Outdoor Recreation-Getting Your Fields Ready for Spring Sports
By: Jim Biggers
Spring brings high demands for athletic field usage. We have all been inside most of the winter and have “come out to play,” placing increased demands on the athletic fields. There is something refreshing about getting back outside and playing on plush, green grass.
A healthy, properly maintained turfgrass is a pleasure to play on, is aesthetically pleasing, and is safer for the athletes. There are steps to be taken months in advance of the upcoming spring to ensure the safety, durability, and appearance of the athletic turf. Here are some of the key steps to get fields ready for spring play.
Depending on the schedule of usage of the athletic field, you should evaluate the turfgrass density throughout the summer to determine if additional repairs are needed. Depending on type of turfgrass (cool season turf vs. warm season turf), repairs by re-sodding or re-seeding may be necessary. For example, bermudagrass sod repairs made as late as September and early October throughout the “transition zone” will grow in adequately for spring usage. Farther north, where cool season grasses are the preferred turf grasses, you could choose to either re-sod or directly seed additional plants into the existing sod for improved density.
Many bermudagrass athletic fields are over-seeded with ryegrasses to provide a green, active growing turfgrass for the entire year. Ordering seed, planting, irrigating, and mowing this turfgrass will need to be done in the late summer and early fall for proper desired usage in late winter and spring. As you can see, the decision about turf population needs to be made months in advance of the spring period.
Soil fertility is a critical component of turf health and durability. Fertility and liming issues should be identified and adjusted throughout the season. One should take soil samples at least annually for proper identification of fertility applications. Late summer through winter are excellent times to sample turfgrass for fertility. Lime applications take from weeks to months to affect a change in the pH of the soil and therefore should be applied months prior to the active growth period of the specific type of turf to be grown. In general, there is no bad time to apply lime to athletic fields, but the drier, firmer times in summer seem to be excellent times to apply the large volume of lime required to achieve the changes needed in many soils.
Follow university turf specialists’ or certified sports turf managers’ recommendations and apply proper amounts of fertilizer products at the correct time for the turf that you have on your athletic field. For example, cool season grasses like bluegrass, fescues, and ryegrasses greatly benefit from multiple fall and late winter applications of proper fertilizers. Bermudagrass, on the other hand, can benefit from a fall application of Potassium, which helps strengthen the root system for winter dormancy, but could actually be injured by fall applications of Nitrogen, which is believed to be a contributor to a disease known as spring die off. A strong spring athletic turfgrass is a result of previous planning and active implementation of an aggressive fertility program.
Aerification of athletic field turf is extremely important. Aerification affects water permeation, oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in the root system, and surface drainage. Spring, summer, and fall months are all good times to consider turf aeration. Avoid periods of cold, frozen soil, as well as wet, saturated soils. Many turf managers aerify aggressively in the fall in conjunction with seeding and over-seeding of athletic fields.
Field smoothness and levelness issues need to be addressed months prior to the active use period on the turfgrass. If that period is springtime, then the field turfgrass may require a top-dressing with sand in the summer or as late as fall, prior to over-seeding. Contact a certified sports turf manager or field contractor with certified staff and specialized equipment and proven capabilities to perform the proper top-dressing procedure for your field needs.
Anyone can apply sand to a field, drag it around, and call this top-dressing. Research your field maintenance contractor months in advance. Meet with them and develop a plan that allows your field to recover in growth several months in advance of your peak usage demand.
In addition to the turf grass component of the athletic field, you may also consider other field components, such as those of a baseball or softball field. “Skinned areas” of these fields may require re-grading, tilling, or leveling prior to the spring season. Many times, this may be best achieved during a field improvement in the fall or even in dry conditions during the winter. Infield edges should be trimmed and edged in the fall, mounds and home plate areas shaped and leveled, and perhaps covered for the winter. Warning tracks may require weed removal or weed control applications that can easily be accomplished in the drier fall days, but become difficult in cold, wet winter conditions.
Winter is an excellent time to repair and sharpen mowing equipment, which will be in high demand come spring. Adjust and repair irrigation heads and leaky valves and winterize irrigation lines prior to winter freeze if you have freezes in your area. Repair soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey goals, nettings, batting cages, and other field equipment while the weather allows, rather than in the rush of spring.
As you have seen, many things must happen to an athletic field prior to “opening day” of a spring sport. The successful sports field manager is looking ahead months at a time, constantly evaluating the turf, the field, the equipment, and the schedule in order to develop and implement a management plan.
If your peak field usage is during the spring, then develop and implement your plan for success months in advance. Start early; the results will be well worth the investment. A good field maintenance program can significantly reduce field maintenance and renovation costs overall, while providing a safe, durable and aesthetically pleasing field.
Jim Biggers is Agronomist, Field Maintenance Manager for Carolina Green Corp., www.cgcfields.com.
