrigation, allows to maintain the soil conditions in a range favourable for the roots and to mitigate thermal stress. This way, it is possible to reduce the need for specialist maintenance interventions during the summer break and contain the overall maintenance costs and water consumption.

Proper use of the field and constant maintenance promotes a rich and uniform grass coverage, almost all year round. In this way, the natural grass covers and protects the synthetic turf, which is not so exposed to the sun and does not suffer synthetic fibre ageing from UV rays, especially in the summer when the sun is stronger and the weather is hotter.

The lifespan of POWERgrass is estimated at at least 20 years of intensive use, with some caution on maintenance interventions to avoid irreversible damage to the backing and synthetic fibres.

Prohibited operations or operations to be performed by POWERgrass technicians

Here are some examples of operations that are not allowed, operations that need to be performed by POWERgrass technicians and alternative cultivation solutions.

One should avoid aggressive scarification with fixed or mobile blades. Furthermore, one should avoid repeated top-dressing which buries the synthetic fibres and as a result, the crowns of the grass plants are not protected. Normally, sanding is used in natural lawns to level them out or to increase the absorption capacity of the substrate, but in the case of synthetic grass, exposing the fibres too much risks damaging them.

One should avoid aggressive scarification with fixed or mobile blades. Also, one should avoid repeated top-dressing that buries synthetic fibres and as a result, the crowns of the grass seedlings are not protected. Usually, sandblasting, in natural lawns, is used to level the surface and close the small holes that players form on the playing field. This does not occur in POWERgrass, because we have never perceived the need to do top dressing.

Do not use disc seeders that can cut the fibres, but those with conical nails that tend to move the fibres together with the lawn. For obvious reasons, corning with empty punches and deep cuts with spikers is not allowed to prevent the artificial support from being excessively damaged. The roots of the grass tend to seal the cut back up, but there is the risk of lifting the sod along with the artificial grass during the operation.

For the Returfing operation, namely the removal of the natural grass together with the surface deposited soil and the re-sowing every 3-4 years, please consult exclusively the authorized POWERgrass technicians, under penalty of the decay of the 12-year system warranty.

A very beneficial operation that POWERgrass strongly recommends is frequent passage with the nail roller which penetrates the first 30-35 mm of the surface to alleviate the compaction above the backing. Moreover, the mechanical raking keeps the surface clean by removing the dirt generated by the players from intensive play.

It is also possible to periodically use the Verti-Drain with thin nails from 8 or 12 mm in diameter, to dig up the ground deeply and make it more draining and softer. This operation is particularly indicated when the weather is excessively rainy.

For the cutting of the grass use helical machines and generally stick to the HEALgreen maintenance program, periodically consulting the POWERgrass technicians.