Turf Tips
Turf Check
Students will be coming back
soon! How do your school
grounds and sports fields look?
Walk all areas and ask yourself:
Does the turf look green &
healthy?
Are healthy roots present?
Bare & worn areas?
What’s the condition of
playing surfaces?
How about compaction?
Field drainage?
How much insect, weed &
disease pressure?
Cornell’s Sports Turf Field
Assessment scorecard lists
factors to look for and rate when
evaluating field conditions. Your
results will help you decide
whether to continue your current
management program, reassess,
or if renovation is needed.
http://safesportsfields.cals.corn
ell.edu/sites/default/files/media/
field-score-card-blank.pdf
Need help with
management strategies?
For more info or assistance, call
Saratoga Sod! 518-664-5038
FALL 2016
Functional, Safe Sports Fields
What is a functional, “safe” sports field? Turf that provides firm
footing for the athlete, resiliency and cushioning on impact, resists
tearing, and recuperates quickly from injury.
Safety issues arise when fields are overused, turf cover is minimal,
bare soil is exposed and becomes slippery, or when fields become
uneven for play, or too hard from compaction or drought.
To maintain quality fields it takes knowledge about growing turf, skill to
assess conditions and readiness for expected use, proper equipment,
informed management to realign resources when necessary, and good
communication between all involved (AD, Coaches, Budget Supt., etc.)
The Sports Field Management
Manual, a Cornell publication
available from NYS Turfgrass
Association (NYSTA), is a
valuable guide which includes
recommended practices,
information on building new
fields, and tips on working with
schools and communities when
funding is tight. To order, contact
NYSTA at 518-783-1229, visit or
e-mail [email protected].
SPORTS FIELD
MANAGEMENT
Maintaining Safe Sports Fields
Joann Gruttadaurio
Senior Extension Associate
Cornell University
MANUAL AVAILABLE FOR $15 +S&H
With the Child Safe Playing Fields Act, an emphasis on good cultural
practices is more important than ever. Turf managers need to
understand which practices are critical to maintain healthy turf and the
best timing of these practices.
Tools to benefit turf health include: correct mowing frequency, mower
height, sharp blades, proper irrigation, fertilization, aeration to reduce
compaction, as well as seeding and overseeding.
Learn the “why, when and how” to stay ahead of weeds, disease, and
pests. NYS IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Program at Cornell
University recommends:
1. Overseed, a lot!
2. Irrigate– at least your high priority fields
3. Keep field use at a reasonable level
4. Maintain good field fertility levels
5. Mow as high as your grass and sport will allow
More great tips and resources at: safesportsfields.cals.cornell.edu
Field Maintenance
& Renovation Strategies
MOWER BLADES SHOULD BE
SHARPENED AFTER
10-12 HOURS OF USE
Dull blades leave ragged edges
which contribute to disease &
can increase fuel costs by 20%
WE CARRY
A complete line of
Seed & Fertilizer
Too!
Seeding a New Field
The best time to establish a new seeding is between mid-late August
and mid-September (August 15 –September 15). Kentucky bluegrass
and tall fescue are better seeded in August, while perennial ryegrass
can be seeded well into September. During this period soils are still
warm, weed pressure is lower than it is in spring and the likelihood of
rain is high. Remember, while seed may germinate quickly it takes a
minimum of 1 year before new fields can handle athletic use.
Overseeding
Overseeding is the periodic application of seed to an existing turfgrass
stand to improve turf density. A widely accepted standard is that 25
events per seaon on a native soil football field is the limit for optimum
turfgrass recovery. The grass can’t recuperate quickly enough when
used for games, practices, gym class and other school activities. So
overseeding must be done on a routine basis on high-use fields if there
is any chance of providing a dense, more uniform, and safe playing
surface.
Consider aggressive overseeding
Research at Cornell and other universities found that overseeding
weekly under high traffic conditions with either perennial ryegrass or
tall fescue provided excellent season-long turf density.
∙ Perennial ryegrass maintained almost 90% density
∙ Tall fescue plots had between 70% and 80% density ∙
∙ Non-overseeded plots were less than 50% covered
with turf, and in some cases up to 20% weeds
CONTACT US
For your Sod needs
... Big Rolls or
Small!
Worth the investment
If having better coverage and less weed pressure are your goals, then
the benefits of an aggressive overseeding program will outweigh the
cost. If resources are limited, you could concentrate your overseeding
program in areas that receive the most traffic (goal mouths, or between
the hash marks and 20 yard lines) to reduce the cost.
When to use sod
The Growing Preference
1670 Route 4
Stillwater, NY 12170
(518) 664-5038
[email protected]
SaratogaSod.com
When there is not time to wait for grass to establish and turf cover is
needed, sod (mature turf cover) can provide quick cover on heavily
worn areas such as goal mouths and mid-field heavy play areas.
Sodding can be done any time the ground is not frozen, and generally
is usable for play in about
1 month.
When is a field ready for
renovation?
Common symptoms
include: severe
compaction, poor grass
cover, settlement, poor
soil structure, and
inadequate drainage.