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/73468
remove the turf to be re-sodded. We layed down the plywood where the machinery would be traveling across the turf that would not be replaced. After that, we pretty much stayed out of the way and let the contractors do their work, though we try to have one person who stays with them to help in any way and to also keep an eye on things! The sod was removed in one day and would be ready for the 1-inch thick cut sod the next. By 6 am the next day, we were out there hollow tine aerating the The next day, the first of September, the contractors arrived to bare soil where the sod had been removed. That completed aerating the entire field before we went out and broadcasted out Calcium Silica fertilizer over the entire field, the existing turf as well as the soil to be re-sodded. Once the fertilizer was out, the sod started going in with the contractors laying the sod as we helped remove the turf trimmings that go along with laying in the sod to make it fit snug. The rest of us loaded up our vehicles with sand and shovels and began filling in the seams. Once we started advancing with filling in the seams, two of our the sod behind the person rolling the field until the entire field was completed. The next day, September 3, we came in and painted the foot- ball field to be ready for the practice on Monday. When the paint dried, with the nice weather we had and the quick dry paint we use, it only took about 20 minutes before I was able to get on it and apply Rx Gold liquid fertilizer over it to help with the root growth. The field was rolled the next 2 days over the weekend to tighten up the sod. I came back in on Monday morning and ap- plied Rx Supreme liquid fertilizer over it. The team would be on the field roughly 7 hours after I sprayed it, the reason I was able to fertilize it on a practice day was that this fertilizer does not require to be watered in, otherwise we wait till after practice or a day off to fertilize. guys broke off and started to sweep the sand into the seams. We had 60 yards of sand to fill our seams and topdress with. Once the seams were filled and broomed in, we topdressed the entire field with the remaining sand until it was all gone. We had one person dragging in the sand behind our spreader and another person rolling the sod behind the person dragging. We started to water in did. We postponed our monthly fertilization that we normally apply around the first of every month, so I came in that Friday and ap- plied it, completing our plan of the sod project. The sod is still on the field, a little beat up, but thanks to a good installation and fer- tilization program, it made it to the end of the season. ■ The team practiced that Monday and was happy with the job we fornia. This article originally appeared in the December 2010 newslet- ter of the Greater Los Angeles Basin Chapter of STMA. Cesar Carbajal is team leader for the University of Southern Cali- www.stma.org SportsTurf 27