A Day at Purdue - Soccer Complex

Another post on my visit to Purdue last week. After visiting the Daniel Center, I headed over to the soccer complex with Brian Bornino. The soccer field we walked was the varsity field. The field consists of Patriot and Riviera bermuda grass. Why the two cultivars? Simply, there was winter kill on part of the field a couple of years ago and the decision was made to seed Riviera instead of sprigging Patriot bermuda. Here are a couple of photos:

As you can see, the field looks great for early June. There are a few areas where spring dead spot has caused some damage, but this field will be ready for play by August 1, 2011, by simply implementing an aggressive fertilizer program.

The next photo shows the use of crumb rubber in the goal mouth area. As research has shown, the use of crumb rubber assists in reducing wear. An added benefit for bermuda, the crumb rubber causes the surface to become warmer, thus the bermuda will fill in quicker. In fact, this area was bare seven days ago!

Finally, a few of you may be scratching your head about mixing cultivars of bermuda grass. For some reason, this is not an issue on the cooler cultivars. Can you tell the difference between the Patriot and the Riviera? When the field is mowed for competition, there is no issue with the two cultivars.

Look for a Purdue football post tomorrow.

To learn more about Purdue soccer, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

A Day at Purdue - Daniel Center

I spent this past Tuesday at Purdue. While in West Lafayette, I made three stops. My first stop was the Daniel Center for an MRTF meeting and a research symposium presented by Purdue turf researchers. Next, I stopped by the football fields, and finally the soccer fields at Purdue. Look for posts on the football fields and the soccer fields this weekend.

First, I wanted to spend a little time on the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation (MRTF)and the Daniel Center. The MRTF supports turfgrass research and education at Purdue University for the betterment of the turf industry in Indiana, the Midwest, and the world.

To learn more about the MRTF, click HERE.

The first photo is a photo of Dr. Ron Turco. Dr. Turco is conducting research on synthetic surfaces. Based on early findings, this study may produce some interesting results. Stay tuned!

To learn more about Dr. Ron Turco, click HERE.

Next, a photo of the research plots and the exterior of the building at the Daniel Center. The building contains classrooms for education and space for the storage of equipment to maintain the research plots.

The center is named for Dr. Bill Daniel. Dr. Daniel was a professor at Purdue for many years. He was a driving force behind sand based athletic fields and the inventor of the P.A.T. system.

To learn more about Dr. Bill Daniel and the Purdue Turfgrass program, click HERE.

To learn more about the Daniel Center, click HERE.

Look for football and soccer posts shortly......

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

Play on!
--Jamie

DePauw University - Another Cool Season Field Bits the Dust

A few photos of a quick, but exciting project at DePauw University. The practice field at DePauw is in the early stages of conversion from blue/rye to Patriot bermuda grass. The photos below show the field after J&D Turf laser graded the middle of the field to create a crown for positive drainage. The plan in as follows:

1. The field has been sprayed with glyphosate (RoundUp)
2. The crown has been re-built
3. The field will be sprigged with Patriot tomorrow
4. Ronstar will be applied
5. A grown in program will include nitrogen at a rate of 1 lb N/1000 sq ft every 2 weeks.

I'll keep you posted on the progress.......

The first photo shows the dual slope laser in the bottom right corner.

The final two photos are other shots after grading, the brick structure on the left is the stadium.

To learn more about DePauw athletics, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Transition From Rye to Bermuda - Colts Complex

Another post on bermuda grass in Indiana.

Stopped by the Colts Complex today. The field was sprayed with Katana on May 27. A few interesting photos below:

First a photo looking down the hash marks, the color is off a bit as the rye is hurting and the bermuda is not up to full speed.

The next 2 photos are looking across the field for west to east. Notice the browning turf between the hash marks, very little bermuda in areas of heavy fall traffic.

Also, notice how much healthy bermuda grass in areas where there was less traffic.

Finally, a close up shot of the turf. All of the greener turf is Patriot bermuda grass, and all of the brown turf is ryegrass.

Long story short, this is a typical transition for bermuda grass. It is also further evidence to show that high traffic areas will not transition as well as areas with less traffic. The plan for growing the turf in? Three options:

1. Aggressive fertility of the hashmarks
2. Inter-sprigging of Patriot bermuda grass
3. Sodding with Patriot bermuda grass

I will keep you posted on which decision is made.

To see earlier posts involving bermuda grass at the Colts Complex and Anderson University, click HERE, HERE, and HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Prasco Park - Vol II - Legacy Field

The second volume from my visit to Prasco Park last week.

Just behind RF at Prasco Park, is Legacy Field. This all synthetic field hosts numerous games for athletes of all levels of play. Here are a few photos of the field.

I really like the way the bleachers and the deck furniture is combined to create a great seating area. Also, a lawn berm runs along the LF line to provide more seating.

The next shot shows one of the dugouts. I included this shot for the architects who are designing fields at multi-field complexes. The dugout is very nice, but yet simple.

Finally, a shot of one of the base anchors. This field has three sets of bases (60 ft, 75 ft, and 90 ft) so flexibility is a key part in the use of this surface.

An interesting side note, the Spikes 18U team will schedule every game on the natural grass at Prasco Park. This seems to be the feeling in the baseball world, a synthetic field is a tool for training, playing early in the season, etc. But, across the board, baseball players prefer to play on grass. The heat radiating off the field on a 90 degree day was considerable last week. The field was hotter than the concrete sidewalk and the asphalt parking lot.

To learn more about Legacy Field, click HERE.

To see the first post about Prasco Park, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie

Prasco Park - Vol I

Another post from my travels in Cincinnati last week. On Wednesday morning, a stop was made at Prasco Park in Mason, OH. The first word that comes to mind when driving into this complex is, WOW!

This is a sand based field that was sodded with 100% Kentucky bluegrass. A local mix was used for the infield surface. The mix may be amended later this fall.....Prasco Park is the home of the Cincinnati Spikes 17U and 11U programs. Here are a few photos of this impressive complex.

The first three are photos showing the press box, the dugout, and the view from 2nd base.

The next photo shows the foul territory at Prasco. As you can see, the foul territory is rather small, but is more than enough space. I like this layout as it cuts down on maintenance.

Next, a shot showing fence and wall detail. First a look at the brick wall in foul territory. Next a view of the rest of the fencing in foul territory. The use of brick and black fence create a very nice look. Also, notice the bullpens are off the field of play.

A final shot from CF looking towards homeplate.

Thanks to Trent Hanna, Director of Stadium Operations, for the tour of the facility.

To learn more about Prasco Laboratories, click HERE.
To learn more about Prasco Park, click HERE.
To learn more about the CIncinnati Spikes, click HERE.

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

Look for Vol II - Legacy Field, tomorrow.

Play on!
--Jamie

A Night with Doug at Great American Ballaprk

I spent some time in Cincinnati, OH this week. My first stop was Great American Ballpark. Grant McKnight, from Natural Sand Company, and myself stopped by to visit Head Groundskeeper, Doug Gallant.

Simply put, the field was in great shape. The 100% stabilized ryegrass surface looked great. The infield mix has been amended with 24 tons of FieldSaver 75 and 24 tons of FieldSaver 50. The infield played great with very good cleat in and cleat out.

A few photos......

In game drag:

Post game drag

A couple more post game photos

For you Reds fans, a neat photo of Rolen and Votto

Thanks again to Doug and his crew for hosting us this week.

To learn more about the Cincinnati Reds, click HERE.
To learn more about Great American Ballpark, click HERE.
To learn more about Great American Insurance, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie