Midwest Regional Turf Foundation - Sports Turf Management Training

For the Midwest readers of the SmartTurf Blog, the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation will be hosting the 2nd annual Sports Turf Management Training on June 10.  The classroom training will take place at the Daniel Turf Center on the campus of Purdue University.  There will also be an afternoon hands on aspect to the training.

Can't make the June 10th date?  Looking for additional sports turf educational opportunities?  Consider attending the Indiana STMA Field Day July 17 at Brownsburg, IN High School.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

It's Summer - Chasing Isolated Dry Spots in Turf

We are now entering late May, and thus warmer weather is upon us.  With the higher temps and low humidity, now is the time to start to be on the lookout for isolated dry spots in turf.  What do isolated dry spots in turf look like?  See below:

Notice the gray/black look of the turf.  These areas clearly need water.  After a heavy water event, think standing water, here is what the same area from the last photo above appears:

As you can see, this areas appears a bit darker, but is has begun the hydration process critical for healthy turf growth.  

Bottom line, continue to monitor turf conditions daily.  One event on dry turf can cause damage that can take a couple weeks to repair.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

Tricks of the Trade - Installing Wall Pads

The return of the popular segment - "Tricks of the Trade."  Today's topic - "How Do I Install My New Wall Pads?"

Let's go to Crawfordsville High School.  New pads were delivered the first part of May.

First of all the back side of the wall pad will have 1 part of a 2 part z-clip:

The other part of the z-clip is to be installed on the wall:

It's that basic.  After all the pads are installed, here is the finished product:

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

Play on!
--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

May 19, 2014 - Bermudagrass Update in the Midwest

Bermudagrass is beginning to emerge from dormancy across the Midwest.  Below are a couple of photos:

1 year of Riviera bermudagrass overseeded with ryegrass:

3 year old Patriot bermudagrass overseeded with ryegrass - note the new growth beginning from the stolons.

We will continue to monitor the late season emergence of warm season turf in 2014.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Bermudagrass Green Up Across the Midwest

Following an extremely harsh 2013-14 winter season, bermudagrass is beginning to green up across the region.  There has been an interesting aspect of green up this spring.  The bermudagrass in the swales are greening quicker than the rest of the field.  Why?  To be honest, I have not been able to figure that one out to date.

Below are 2 sites.

#1 - Patriot bermudagrass that has not been overseeding.  The bermudagrass is over 5 years old:

#2 - Rivera bermudagrass that has not been overseeded.  The playing surface was seeded in the late July 2014:

We will keep an eye on both surfaces.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Watering an Infield - Basic Step by Step Process

In an earlier post we discussed Hydrating/Watering an Infield Mix.  In this post, let's discuss a topic that is often posed to me.  "How much do I water my infield?"

The answer, it depends on sunlight, wind speed, humidity, and time of day the game is to be played along with the time the water is applied.

At professional facilities, an infield may be watered 5-8 times a day.  Who has time to water an infield that often?  Not many facilities.  Here we will discuss hydrating an infield mix at noon for a 4 PM game - this is the only water the infield will receive in one day.  Is it perfect? No, but it will provide a surface that is forgiving for the athlete.  Important note - the infield is not worked open with a nail drag or an implement that rips open the infield.

The first step is to get a 1 inch fire hose ran off a minimum of a 1 inch quick coupler:

Here is the infield topdressing prior to irrigation - please note that the correct level of condition is applied to the infield:

Next, water is applied.  In this case, water is applied over a 30 minute time period:

Here is the infield post watering, note the almost standing water condition of the infield mix.

Finally, this infield is an amended infield mix and has the correct level of sand/silt/clay of a balanced infield mix.  Due to this fact, you can walk across the infield immediately following the watering:

Bottom line, have a balanced infield mix and pour the water to the profile.  This is the quickest way to provide a fast and forgiving surface that will play true for athletes of all ages.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

How to Pull an Infield Mix Sample?

Pulling an infield mix sample is critical to determining the best approach to adding new infield mix to an existing infield.  Pulling a sample is a relatively easy process, below are the steps.

#1 - Have a bucket and a shovel ready:

#2 - Push all conditioner to the side - do not include this material with the sample:

#3 - Pull 4-8 samples across the infield at a four inch depth - this is the depth that the infield will be tilled/blended.  Note in the photo below a clear layering of infield mixes is present:

#4 - Agitate the samples and fill 1/2 of a one gallon freezer bag.  Now you have your sample ready for testing:

Consistency in testing is critical for amending infields.  All of our samples go to Hummel and Co.

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

Play on!
-Jamie
@JamieMehringer