The MK Dons groundstaff have begun work on the stadiummk pitch ahead of the 2014/15 season.
The detailed process, which started on Monday morning, should take five to six weeks to complete, with the pitch due to be ready in time for Dean Lewington’s testimonial match which will be held at the home of the Dons in July.
Speaking to mkdons.com, head groundsman Joe Aylett said: “It takes about a week to complete the initial renovation of our pitch. We’re not re-laying the pitch, we’re re-seeding it because we’ve got a Desso pitch which you can’t lay turfs on.
“First, we use a big machine which uses a brushing effect to rip out all the grass and stand up the Desso and that process started today and will take two to three days to complete.
“After that, we’ll seed the pitch and then put 100 tons of sand over the top to dress the seed and level the pitch off.
“When that’s done, we’ll put tines into the ground to aerate the pitch and then, in about or week or two, we’ll start to see the grass come through.
“We’ve got just under six weeks to get it done and we can speed up the process by watering it two to three times a day and putting fertiliser on it every two weeks.
“We should get our first cutting in two to three weeks time and then hopefully, in about five weeks' time, we should have a nice coverage of grass.”
Keep your eye on mkdons.com for further updates on the pitch throughout the coming weeks.