Field Science
24 SportsTurf | February 2015 www.sportsturfonline.com
cap system to work well you'll need
a couple things. 1. A good in-ground
irrigation system. 2. A core harvester,
because every time you aerate you
MUST pick up the cores. If you don't,
you'll be mixing the sand and soil and
you'll be back to making bricks and seal-
ing off the sand surface. Also, you should
plan on topdressing with sand regularly.
Something else to consider: Turf
growing on sand cap systems doesn't
wear better under moderate soil mois-
ture conditions; however, the sand cap
will help prevent that Friday night mud
bowl that can ruin a field. It will help
prevent damage from use during wet soil
conditions.
If you've never managed sand, it is
sometimes less forgiving than soil in that
there is less room for error managing
water, fertilizer, topdressing etc. It takes
a higher level of care but can offer a very
nearly all-weather playing surface. ■
ST
Dr. Andrew McNitt is Director of Penn
State's Center for Sports Surface Research
(ssrc.psu.edu) and also the Program
Coordinator for the 4-year turfgrass sci-
ence major and the Basic & Advanced
Certificate as well as the Associate,
Bachelors, and Masters of Professional
Studies Programs offered through Penn
State's World Campus Online Learning.
Dr. McNitt is currently the techni-
cal adviser to the NFL Groundskeepers
Organization.
If you've never managed
sand, it is sometimes less
forgiving than soil in that
there is less room for error
managing water, fertilizer,
topdressing etc.
