Overseeding Sports Pitches Around the Weather at Radley College
After 26 years at Radley College, Adam King has watched grounds management change. Weather patterns are harder to predict. Playing surfaces take more wear than they used to. For a grounds team, being able to act the moment conditions allow now counts for a lot.
A big estate and a short renovation window
Adam and his team look after 14 rugby pitches, which become 16 football pitches in winter. On top of that come nine cricket squares, a nine-hole golf course and the wider college grounds. Every surface has to be ready for hundreds of pupils throughout the year. Overseeding sports pitches at that scale only works if the team can do it at the right moment.
“We make sport happen,” says Adam. “The boys are at their happiest when they’re out playing, and our job is to make sure the facilities are there for them every single day.”
That responsibility led to the purchase of a Redexim Overseeder 3D 1575 two years ago.
“We’d previously bought a second-hand Redexim overseeder and it had been fantastic,” Adam explains. “So, when it came to replacing it, we knew exactly what we wanted.”
For Adam, the new machine meant more than replacing old equipment.
“It’s really about having control over what you’re doing. If you’ve got your own overseeder, your own top dresser and the machinery you need, you can renovate when it suits you, rather than waiting for a contractor or a hire company to have equipment available.”
Renovating when conditions are right
Owning the machinery changed how Radley plans its renovations.
“We used to bring contractors in every March to carry out the work. But with the weather becoming so unpredictable, we’ve moved away from that. Now, because we’ve got our own equipment, we can spread renovations through April, May and June, and continue them into the autumn when conditions are right. It allows us to work around the weather rather than sticking to a fixed timetable.”
“We have to adapt now. The weather doesn’t follow the old patterns anymore, so having the machinery available when you need it makes a massive difference.”
Why the Overseeder 3D 1575
Choosing the replacement took little debate.
“Redexim is a manufacturer with a great track record,” he says. “They don’t produce poor machines. The build quality, the robustness and the level of control you have over things like seeding rates made it a no-brainer when the budget allowed.”
Adam also values the weight of the machine, because it keeps the discs at depth when the ground is firm.
“I like the fact it’s heavy,” Adam says. “Even when the ground is still quite hard, like it often is at this time of year, we’re still able to achieve the seeding depth we’re looking for.”
Placing seed in a slit below the surface gives it better soil contact than spreading it on top. Read more about how slit seeding works.
One machine across the estate
The overseeder is now one of the most-used machines on site.
“We use it almost everywhere,” he explains. “Football pitches, rugby pitches, golf tees, aprons and fairways, and even the larger lawns. The only place we don’t use it is on the cricket squares or the golf greens.”
Its size helps the team move it from one area to the next.
“Because it’s a 1.6 metre machine, it’s still really manoeuvrable. It’s not too cumbersome on the larger lawn areas, so it gives us a lot of versatility across the whole estate.”
“It’s a very good bit of kit,” Adam concludes. “It does exactly what it says it’s going to do, and that’s ultimately what you want from any machine.”
For Radley, the gain is timing. With its own overseeder on site, Adam’s team renovates when the ground is ready. The contractor’s calendar no longer decides.
Planning your own renovations? See the full Redexim overseeding range or request a quote from your local Redexim dealer.
About Radley College
Radley College is a boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 in Radley, Oxfordshire, founded in 1847. Its 800-acre (320 ha) estate includes playing fields, a golf course, a lake and farmland.