turer or a reputable service company to
handle making the patch.
PAINTING THE FIELD
Painting may or may not be needed on
these fields, depending on whether or not
the painted areas (lines, logos, etc.) were
inlaid during installation. If you need
to paint, use only a paint product that
is approved for synthetic turf. It seems
that every year a new synthetic turf paint
debuts, so do your homework; look at
each company's history, and get recom-
mendations from other turf managers
with synthetic fields. In case you later
need to remove the paint, ask the supplier
whether it can be done, how it is done,
what it will cost, how long it will take and
whether you will need special equipment
and chemicals. Also ask if the product
has been endorsed by any synthetic turf
manufacturers and whether your turf 's
manufacturer is one of them.
If you have to paint, try to do so at
times other than during the heat of the
day. Also, removing lines works much best
at night or early in the morning (when the
turf is the coolest); otherwise, the chemi-
cals will evaporate long before they start
to work, and this will only cost you more
time and materials.
DAMPING DOWN STATIC
Static on a synthetic field is common and
can increase with humidity and (some-
times) field age. If you need to combat
this, you can do so with one of several
household products. Liquid Tide deter-
gent and liquid fabric softener both work
well when sprayed on the turf.
GMAX TESTING
Finally, unlike with natural turf, we can't
see what is happening underneath the
surface of a synthetic field. ASTM has rec-
ommended that synthetic fields be tested
annually to determine their hardness in G
force (better known as Gmax). Although
some turf managers do not believe this
is necessary, I can assure you that it is an
important tool, much like soil tests with
natural field (see page 12 in this issue for
more on this).
If you don't test every year, you have
no data to determine what has occurred
over time.
If properly maintained, a synthetic
sports field will provide years of use and
play for all users. Just be aware that they
do require regular care. If you have a
concern, don't hesitate to ask a peer or
your contractor for an answer; doing so
can keep you from making a mistake that
could significantly shorten the life of your
field. ■
ST
Jim Cornelius, CSFM, is manager of the
Pro Services Division of Fisher & Son Co.,
Exton, PA, www.fisherandson.com.
FIELD SCIENCE
28 SportsTurf | July 2015 www.sportsturfonline.com
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