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/45791
FieldScience Packers, Red Bull use grow lighting system A SportsTurf: What prompted you to investigate using the SGL system? Johnson: Nico [the system's inventor, Nico van Vuuren] and a representative from his com- pany were doing a tour of the states to find suitable places to introduce their technology. I was aware that this technology was being used elsewhere but hadn't really been investigating it. I got a call from Henry Wilkinson from the University of Illinois one day asking if I would be interested in letting the group visit and talk about their technology. It went from there. ST: How did your testing process work and what were the results? Johnson: We were given three of the large MU360 units which allowed us to test approxi- mately 40% of our field. We treated the southern end with the lighting units and complemented it with our underground heat system set at 50 degrees. The northern half of the field was treated traditionally by me without any supplemental lighting and the heat system set low at 38 degrees. We started October 7 and ran the trial through the first week of December. We had to stop when the ambient air temperature consistently started to drop below freezing. "By the end of October we were collecting three times the amount of clippings than the 'con- trol' end of the field. By late November the clipping yield on the treated half doubled from the late October amounts and the 'control' half of the field had started to go dormant and did not LLEN JOHNSON, CSFM, FIELD MANAGER FOR THE GREEN BAY PACK- ERS AND STMA BOARD MEMBER, reports he has been testing and using the SGL Concept lighting system to help grow grass this fall. yield any clippings. It was interesting, because of the layout utilized we actually had four dif- ferent plots so to observe A) turf with no sup- plemental light and minimal heating B) turf with supplemental light and minimal heating C) turf with enhanced heat set at 50 degrees but no supplemental lighting and D) turf with both supplemental lighting and enhanced heat set at 50 degrees. The areas of the field that had both the enhanced heat and supplemental lighting produced the greatest growth and density easily." ST: How do you plan on implementing the system [as of Sept 27]? Johnson: Based on our observations from the trial and discussions amongst the front of- fice executives the organization decided to purchase 9 MU360 units, which is enough to treat our entire playing surface consistently. Those units have been delivered this past month and will be put into use following our game on October 2. ST: How much work has been involved in setting up and using the system? Johnson: The units came pretty much as- January 3, 2011 with no lighting treatment. January 3, 2011 with lighting treatment. sembled. We had to update our infrastructure in regards to getting the proper electricity down to the field's edge to power the units. Johnson also replied: "Our organization has also decided to add on to Lambeau Field. We will be filling in the south end zone with stadium seats, adding approximately 6,600. The new wall of bleachers and updated score- board will create significant areas of shade that we had not previously had before. The south end was fairly open and allowed a lot of natu- ral sunlight into the bowl and down on the field. Our purpose in purchasing the lights was to assist the growing season a bit in Octo- ber and November, but also to replace any sunlight lost to the new expansion of the sta- dium. That expansion is set to be completed in 2 years. Dan Shemesh, director of grounds, New York Red Bulls, also has used the SGL system. "I started looking into grow lights my first day on the job back in November of 2009. Red Bull Arena has a similar design to many Euro- pean soccer stadiums that have partial roofs and covered seats. When I took a look at the shade study I thought it might not be that bad since part of the roof is a certain percentage "translucent." I found out very quickly that the roof was not translucent at all and the days and sun hours were much worse when you ex- perience them in person as opposed to a shade analysis on paper." 34 SportsTurf | November 2011 www.sportsturfonline.com