Hybrid grass

This article is about grass reinforced with other material. For grass hybrids, see Grass (disambiguation).

Hybrid grass or reinforced natural grass is a product created by combining natural lawn grass with reinforcing synthetic fibres. It is used for stadiums^[1] and training pitches used for association football,^[2] rugby,^[3] gridiron football^[4] and cricket.^[5] Reinforced natural grass can also be used for events and concerts. The synthetic fibres incorporated into the rootzone make the grass stronger and more resistant to damage.^[6]

A first generation of hybrid grass appeared in the 1990s. Grass roots were allowed to intertwine with a mix of soil and synthetic fibres as they grew.^[6] Three main methods exist to insert synthetic fibres in the root zone. The first is to inject fibres in the sand with a tufting machine.^[7][8]

The second method is to mix fibres, cork and sand in an automated plant and to install it afterwards on the pitch. The system was created by a laboratory at the Arts et Métiers ParisTech.^[9][10][11]

The third method is to put a carpet or mat with woven or tufted fibres on the surface, then to brush in sand or sand mixes to keep the fibres in an upright position and finally to seed grass mixtures on top. The natural grass roots through the mat and stabilizes the system. These systems are called carpet-based hybrid grass solutions.^[12]

References

1. National Stadium at Singapore Sports Hub unveils state-of-the-art hybrid grass pitch – 938LIVE on xinmsn Entertainment^{[permanent dead link‍]}
2. World-Class Hybrid Grass for the World Cup: Video – Bloomberg
3. "Murrayfield pitch to be replaced with hybrid grass". BBC Sport. 5 February 2014.
4. Hodkiewicz, Wes (1 August 2018). "New turf ready to welcome Packers into 2018 season". packers.com. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
5. Nolan, Grace (4 April 2019). "SIS Pitches uses hybrid grass technology to transform cricket". British Plastics and Rubber. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
6. Rowaan, Dave (10 March 2014). "Hybrid grass, football, and soccer: Can it work?". SB Nation. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
7. "Desso GrassMaster technology". Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
8. "Arizona Turf Depot". Retrieved 19 July 2020.
9. "AirFibr : 1ère technologie de pelouse sportive augmentée, conçue pour la sécurité et la performance des sportifs de haut niveau grâce au Carnot ARTS | le réseau des Carnot". Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
10. "Natural Grass équipe la moitié des terrains de football de l'Euro 2016".
11. "La pelouse hybride, la pelouse du futur ? | STIGA".
12. "Installation of Hybrid Grass". greentechsod.bg. Retrieved 2 January 2022.