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/506886
T he practice of stabilizing a natural grass playing surface is not a new idea. There have been numerous products introduced to the market over the past 20 years that have been engineered to do just that. Some of these are designed to work in the rootzone, while others are designed more to stabilize the surface. Rootzone type stabilization products are typically some type of fiber or mesh that is mixed into the rootzone. Surface stabilizing products or mat systems, are typically grown on a farm and installed as big roll sod, but can also be grown on site when schedules allow. The idea is to increase shear strength and spread the load over a larger surface area, while pro- tecting the crown of the plant and root system. The need for stabilized natural grass surfaces was created due to the popularity of high sand content root- zones. These sand-based rootzones are terrific at allowing water to drain through the profile, but offer very little shear strength or load bearing capacity. This is especially noticeable on newly installed fields where thatch and root development are more immature. The increased demand for venues to hold special events also contributes to the demand for stabilization. Stabilization helps the playing field support concert stages, car shows, flea markets and other types of events, in conjunction with field protection systems, allowing the field to return to play faster than a field without stabilization. Products that work in the root zone are typically installed during field con- struction. After the rootzone is installed and laser graded, the fibers or mesh pieces are carefully spread out at a pre- determined rate and mixed into the profile with a mechanical tiller in several directions to a controlled depth. This process can also be done in conjunction with sod replacement after the exist- ing sod is removed and the rootzone is graded. Other systems have fibers that are injected or sewn into the soil through the rootzone on site and can be done just about any time. The basic principle is for the fibers or mesh is to spread the load over a larger surface area. The grass roots grow through, around and intertwine with these materials to increase durabil- 32 SportsTurf | May 2015 www.sportsturfonline.com STABILIZED NATURAL TURF SYSTEM TYPES AND BENEFITS FIELD SCIENCE ■ BY PAUL SCHINNER Stabilization helps the playing field support concert stages, car shows, flea markets and other types of events.