Cricket groundsman jobs for October

October is the month the new grass comes through. If you renovated in September, most of this month's cricket groundsman jobs are about looking after the seedlings, keeping people off and bringing the square down to its winter height. If you didn't get round to renovating, there's still a short window. This is the October list in our monthly series, following on from the September jobs.

The square: looking after the new grass

In good conditions new seed shows in 7 to 10 days. It slows down as the soil cools, so later sowings take longer.

• Keep people off. Leave the ropes and signs up until the grass is established and the loam has weathered in. One junior training session on a germinating square undoes a lot of work.
• Keep the seed moist. For the first couple of weeks, light and regular water helps if it doesn't rain.
• Look for gaps. Anywhere the seed hasn't taken, rake it lightly and sow again while there's still warmth in the ground.

First cut and winter height

Don't rush the first cut. Wait until most of the new grass has two leaves and stands around 25 to 40 mm. Then:

• use a sharp mower, on a dry surface
• take off no more than a third of the leaf in one go
• bring the height down gradually over the next few cuts

Aim to settle the square at a winter height of around 18 to 22 mm. Too long and the leaf stays wet and invites disease. Too short and the grass has nothing to work with through the winter.

Feeding the new grass

Once the new grass is up and has had a cut or two, an autumn feed helps it harden off for winter. Go for one low in nitrogen and higher in potassium, and follow the rate on the bag (around 35 g per square metre is typical).

• Put it down on a dry surface over moist soil.
• Avoid days with frost forecast, or wind.
• Keep iron off the new grass until it's established. Iron is for moss on older turf, and there's more on that in the moss guide.

Still to renovate?

If the square hasn't been done, the first half of October is usually the last sensible window, and only if it stays mild with no night frosts. The full method is in the renovation guide. If you're into late October, read putting a cricket square to bed first. It covers whether it's worth it, and what to do instead.

Dew, leaves and worm casts

• Brush the dew off. On damp, overcast and still mornings, brush or switch the square. Leaves that stay wet for hours are how autumn disease gets going.
• Clear the leaves. Get them off before they mat down and smother the grass.
• Worm casts. Brush them in when they're dry, before mowing, so they spread instead of smearing. No chemical worm control has been legal in the UK since 2017, so boxing off clippings and clearing leaves (both feed worms) is the way to keep numbers down.

Don't roll yet

Rolling comes back in the new year, once the square starts drying out ahead of the season. In autumn the soil is wet, so a roller smears the surface and squeezes out the air the roots need.

The outfield

• Raise the height. Around 20 to 25 mm if the outfield is cricket only, over 30 mm if it's shared with a winter sport.
• Slit or tine it. Once the ground has softened, slit or solid tine to 125 mm or more. Not when it's waterlogged, frozen or thawing.
• Keep the leaves off, the same as the square.

Kit away for the winter

• Flat sheet covers: clean and dry them, bag them, and store them off the ground somewhere frost-free.
• Mobile covers: take the tops and banners off and chain the frames together.
• Sightscreens: clean them, take the slats or mesh out, and park them somewhere sheltered.
• Nets: take them down, or at least lift them clear of the ground.
• The mower: if the cylinder regrind and service isn't booked yet, book it now. Dealers fill up through the winter and get busy from February.

Admin: the AGM, stock and funding

• The AGM report. Write down what the square did this season while it's fresh: which wickets played well, which struggled, what the renovation cost and what the square needs next year.
• Stock take. Loam, seed, fertiliser and line paint. Order spring stock early.
• Funding. Two ECB funds are open until 30 November 2026: the Grass Pitch Improvement Fund (which uses a PitchPower assessment of your square) and the Tackling Climate Change Fund (drainage, irrigation and electric mowers or rollers among other things). Check the details with your county cricket board and County Pitch Advisor before you apply.
• SALTEX. The grounds show is at the NEC on 11 and 12 November, and it's free. Worth a day out.

October at a glance

November is about the one big winter job on the square, aeration, and keeping an eye out for disease in mild, damp weather. For the whole winter in one place, see putting a cricket square to bed.