SportsTurf

November 2011

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.

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FieldScience | Ken Mrock Putting your turf to bed for winter O FTEN TIMES it seems that imme- diately after the fall season begins, we begin bracing for winter. This actu- ally has some merit as far as a turf manager is concerned. While you are quite likely still de- voted to managing fields week after week for football or soccer practice, it's not too early to start thinking ahead to steps that you can take to put your field to bed for the winter. It is a bad assumption to think that turf management ends the minute the final whis- tle of the season is blown. In fact, some of the most important work is done in Novem- ber and December, especially if you will have traffic on the field in early March. The fol- lowing are some tips that you should con- sider before turning out the lights on what has hopefully been an enjoyable season: AERIFY THE TURF AFTER THE END OF THE SEASON Chances are good that your turf has be- come compacted during the course of the football or soccer season, given the amount of heavy traffic a field can get, especially if teams have games and practices on the sur- face. Help open up space for air and water to move in the root zone with a postseason aeri- fication. No matter how late your season ex- tends you can aerify and topdress as long as the field has not frozen solid. If you haven't yet incorporated condi- tioner into the field, now is a good time to do so. I use Field & Fairway at a rate of 750 lbs./1000 ft2 across the entire area. Use a chain link drag, broom, or mat drag to break up soil cores and to move your conditioner into the aerification holes. Selecting a cal- cined clay conditioner will help bring air and water porosity to the rootzone for a long time. REPAIR WORN OR DAMAGED AREAS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE By taking the time to patch the field at the end of the fall season, you give your turf a significantly better chance of coming on strong by the time spring practice comes around. A field that has been badly beaten up will likely require some resodding. If turf 36 SportsTurf | November 2011 >> KEN MROCK, Chicago Bears damage is light to moderate, you may be able to get by with seeding to help reestablish a strong stand of turf. Plan ahead, considering what kind of use your field will have in the spring. A multi-use field that needs to be ready for lacrosse and other spring events needs to go into the win- ter in much better shape than a field that is reserved for a single sport like football. CONSIDER SEEDING OPTIONS BASED ON CLIMATE If you are in a climate where soil tempera- tures drop significantly by the end of the sea- son, dormant seeding is an option for you. Dormant seeding can have benefits because the freeze/thaw cycle of your soil will relieve compaction and provide space for seed to work its way into the soil crevices over the winter. Seed will remain protected over the winter months and germinate in a hospitable environment in the early spring. In milder climates, a good option is to pre- germinate seed by submerging your seed bag into a 55-gallon drum of water. Change the water every 8 to 12 hours over several days until the seed swells and pops, putting out the beginning of the root. Drain the seed and mix with sand or conditioner to prevent clumping and allow spreading. The exposed seed will take up root nicely in the winter months and provide good plant growth early in the spring. www.sportsturfonline.com By

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