CROQUET LAWN MATTERS
One of the key advantages of this approach is its impact on thatch. Thatch is a complex layer of organic material including dead roots that accumulates in the root zone. It increases in thickness when the rate of production exceeds the rate of breakdown. Traditional chemical feeding programmes tend to stimulate top growth without enhancing soil biology, which can lead to increased thatch formation and a reliance on scarification to remove it. The thatch creates a spongy, slow surface which is not ideal for croquet because long shots become physically more difficult In contrast, the organic system I advocate focuses on increasing the rate of biological breakdown in the rootzone. One of the fertilisers I supply incorporates Biogran, which introduces a broad spectrum of beneficial bacteria alongside mycorrhizal fungi. These organisms work together to decompose organic matter within the thatch layer and rootzone, converting it into plant-available nutrition while improving soil structure and root function. In practice, this biological activity reduces thatch levels by approximately 30% per year until a natural equilibrium is reached, where the rate of breakdown matches the rate of new thatch being produced. This is usually at a thickness of 5 to 8mm. At this point thatch is no longer accumulating, and routine scarification becomes unnecessary. This is why Biogran-based products are widely described as genuine “thatch-busting” fertilisers. Rather than tearing material out of the surface, they address the underlying imbalance that caused the problem in the first place.
DUNCAN HECTOR duncanhectorturfcare.co.uk
For many years, thatch has been regarded as an unavoidable problem on fine turf croquet lawns, with mechanical scarification viewed as the only effective remedy. However, experience increasingly shows that this approach treats the symptom rather than the cause. Under an organically managed system, thatch can be reduced and controlled biologically, without the disruption and stress associated with aggressive mechanical practices. Organic fertilisers behave very differently from synthetic chemical products. Rather than supplying nutrients as readily soluble salts, organic fertilisers rely on soil bacteria and fungi to break them down into forms the grass plant can use. This biological process is influenced by moisture, temperature and day length, which is why organic systems align so closely with natural grass growth cycles. As soil conditions improve in spring and summer, biological activity increases and nutrient availability rises steadily rather than in short bursts.
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