Stadium Grow Lighting is using glasshouse technology to provide the ideal spectrum of light needed to grow good grass when natural daylight is limited.
The Dutch company's mobile lighting rigs - each covering 500sq m. - are reported to have worked wonders at numerous sports stadia this winter, maintaining grass pitches in near perfect summer conditions.
The light and warmth given out by special bulbs - which are fixed to the arms of rigs 2.1m above the pitch - encourage active plant growth, promoting deep rooting and up to 95 per cent grass cover in treated areas. Recovery after wear is rapid as the grass is upright and growing, not lying flat and dormant. The plants are also stronger and less susceptible to disease.
The result is a better and more reliable surface to play and train on during the winter. Reseeding bare patches is also possible, since the system provides conditions in which seed can germinate even in cold months.
Hewitt Sportsturf is the sole UK agent for SGL lighting rigs and the company's John Hewitt says: “This is a new concept in winter sports turf management.
“It's more than just sticking lights on a pitch. It is total control system whereby measurements taken by mini weather stations on the surface, help the groundsman decide when to apply inputs such as water and fertiliser to optimise grass growth.”
The system was first trialled in Britain at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, in 2004 where six units rejuvenated the shady south end. This winter it has been in use at venues including St James Park, Newcastle; the Liberty Stadium in Swansea; Twickenham; and Highbury
Further trials by SGL in Holland are assessing whether having the lights on for 12 hours at a more intense level, will have the same effect as having them on for 24 hours at a lower level. They are also investigating whether supplying additional carbon dioxide to the grass will increase the beneficial effects of the lights.
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