Mowing is essential
Top ten maintenance practices to focus on in early spring in Ohio, based on grounds acreage & budget.
Produced by the OSU turfgrass team in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing recommendations.
Soccer goal mouth damage
Soccer season is here! Practices are underway and games are scheduled for early April.
In an ideal world, soccer fields would have been renovated in the fall of 2019, so that there is 100% desirable grass cover, even in high-traffic areas like goal mouths, sidelines, and the classic triangular wear pattern created during games. In the real world, many school & Parks & Rec. fields need repairing now. So, what can you do?
Dr. Dave Gardner, Professor of Turfgrass Science at The Ohio State University
One of the routine maintenance tasks for athletic field management is the control of weeds. This is not just for aesthetic purposes. Sometimes the weeds can result in reduced lateral shear strength and increased chance for athlete injury. Herbicides, when used according to the label, have been shown to present minimal risk to end users and are typically employed by athletic managers to selectively remove different weeds. However, we are increasingly seeing laws and regulations being passed aimed at reducing exposure to pesticides, including bans of pesticide use on public lands or on school property. In these areas the use of synthetic herbicides is not permitted and alternative management strategies need to be used. Continue reading Organic Vs Synthetic Herbicides for Athletic Field Weed Management
Crabgrass (Digitaria sp.)on football field
One of the routine maintenance tasks for athletic field management is the control of weeds. This is not just for aesthetic purposes. Sometimes the weeds can result in reduced lateral shear strength and increased chance for athlete injury. Herbicides, when used according to the label, have been shown to present minimal risk to end users and are typically employed by athletic managers to selectively remove different weeds. However, we are increasingly seeing laws and regulations being passed aimed at reducing exposure to pesticides, including bans of pesticide use on public lands or on school property. In these areas the use of synthetic herbicides is not permitted and alternative management strategies need to be used. Continue reading Organic & Synthetic Herbicides for Athletic Fields
By Pam Sherratt
It’s Friday night and it has been raining all day. Your high school football team has just finished winning a big league game and emotions are running high. After all the high fives and congratulatory hand shakes, you turn your attention to the field. What you see is a 100-yard mud hole. You start thinking about what needs to be done to prepare the field for next week’s game. So what do you do? Continue reading Emergency Field Repairs
Some soccer field managers are asked to apply water just prior to a game. Why is that, and how much should be applied? During my own experience as a soccer player, and also as an agronomist, I have seen a variety of watering requirements from coaches, managers, players and grounds managers prior to a soccer game. Continue reading Irrigating Soccer Fields Prior to Play
By Pam Sherratt and John Street
In addition to leaf area, a direct relationship exists between the height of the turfgrass and the depth and total mass of the root system. Continue reading Mowing Heights for Athletic Fields
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 Calcined Clay
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 Selective Creeping Bentgrass Control