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/92272
Johnston Seed Company was the cultivar of choice. Riviera was chosen because of the cost savings from sprigs, the ability to over- seed with more Riviera in future years, and the ability to more successfully overseed the bermudagrass with ryegrass. In early April 2012, glyphosate was ap- plied to the existing bluegrass/ryegrass sur- face. Two weeks later, another application was applied and the soccer field was scalp mowed. The first 2 weeks of May consisted of the tilling of the old turf to blend the old biomass of the field into the topsoil. Minor irrigation adjustments were made. Finally, the rootzone was laser-graded to ensure positive drainage. The field was crowned with a .75% grade. Bermudagrass in transition zone THE PATRIOT AND RIVERA BERMUDAGRASS FIELDS have both performed well at DePauw. As expected, the Patriot field in year two has two times more shear strength than the 4-month old Rivera field. Rob says, "I am looking forward to next year on year number two of the Riviera. When establishing Riviera, this should be considered when looking at traffic and scheduling for the first year." Looking forward, the ryegrass will be sprayed with Katana in April. Following the application, the field will be on a consistent aerification program with core aer- ification taking place monthly in June, July and August. Topdressing will also con- tinue to take place every 2 weeks at a rate of 25 tons per application. The fertilizer program consisting of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) at a rate of .5 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft. will continue as well. Bermudagrass definitely has a fit in the northern transition zone. If seeding a The field was seeded less than 6 weeks into the process on May 15. The rate for the coated Riviera seed was 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft and a starter fertilizer (16-28-12) at a rate of .73 lbs of nitrogen per acre. The seed was spread with a rotary spreader and dimpled into the soil using a Frontier dimple seeder. After seeding, irrigation was applied fre- quently at short intervals. The goal of the irrigation frequency was to wet the root- zone just short of standing water. On June 10, germination was evident across the field. As expected, better germi- nation was found in areas that were receiv- ing the most irrigation. Starting in mid-June, the field was cut with a fairway unit at 7/8 inch and fertilized every 2 weeks with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) at a rate of .5 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft. The field was topdressed every 2 weeks field is considered, timing of the seeding is critical for success. A seeding window from May 15 - June 15 is the best time to seed. Irrigation is critical to success and well as a well graded rootzone as a sand cap will be developed quickly. Finally, over- seeding with ryegrass should be considered if late fall or early spring play will take place on the field. ■ tion zone, bermudagrass responds extremely well to frequent topdressing during grow-in. The sand on the surface allows the field to re- tain heat, mimicking the conditions of warmer climates where bermuda is the norm for high-performance athletic fields. A positive byproduct of the topdressing is a sand cap is developed over time. When considering conversion, first consider laser grading the existing rootzone before renova- tions begin. DePauw's soccer fields made tremendous from June 15 to September 1 with 25 tons of USGA rootzone sand. In the northern transi- strides from June 10 to July 1. Not uncom- mon, the field began to show signs of crab- grass and goosegrass. Two applications of MSMA easily took care of the problem without slowing down the bermuda's progress. The soccer field benefited from an un- >> DEPAUW PRACTICE FIELD, November 2011. TILLED FIELD before laser grading. GROW-IN period. usually hot and dry weather pattern in cen- tral Indiana during the summer of 2012, as did the bermudagrass practice football field installed in 2011. Consistent with other bermudagrass fields in this area, both fields were overseeded with perennial ryegrass at a rate of 20 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. on September 1. At the time of overseeding, a starter fer- tilizer application (16-28-12) was applied at a rate of .73 lbs of nitrogen per acre. Fi- nally, one last topdressing event was ap- plied. The cutting height for the two bermuda fields is maintained at 7/8 inch. ■ Turf, a sports turf consulting, construction, maintenance, and distribution company. He blogs frequently at janddturf.blogspot.com Jamie Mehringer is president of J & D STILL growing in. www.stma.org SportsTurf 35