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/50965
within the same sport will have different ideas on things. I always find right be- fore practices, on the actual field, great ideas or requests will be made that may not have been thought about in an of- fice meeting. We have weekly meetings with administrators to keep them up- dated on everything. As long as I take care of the reasonable coach requests and stay within budget the administra- tion allows me to do my job. F.O.Y. | Simmons Field Monthly maintenance and fertility programs: JULY JANUARY - Snow removal - Indoor turf cleaning - Indoor mound repair - Drag warning track and skin area if dry enough ST: What are your specific job re- sponsibilities? What do find most enjoy- able? What task is your least favorite and why? McPherson: I am in charge of maintaining the sports field and grounds for the Mizzou Sports Park. If it is an athletic field or the grass and landscap- ing around our athletic properties I am responsible for the upkeep. I love being a part of the student-athlete experi- ence. I enjoy knowing that the hard work and dedication by my team help make that experience better for everyone we have an encounter with whether you are a Mizzou athlete or a visitor. ST: What changes if any are you considering or implementing for the winning field in 2012? McPherson: We are always trying to get the field better. I don't think any of us in this industry think the field is in perfect shape. I am working on increas- ing the drainage behind home plate. I also put in a FieldSaver infield on my softball field this August and I am going to see how that surface works for us this spring and see if I might need to adjust my infield at baseball. We are really going to work on the details this year. I think most of the talks I am going to at the conference are baseball related. I feel like I can never learn enough about in- field maintenance. ST: How do you see the sports turf manager's job changing in the future? McPherson: I answered this ques- tion 4 years ago and I talked about being more conscious about the envi- ronment. I think that is still very impor- tant for the future. I find myself promoting the benefits of a natural turf- grass field. I think the more we promote natural turfgrass and the benefits to the environment the better we will all be. ■ 42 SportsTurf | January 2012 FEBRUARY - Outdoor practice begins weather permitting - Mound and home plate repair - Drag warning track daily - Mow 1.25" - Apply 1 pallet Turface Heritage Red calcined clay - Apply 1 pallet Diamond Pro Dark Brown vitrified clay - Turn on isolation valve for quick coupler behind the plate MARCH - Repair mound, homeplate, drag warning track daily - Subdue Maxx 1.0oz/1000 if wet when applying tarp and temperature going up - Mow outfield 1.25" and infield at 1" every game day (minimum 3 days a week) - Apply 20 bags of soil conditioner every 2 weeks (ratio of vitrified or calcined determined by weather condi- tions) - Spray Floratine Astron 2oz/1000, Power C3 3oz/1000, and Knife+ 3oz/1000 - Turn on irrigation - Biweekly needle tine aeration on infield and sur- rounds - Biweekly spot seed with RPR APRIL - Repair mound, homeplate, drag warning track daily - Mow outfield 1.25" and infield at 1" every game day (minimum 3 days a week) - Apply 20 bags of soil conditioner every 2 weeks (ratio of vitrified or calcined determined by weather condi- tions) - Spray Floratine Astron 2oz/1000, Power C3 3oz/1000, and Knife+ 3oz/1000 - 1lb N / 1000 of 32-0-8 - Drive XLR8 64oz / Acre - Weekly needle tine aeration on infield and surrounds - Bi weekly spot seed with RPR 15 MAY - Repair mound, homeplate, drag warning track daily - Mow outfield 1.25" and infield at 1" every game day (minimum 3 days a week) - Apply 20 bags of soil conditioner every 2 weeks (ratio of vitrified or calcined determined by weather condi- tions) - Spray Floratine Astron 2oz/1000, Power C3 3oz/1000, and Knife+ 3oz/1000 - Weekly needle tine aeration on infield and surrounds - Bi weekly spot seed with RPR - Irrigation based on ET - Headway 3oz/1000 JUNE - Repair mound, homeplate, drag warning track mini- mum 1x a week - Mow outfield and infield at 1.25" (minimum 3 days a week) - Apply 20 bags of soil conditioner every 2 weeks (ratio of vitrified or calcined determined by weather condi- tions) - Spray Floratine Astron 2oz/1000, Power C3 3oz/1000, and Knife+ 3oz/1000 - Irrigation based on ET - Headway 3oz/1000 - Banol 3oz/1000 - Acelepryn 8oz/acre 16 - Repair mound, homeplate, drag warning track mini- mum 1x a week - Mow outfield and infield at 1.25" (minimum 3 days a week) - Spray Floratine Astron 2oz/1000, Power C3 3oz/1000, and Knife+ 3oz/1000 - Irrigation based on ET - Headway - Subdue Maxx 1oz/1000 AUGUST - Drag warning track minimum 1x a week - Mow outfield and infield at 1.25" (minimum 3 days a week) - Spray Floratine Astron 2oz/1000, Power C3 3oz/1000, and Knife+ 3oz/1000 - Irrigation based on ET - Aerate 5/8" tined on 2" x 2.5" spacing - Topdress 40 tons of 90:10 sand - Headway 3oz/1000 - Subdue Max 1oz/1000 - Laser grade infield - 1lb N / 1000 of 32-0-8 17 SEPTEMBER - Repair mound, homeplate, drag warning track 2-3x a week - Mow outfield 1.5" and infield at 1" (minimum 2 days a week) - Apply 20 bags of soil conditioner every 2 weeks (ratio of vitrified or calcined determined by weather condi- tions) - Spray Floratine Astron 2oz/1000, Power C3 3oz/1000, and Knife+ 3oz/1000 - Biweekly needle tine aeration on infield and sur- rounds - Bi weekly spot seed with RPR - 1lb N / 1000 of 32-0-8 - Seed 3 lbs/ 1000 'NuDestiny', 'Award', 'Impact', and 'Rush' - Irrigation based on ET - Irrigation audit and repairs after running daily through summer, added 5 heads this year OCTOBER - Repair mound, homeplate, drag warning track 2-3x a week - Mow outfield 1.5" and infield at 1" (minimum 2 days a week) - Apply 20 bags of soil conditioner every 2 weeks (ratio of vitrified or calcined determined by weather condi- tions) - Spray Floratine Astron 2oz/1000, Power C3 3oz/1000, and Knife+ 3oz/1000 - Biweekly needle tine aeration on infield and sur- rounds - Bi weekly spot seed with RPR - 1lb N / 1000 of 32-0-8 - Deep Tine Aeration - Topdress 40 tons of 90:10 sand - Irrigation based on ET 18 NOVEMBER - Drag Warning Track - Mow outfield 1.5" and infield at 1 .5" (minimum 2 days a week) - Good edge and re-sod thin areas - Get field ready for spring baseball in case it snows until March again DECEMBER - Anything we can do - Equipment maintenance www.sportsturfonline.com