Author: Pamela Sherratt

Calcined Clay

Calcined clay is a popular soil amendment used on baseball infields for water management and soil conditioning. Clay is heated at a high temperature, about 1500 degrees Fahrenheit to expand the clay forming calcined clay. On baseball fields calcined clay is used to fill in infield depressions caused by cleats and smooth the surface to provide a true baseball bounce, which contributes to the safety of the field. Calcined clay absorbs water that can help dry a field after a rainstorm, and firm the surface. Continue reading →

Selective Creeping Bentgrass Control

By Pam Sherratt

Creeping bentgrass is considered a weed on athletic fields and lawns. It produces a superb playing surface for golf and it has great recuperative potential, but it’s shallow roots and lack of wear tolerance make it unsuitable for most athletic sports.

Tenacity (mesotrione) is the first herbicide that results in rapid, easy to visualize reductions in weedy perennial grasses, including creeping bentgrass.  Best control, according to most research of creeping bentgrass, is achieved if three applications are made on 14-21 day intervals. Continue reading →

Surface Playability Results

On Wimg_3040ednesday Nov. 16th the HCS 3370 Sports Turf Management class measured playing quality at the OTF Research Facility. Students measured green speed, surface firmness, hardness and soil moisture (at 3 inch depth) on a putting greens (USGA sand), a sports turf area (perennial ryegrass on sand:soil blend) and artificial turf.

A stimpeter and soccer ball roll apparatus measured speed (ball roll). The Clegg Impact Hammer (Clegg) tested hardness (Gmax) of the turf. Firmness was tested with the Firmness Meter. Soil moisture was tested by the TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter.

The results are summarized below.

playabilityresults_2016

In the comment section below, answer the following questions:

  1. Which surface was “fastest?
  2. How do you think speed affects ball performance in games like golf & soccer? Give an opinion as to why soccer players may prefer natural grass over synthetic/artificial.
  3. Which surface was “hardest”?
  4. How does soil moisture affect surface hardness?

You can answer these Qs for an extra bonus point!

Managing Sports Fields During Summer Heat & Drought Stress

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The forecast for the next ten days looks dry and hot: average high air temps are currently at 85.5 degrees F and we are carrying a precipitation deficit of 2″ for the month of July (1″ actual precipitation versus 3″ normal). The average soil temperature at 4″ depth is currently 87.2F. These hot and dry conditions are far from ideal for cool-season grasses.  This article will look at how cool-season grasses respond to heat and drought and how best to manage them to minimize turf injury.

Continue reading →

Q&A With SGL’s Simon Gumbrill

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Simon at Wembley Stadium in London, England

With new supplemental light technology coming to the states, we wanted to learn a little more about this innovation in turf management.

The best person to ask about all this happens to be a leader in turf management with strong OSU ties. We posed these questions to  Simon Gumbrill, who is the Area Manager for Stadium Grow Lighting (SGL), responsible for sales development and after sales care in the UK, Ireland and North America.

Continue reading →

Sports Turf Short Course Feb 2016

Flyer_2016The 2016 Sports Turf Short Course dates have been announced! The course will take place February 25th and 26th in Columbus, Ohio.

Hold the dates and as more details on line-up, registration & costs become available we will post them here.