If you want your tennis court to look stunning all the time, it is essential that you spend time maintaining it. Such courts require less water and low annual material and maintenance costs and allow consistent playability. Here are a few tips for clay surface tennis court maintenance.
Daily Tasks
Roll the surface using a court rake every morning before the players arrive. Use a line broom to clean the tapes. This task will prevent the growth of fungus, algae and vegetation. It is also important to do this when the court is not in use to prevent the growth of unwanted weeds.
Use a drag broom after each play to get the optimum surface and remove scruff marks. Brush the playing lines using a court brush before the game starts. Repeat if necessary during play. Water the court daily in dry weather to eliminate dust.
As Needed Maintenance
You need to use a tow scarifier around the court to break up hardpan. This is an important maintenance task, if you want to prevent the surface from becoming too firm. Baselines and service boxes become lower with use. Therefore, you need to patch the low area once discovered. It is useful to check for these depressions of the surface every week if the court is used regularly.
Use scarifying equipment like a lute to rough up the surface. Apply the HydroBlend substance on the depressed area using a straight edge such as a ladder or the flat side of a lute to flatten the material into the surface.
Use a roller to smoothen the surface until it becomes level with the rest of the area. Water the surface and wait two to three days for the surface to dry. Choose a season when the maintenance does not affect the game schedule and the weather is dry.
Long Term Maintenance
Long term upkeep is also important if you want to have the same quality tennis court every season. Clay tennis courts lose HydroBlend material over time, as a result of playing, wind and rain. This causes the material to move from the high end of the court to the lower end of the court. Eventually, the slope of your court will flatten out. In order to address such issues, you need to resurface your court every seven to eight years. This is done by a “laser- tempered” resurfacing professional.
Make sure that it has at least one inch of cover material throughout the entire surface. This is recommended by leading tennis court maintenance experts to maximize the performance of the court.
After wet seasons you may have problems with moss on your tennis court. Use an agricultural moss killer to quickly get rid of it. Make sure you are following the safety instructions on the label.
In extreme weather conditions the net must be changed and maintained. It is important that when it is windy you let the net down to prevent damage from storms.
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