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/86038
FieldScience If you need to remove the paint ask the supplier: How this is done? Can it be done? What will it cost? How long will it take? Do you need special equipment and chemicals? Have their products been endorsed by any manufacturers and is your turf manufacturer one of them? If you have to paint try to do it at times other than the heat of the day, and if you are removing lines it works much better to do this at night or early in the morning when the turf is the coolest. Chemicals used during the heat of the day will evapo- rate long before they start to work and this will only cost you more time and materials. Dust, dirt, pollen, body skin cells, screws, nails, track spikes, bobby pins and human hair to name a few do not break down in these fields, they remain for much of the life of the field and it is truly amazing how much exists. Special equipment with hepa-filter vacuums will be able to clear this out and remove it from within the turf. Rain, snow sleet and hosing do not help. Static is common and can increase with humidity and sometimes age; if you need to combat this you can do so with a several house- hold products. Liquid Tide washing machine soap and/or the use of a softener (Snuggles!) both work well when sprayed on the turf. Eventually someone will ask if these fields need to be disinfected and my suggestion is to review Dr. Andrew McNitt's research pages to obtain the best answer (http://cropsoil.psu.edu/ssrc/sportsturf- scoop). Information can also be found by visiting the Synthetic Turf Council's website at http://syntheticturfcouncil.org/. Lastly, unlike natural turf, we can't see what is going on with these fields beneath their surface. ASTM has recommended that these fields be tested annually to determine their hardness in G force (better known as Gmax). There are those who do not be- lieve this is necessary, but I can tell you that it is an important tool. If you don't do it for a year, two, four or six you have no history data to determine what has been going on. I have tested 2-year-old fields and 11-year-old fields with less than ¾ inch of fibers remaining and almost no infill and yet the newer one tests harder than the older. Does this mean we are no longer testing the turf and we are now testing the stone base beneath? Good question and since we don't have 11 years of historic Gmax test- ing, we can only imagine we are now testing the Gmax of the stone base. Synthetic fields are a great tool and if properly maintained will provide years of play for all users. What you have just read is only the tip of the iceberg and there is much to learn about these fields. Don't be afraid to ask your peers or contactor if you don't know; it may prevent you from making a huge mistake. ■ Services division. His commitment to educating the owners of these fields will ensure playability, safety and performance for all users, which will eventually create longevity to the ever-evolving synthetic turf indus- try and the fields they service. Jim Cornelius, CSFM, manages Fisher and Son Company's Pro 16 SportsTurf | October 2012 www.sportsturfonline.com