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/92272
From the Sidelines Eric Schroder Editorial Director eschroder@m2media360.com 717-805-4197 SportsTurfTu 1030 W. Higgins Road Suite 230 Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone 847-720-5600 Fax 847-720-5601 The Official Publication Of The Sports Turf Managers Association The myths about drainage I turn this month's space over to the British magazine, Pitchcare. In their June/July issue this year they ran this article on myths about drainage on soccer pitches. I trust you'll find it interesting: Installing and maintaining a system is an expensive undertaking. A complete system, incor- porating slit drainage and sand dressing, can amount to in the region of $40,000 to $48,000. Negligence in just one area can jeopardize the entire investment. The following myths are worth considering: A number of factors contribute to the success in a sports pitch drainage program. still relatively impermeable layer of sandy loam material, which no longer expands and con- tracts as clay does. It compacts easily into a hard crust after play in wet conditions. To achieve satisfactory amelioration in a sand carpet or complete rootzone, the sand content must be at least 80% to create adequate non-capillary porosity, and so permit drainage to lower layers without the fear of compacting. Furthermore, unless the organic matter content is contained in these improved rootzones, the infiltration and consequent surface drainage potential will reduce. Amelioration of clay loam topsoil by mixing in 1 3/16" to 2" of sand (400 to 600t) into the top 2" of the topsoil surface improves the drainage of the pitch. False. Developing what amounts to a 50/50 mix of heavy loam soil with sand creates a President: James Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D. Immediate Past President: Troy Smith, CSFM President-Elect: Martin K. Kaufman, CSFM Secretary/Treasurer: David Pinsonneault, CSFM, CPRP Vice-President Commercial: Rene Asprion Professional Facilities: Allen Johnson, CSFM Academic: Jeffrey Fowler Parks & Recreation: Debra Kneeshaw Higher Education: Jeffrey Salmond, CSFM K-12: Michael Tarantino, CSFM Commercial: James Graff At Large: Jay Warnick, CSFM At Large: Ron Hostick, CSFM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kim Heck STMA Office 805 New Hampshire Suite E Lawrence, Ks 66044 Phone 800-323-3875 Fax 800-366-0391 Email STMAinfo@STMA.org www.STMA.org Editorial EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Charles Forman EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Eric Schroder TECHNICAL EDITOR Dr. James Brosnan ART DIRECTOR Brian Snook PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Kalinyak Lateral drains spaced as close as 16' or 11', installed without slit drains, will overcome drainage problems. False. Invariably, drains are installed before final leveling and seeding. Besides contamina- tion at the surface with fine particles, even this spacing is too great to remove surplus surface water before it enters the surface and develops localized wet areas. Below the soil, surface water moves very slowly laterally, too slowly to reach drains at this spacing. Irrespective of the gradient of the pitch, low rainfall promotes little run-off, and the distance between laterals is too great for water movement to overcome the resistance of the grass growth and the micro- depressions that will retain surface water. A pitch can be over-drained. False. Only surplus water moves from saturated soil into trenched pipe drains. Water is held far more strongly by the clay loam topsoil and clay subsoil than the porous aggregate in the drains. There can never be an attraction/suction of soil water from soil to sand aggregate. The argument that retaining the surplus water makes it available at times of water shortage cannot be supported. Water lost downwards into the subsoil cannot move readily up through the topsoil during times of need. Continued on page 39 STMA Editorial Communications Committee Jim Cornelius, CSFM, Jason Henderson, PhD, Paul Hollis, Clayton Hubbs, Joshua McPherson, CSFM, Brad Park, David Schlotthauer, & Grant Spear SportsTurf (ISSN 1061-687X) (USPS 000-292) (Reg. U.S. Pat. & T.M. Off.) is published monthly by m2media360, a Bev-Al Communications company at 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sportsturf, PO Box 4290, Port Jervis, NY 12771. For subscription information and re- quests, call Subscription Services at (845) 856-2229. Sub- scription rates: 1 year, $40 US & Poss.; 2 years, $65 US & Poss.; 1 year, $65 Canada/Foreign Surface, 1 year, $130 Air- mail. All subscriptions are payable in advance in US funds. Send payments to Sportsturf, PO Box 4290, Port Jervis, NY 12771. Phone: (845) 856-2229. Fax: (845) 856-5822. Single copies or back issues, $8 each US/Canada; $12 For- eign. Periodicals postage paid at Park Ridge, IL and addi- tional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT 2012, SportsTurf. Material may not be reproduced or photocopied in any form without the written permission of the publisher. 6 SportsTurf | November 2012 www.sportsturfonline.com