Thursday, September 29, 2011

Infield Mix Maintenance Article

Please follow the link HERE for the Sept 2011 infield mix article written by myself for SportsField Management Magazine.

Play on!
--Jamie

Monday, September 26, 2011

Three Fields Around Indiana

A quick post from my visits to three fields late last week.

First, a shot of the end zone at Ross-Ade Stadium at Purdue. This Riveria bermudagrass surface has been overseeded and is preparing for the big game with Notre Dame this week.


Next, to IU and Armstrong Stadium. This Patriot bermudagrass was just overseeded this past week. The soccer "pitch" is home to the #7 ranked Hoosiers.


Finally, Brownsburg HS, the playing surface of the Bulldogs consists of a mixture of bluegrass and ryegrass.


Click HERE, to learn more about Purdue Athletics.
Click HERE, to learn more about IU Athletics.
Click HERE, to learn more about Brownsburg Athletics.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Fall is the Time to Renovate Turf Areas

If your spring sport fields are thin, now is the time to renovate the turf areas. To keep it simple, follow the simple steps of.

Aerify:



Overseed:


Topdress:


Click HERE to see a great in depth article that supports these steps from The Ohio State University Turfgrass Science Program.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Tall Fescue for Football?

This question is posed on a frequent basis..... Below is a photo of a irrigated football field that was taken yesterday. Is fescue an option for this field?


My answer is no. Why? Click HERE for the answer from Purdue.

Play on!
--Jamie

Monday, September 19, 2011

DePauw University - Mid Sept.

I stopped by DePauw University today to look at the newly amended brickdust infield and the new overseeded bermuda grass practice field.

The infield mix had one truckload of FS50 blecavated into the existing brick dust, laser graded and conditioned with 3 tons of Diamond Pro Pro. To learn more about amending a brick dust infield, click HERE.

The Patriot bermuda grass practice field at DePauw is doing well. The field was overseeded last week with ryegrass at 20 lbs/1000 sq ft. Here are a few photos:



Field hockey and football practices have taken place on this new field. All field hockey games will take place on this surface in 2011.

A close up of the goal mouth:


A close up of the overseeding:


The field has had in excess of 75 events since Aug 10.

I will keep an eye on the field as we proceed further into fall.

To learn more about DePauw athletics, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Saturday, September 17, 2011

A Week in Elizabethtown

I apologize for the lack of posts the past week. I spent the last week in Elizabethtown, KY. This 100+ acre facility is taking shape. Here are a few photos from the baseball/softball fields. There are 12 baseball/softball fields on the site.

First a shot of the infields and a shot of the electric conduit to run pitching machines:



Next, a photo of the drainage that has been installed around the perimeter of the infields.


A couple of photos of the dugouts and the backstops. The dugouts will be finished with chain link around the top and netting between the dugouts.



A final shop of the backstop. On this photo, you can see the beginning on the concrete seating bowl. The field will have 3 rows of seating between the dugouts.

Finally, the grounds shop. A 100+ acre property needs a large grounds shop!



The bulk storage area. This includes covered and uncovered storage.



Look for more from “ETown” in the coming months.

To learn more about the park, go to James Bergdoll’s blog. He is the Sports Turf Manager. The link to his blog is HERE.

Click HERE to learn more about the Sports Park.

Click HERE to see an article on youth sports that was in the NY Times last week.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11/01 - Remembering with a Logo

Today is a day to remember the events on 9/11. The day is still clear, (I was at Victory Field, we were aerifying on the crisp clear day, and I still remember that there were no contrails from airplanes as they were all grounded. What an strange sky.) and I always take the day to reflect back to the day and remember all of those who lost their life, and the loved ones of those individuals as well as the men and women who have and continue to keep us safe.

I was at Covenant Christian this past Saturday, and Andy Gossel painted a logo for the soccer games. I thought, what a great post for today.

There are three photos. First, the string lines for the logo on 1 foot centers. Andy paints all his logos off a grid paper design. Next, approx. half-way through. Finally the completed product.




Play on! - We Will Never Forget!

--Jamie

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Colts Complex - Early Sept Update

A quick update from west 56th St.......

I stopped by on Tuesday to check out the Patriot bermudagrass after 14 practices. Wow, it is in great shape.


The first round of overseeding took place today. Ryegrass was added at a rate of 10 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. A total of 25 lbs per 1,000 sq ft will be added over the course of the fall. I will continue to monitor this field.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Monday, September 5, 2011

Labor Day Weekend - The Newest Field in Indiana...


Happy Labor Day to all. The holiday weekends are great to take a deep breath and spend some time with friends and family.

A great example of this was on Sunday in Brownsburg. The newest field in Indiana was dedicated, Buckley Field was the host to good ol' wiffle ball. Here are a few photos of the field......

Notice the fence cap and the tall fescue playing surface.



Finally, a shot of the MVP, Paul Drew. Paul (batting)is wearing a vintage 1885 baseball uniform. He threw a complete game (8 innings) and had the game winning hit. Final score, 3-1 (8 innings).



Here's to all to a great 4 quarter of groundskeeping!

Play on!

--Jamie

Sunday, September 4, 2011

DePauw University - Patriot Bermudagrass after 23 Days of Straight Play

A quick update from DePauw University. The practice field is doing great. Both the football team and the field hockey team is using the field on a daily basis. So, after 23 days of really extreme play, here is what the field looks like:



As you can see, the middle of the field is showing a little wear, but the topdressing requirements of the bermudagrass has created a sand cap rootzone that plays well in all weather conditions.

The plan for the next two weeks is as follows:

1. Start overseeding the field this week with ryegrass at 10 lbs per 1000 sq ft
2. Apply a starter fertilizer
3. Incorporate a light topdressing
4. Continue to mow at 1 1/4 inch

The field will be used the entire fall, so there will be more updates as the fall continues.

Follow the progress of this field by looking at posts from JUNE, JULY, and AUGUST.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Elizabethtown Sports Park - Another Great Blog

I Spent the last couple of days at the Elizabethtown Sports Park. The grounds manager is James Bergdoll. James, a Purdue grad, has a blog on the progress of the complex. It is a great blog to see the 100+ acre site come to life. He posted a link yesterday about the infield mix at "E-Town." I will have more the mixer later in the fall, but HERE is the link from yesterday's blog post:

Click HERE for the homepage of the blog.

Click HERE to learn more about the Sports Park.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie

Friday, September 2, 2011

Is Ryegrass an Option for Athletic Fields?

The short answer, YES. The longer answer, be prepared for the ups and downs that will occur year in and year out with ryegrass.

Case in point, Butler Softball. Scott Hall, the head coach, wants the field to look and play well in the early spring and in the fall. He also wants to cut his field at 1 inch. So, a decision to use straight Barenbrug RPR ryegrass was made. Bluegrass stays dormant too long in the spring and fescue is out for many reasons, mostly the cutting height. The trade off, either the field needs to be sprayed on a frequent basis in the summer to lessen disease, or it needs to be re-seeded each August.

The field in early August:


The field 2 weeks later after a solid tine aerification and overseeding with ryegrass at 10 lbs/1000 sq ft.


Click HERE for photos of the field from the spring.

It may be a bit unconventional, but it works for the expectations of the Butler softball program.

Click HERE to learn more about Butler Softball

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie