SportsTurf

October 2014

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.

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I write on the first day of autumn, a windy day in south central Pennsylvania that won't see 70 degrees. Earlier today I made note of which tree branches threat- ening the house need to come down before the snow flies, and thought I would share some ideas for preparing your football or soccer fields for winter in the cool-season turf regions. I turned to a great source of information— STMA's Technical Bulletins, available at www. stma.org. "Cool-season grasses get a flush of growth in the fall. It is important to fertilize these grasses during this time to maintain healthy growth and enhance recovery from wear. With proper fertilization, your field has the best chance to go into the winter with a high amount of turf cover. Apply 1 lb. of nitrogen per 1000 ft2 in mid-October and after the first hard frost. You can wait until after the season to combine the final fertilizer application with post-season hollow-tine aerification and seeding. Do not apply excessive amounts of nitrogen within a few weeks before the first expected frost. Too much N at this time results in extreme plant succulence, which can lead to cold injury. "Begin overseeding following the first game with perennial ryegrass and continue seeding throughout the season. Over time you will build a "seed bank" that will help maintain cover during the fall and into the winter. Also, some of the seed that does not germinate in the fall will germinate in the spring. Focus your overseeding on the high wear areas . . . if you can maintain turf in these areas you will have fewer weeds in the spring. "Fill divots throughout the season with divot mix that contains sand/soil, organic fertil- izer, and perennial ryegrass seed. This will help ensure a divot-free field in spring. "Depending on your location, your turf may be able to begin to recover from damage after the season if it is still actively growing. If turf growth has stopped, you can still take steps to ensure your field survives the winter. Lower your mowing height to reduce your chances for snow mold outbreaks and damage. Even if your turf is dormant, aerify with hollow-tines and seed so you do not have to worry about it in the spring when your field may be waterlogged from spring rains. "Applying topdressing in conjunction with aerification will also improve conditions in the spring. On native soil fields, consider topdressing with compost. Sand-based field should be topdressed with sand that closely matches the particle size distribution of the rootzone. Seed large, worn out areas; sod smaller worn out areas. Even if the sod is dor- mant, you can install it in places like soccer goal mouths. As soon as the weather warms up, it will start rooting. "Apply a fungicide to protect against pink and gray snow mold. Check with your local university for recommendations on which fungicides to use. Use growth covers. Growth covers create a greenhouse-like effect that allows seed to germinate and turf to grow during the winter. Consider using growth covers in your high wear areas after you have seeded them. Be sure to apply a snow mold fungicide and remember you'll probably have to take the cov- ers off periodically so you can mow. "Preemergent herbicides can be applied in late fall for spring weeds BUT it is important to not overseed if you apply a preemergent her- bicide because the herbicide will prevent your seed from germinating. If you need to overseed, you can kill weeds in the spring with postemer- gent herbicides." ■ Correction There was an omission in last month's article on winter weeds, page 12. In the 2nd paragraph, the 2nd sentence should have read: "In a study conducted dur- ing the winter of 2013-2014, plots receiving simulated football traffic in fall contained 35 annual bluegrass plants per 9 ft2 compared to less than 2 plants per 9 ft2 those not receiving traffic (Figure 1)." We regret the error. From the Sidelines Eric Schroder Editorial Director eschroder@specialtyim.com 717-805-4197 Winter is coming 6 SportsTurf | October 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com EPG Media/Specialty Information Media 3300 Fernbrook Lane N, Suite 200, Plymouth, MN 55447 The Official Publication Of The Sports Turf Managers Association President: David Pinsonneault, CSFM, CPRP Immediate Past President: James Michael Goatley, Jr., PhD President-Elect: Allen Johnson, CSFM Secretary/Treasurer: Jeff Salmond, CSFM Vice-President Commercial: James Graff Professional Facilities: Phil McQuade Academic: Jeffrey Fowler Higher Education: Tim Van Loo, CSFM Parks & Recreation: Sarah Martin, CSFM K-12: Andrew Gossel Commercial: Doug Schattinger Elected-at-Large: Mike Tarantino, CSFM Elected-at-Large: Bradley Jakubowski Chief Executive Officer: Kim Heck STMA OFFICE 805 New Hampshire Suite E Lawrence, Ks 66044 Phone 800-323-3875 Fax 800-366-0391 Email STMAinfo@STMA.org www.STMA.org EdITORIAL Group publisher: Jeff Patterson Editorial director: Eric Schroder Technical Editor: Dr. James Brosnan Art director: Brian Snook Production Manager: Karen Kalinyak Stma Editorial Communications Committee Chairman: Brad Jakubowski; Tyler Clay; Jim Cornelius, CSFM; Mark Frever, CSFM; Jamie Mehringer; Scott Stevens; and Brad Park SportsTurf (ISSN 1061-687X) (USPS 000-292) (Reg. U.S. Pat. & T.M. Off.) is published monthly by Specialty Information Media at 75 Pike Street, Port Jervis, NY 12271. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sportsturf, PO Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. For subscription information and requests, call Subscription Services at (847) 763-9565. Subscription rates: 1 year, $40 US & Poss.; 2 years, $65 US & Poss.; 1 year, $65 Canada/Foreign Surface, 1 year, $130 Airmail. All sub- scriptions are payable in advance in US funds. Send payments to Sportsturf, PO Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076- 7823. Phone: (847) 763-9565. Fax: (847) 763-9569. Single copies or back issues, $8 each US/Canada; $12 Foreign. Periodicals postage paid at Port Jervis, NY and additional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT 2014, SportsTurf. Material may not be reproduced or photocopied in any form with- out the written permission of the publisher.

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