SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/113699
JAMES GRAFF, Graff's Turf Farms, Ft. Morgan, CO Thick-cut sod is a great tool when a sports turf manager is against the clock. However, there are additional costs associated with thick cut turfgrass. The added expense is directly related to time and weight. It takes the producer more time to harvest, the install process is slower, and less turfgrass can be loaded on the trucks, so consequently, additional freight expense is accrued. It is our opinion that a standard harvest turfgrass, established in a reasonable amount of time, produces a better rooted field and more easily managed. Often times, the need for thick-cut sod isn't a choice. What put the customer in this predicament? Something controllable or uncontrollable? A schedule issue or weather? Playing surfaces are programmed more heavily than ever before and the expectations are high for the sports turf manger to deliver a safe and aesthetically pleasing field regardless of what is humanly possible or what Mother Nature is up to. To answer the question, "Is it normally a simple 'How soon can we play on it?' issue?"—absolutely, this is the million dollar question. Sports have become a "time is money" type game. The more time the field is available, the more revenue the venue can be realized in concerts, events, band competitions, you name it. Can it be done? We have some amazing men and women in the business of sports turf management, so with their talents, abilities and knowledge, I say yes, it can be accomplished. And www.stma.org field safety will still be the top priority of the sports turf manager. A close second to this question is, "How long will it last?" The answer to that depends more on the schedule for the remainder of the season, the sports turf manager, and the budget. Oh yes, and the weather. Typically, thick-cut grass does not root as well as a standard harvest as it doesn't need to. Think of it like a potted plant: it has no reason to jump in the ground when the roots are shipped in adequate sand or soil. It will last the season, but the uncertainty is, does the thick-cut turf best serve the field in the next season? While thick-cut sod may be used as a tool to survive the season, it is not the standard for a new install with adequate grow-in time. So after the season is over, often the thick cut turfgrass comes out and a field replacement at standard thickness is installed for the next season. For turf managers to have success after a sod installation, they must start by communicating clear and realistic expectations to the decision makers and facility schedulers. Then hope and pray they listen. No doubt we want to see natural playing fields have success in the future. A field needs adequate time to root in and those timelines look much different depending on turf thickness. The expectations must be set, a plan must be made, and a schedule must be followed. Above all, the attitude of "what is best for the field" must be adopted. We know this is not an easy road. Some managers are just trying to get enough in their budget for fertilizer and staff, let alone request to have input on the programming of a field. SportsTurf 15