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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/306114
8 SportsTurf | May 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com Field Science | By Sam Ferro T esting of soil, turf, and irrigation water now plays a very important part in build- ing and maintaining quality fields. A variety of laboratories with expertise in various disciplines specialize in sports turf testing and are eager to assist the sports turf manager. Whether it's routine soil fertility management, disease diagnostics, drainage evaluations, or one of the many other issues that affect turf managers, there is a test for that. This article is intended to provide a brief introduction to some of the tests that are available and information on how they may aid in providing successful fields. New field coNsTrucTioN Sand-based athletic fields typically require soils and drainage to be brought in from off-site to construct the field. Before any soils are used for construction, they must be tested to determine compliance with project specifications or goals. The laboratory may also prepare trial blends of the sands, soils, and/or amendments in efforts to assess and optimize per- formance of the rootzone materials. Quality control testing is performed during construction to ensure quality consistent materials are used. Drainage gravel should be tested for both natural and synthetic turf construction. For natural turf, gravel is assessed for performance and compatibility with the rootzone. Synthetic turf gravel should be tested for drainage and stability. Typical construction related laboratory tests include particle size analysis, mix ratio testing, infil- tration rate testing (also known as percolation or permeability), and soil porosity evaluations. rouTiNe maiNTeNaNce Soil nutrient testing should be part of every ath- letic field manager's tool bag. Macro-nutrient and trace element testing allows the turf manager to mon- itor current conditions and determine a baseline for their fields. This testing also provides a check of the effectiveness of fertilizers and soil amendments, and it offers the ability to adjust products and fine-tune applications based on science. Samples should be sent to labs that specialize in turf testing. These labs will provide test results along with interpretative guidelines to aid in understanding Important factors to evaluate are sodium content, carbonate and bicarbonate content, total dissolved solids, and chloride amongst other analytes. These parameters can affect soil and turf quality, as well as the irrigation system. ›› Author Sam Ferro busy at work in his lab in Linwood, KS. There'S a TeST For ThaT