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/575944
FIELD SCIENCE 18 SportsTurf | October 2015 www.sportsturfonline.com FACILITY & OPERATIONS Allen Carter, the farm manager for Tuckahoe Turf Farms in Hammonton, NJ provided these ten questions that he deemed important. 1. How much should I water in the first few weeks? 2. How long should I wait to mow? 3. Do I need to lime/fertilize prior to installing? 4. How long can the sod sit on the pallet? 5. How long does it take for the sod to root? 6. When is the best time to water in the summer? (to avoid fungi) 7. How old/mature is the sod? 8. What should my fertilizer/water schedule be after sod is installed, when should I start? 9. What type of sod do you recommend for my field condi- tions? 10. Should I water the sod while it is on the pallet? We were somewhat surprised at Carter's question regarding watering sod on a pallet and asked him to comment. "It has hap- pened, even though we tell them to install the sod ASAP, they have been known to leave it on a pallet. If the temperature is really hot, we have had inexperienced field support staff think it's a good idea to soak the pallet with water. That may not be the best thing to do. The water will heat up and heat the rolled up grass even faster." David Millar, owner of Red Hen Turf Farm, Inc., New Carlisle, IN provides harvested turfgrass for landscaped areas, lawns, and athletic fields. Over the years they have served numerous high schools throughout the Midwest. Millar's questions focus on those sports field managers who deal with problems and or issues related to high school stadiums and playing fields. His unique perspective brings to light issues and/or concerns that some sports field managers may have experienced earlier in their career or are facing now in their current position. Millar provided a Q & A of numerous questions he has addressed over the years. Q. Where and when, do you suggest I fertilize the sod I am putting on my soccer field? A. "A study funded many years ago by the Sod Growers of Mid America showed maximum rooting of sod was achieved by placing the fertilizer under the sod before laying and lightly rak- ing it into the soil. Q. A sewer line under my football field was repaired and the first game is in 3 months. Should I use a young sod or older sod that has a bit more thatch? A. Use the youngest, fastest growing sod you can find! 3 months is plenty of time for sod to grow new roots, and young sod is growing so fast it will never know it was moved. Q. Which is the best time to re-sod my football field between the hash marks, fall or spring? A. Fall is preferred, but not at the expense of removal, re- shaping and installing sod when the soil is too wet. A field in need of renovation surely is compacted, so don't add to it by rushing the job when it is wet. Q.The school administrator is hot after me to re-sod some minor wear spots in the football field before the last 2 games of the season with 2 inch thick cut sod. What should I do? A. Does he know how heavy the sod is and that it requires a specialized installation company? Does he know that only profes- sional teams can afford the cost? But does he really know that the sod will not root into the field below and that it will have to be removed and replaced before the next season? Better he should buy you a new core aerifier than have thick cut sod installed. Q. I would like to buy sod for our new football field from a local supplier, but his big roll is only 24 inches wide. The architect insists I use 48-inch sod from a faraway company. First game is in 4 months. Does width matter? A. Technically he is right, but practically, it does not matter. Corners and edges of sod are where there can be gaps and laps, but a good sod installer will make sure there are none. For many years, little rolls of sod have worked just as well, so buy local! Q.My school principal is pressuring me to approve the guy that fertilizes our sports fields to install our new combination football soccer field that is cheaper than the specialized sports field company I prefer. First game is in 4 weeks. A. First, see if there are any openings in the witness protec- tion program because you don't want to be anywhere near this. Second, call your friends and invite them to see the disaster that will be happening. Good, experienced sports field install- ers make laying 100,000 plus square feet of sod in 2 days look simple, but it is not. These guys know how to deal with sod scheduling, labor needs, soil prep, irrigation and scheduling in order to make the inauguration of the new field a success. I am Maureen Hendricks Field at Maryland SoccerPlex. Photo courtesy of Growing Innovations, LLC