Brown Patch and Pythium Active on Sports Turf in the Midwest

Thanks to Hurricane Isaac, the Midwest has been receiving plenty of rain and excessive humidity the last 4-5 days.  In fact, this is the most disease pressure that has occurred in 2012!  Here is a photo of pythium damage on ryegrass on a softball field:

With the arriving cold front,  disease pressure will lower later this week.

Click HERE to see a disease publication from Purdue about brown patch.

Click HERE to see a disease publication from Purdue about pythium.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Rose Hulman - Patriot Bermudagrass

I made a quick stop at Rose-Hulman last week.  Here are a number of photos from the visit.

The first three photos are from the practice fields for football and soccer.  These fields have seen non stop play/practice since the beginning of August.  The last two photos are from the football stadium, after the initial scrimmage and before the first game.  Simply stated, these fields are in great shape.  As you can clearly see, bermudagrass has a fit for athletic fields in Central Indiana.

Click HERE to learn more about Rose Hulman Athletics.  Thanks to John Walton for hosting the visit.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Indiana State University Athletics

I spent a portion of my Tuesday morning in Terre Haute, IN.  I made site visits to three facilities of the Indiana State Athletics Department.  Here is a review of my visit:

Baseball:

The infield is FieldTurf while the outfield consists on bluegrass sod that was installed in December of 2011.

Softball:

The infield was amended with Dura Edge Pro in 2010.  The outfield is a blend of cool season grasses.

Football/Soccer:

My final stop was at the football/soccer complex.  There is a bermuda grass practice as well as a FieldTurf surface at the complex.

Lastly, I had a brief tour of the new $2.5 million locker room complex for the football and soccer programs.  Here are a couple of photos:

Old football locker room:

New football locker room:

One of many coaches offices:

Needless to say, ISU has invested in their athletics in the last 5 years.  There has also been success on the field.

Thanks to Dan O'Brien and his crew for the visit.  Click HERE to learn more about Indiana State Athletics.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

DePauw University - Bermuda After 28 Days of Play

I made a quick trip to west-central Indiana today.  Look for posts this week from Indiana State as well as Rose Hulman.  First stop and post is an update from DePauw.  There are two warm season fields at DePauw.  The first set of photos is from the new soccer field.  This field was seeded with Riviera Bermuda grass on May 15 of this year.  Cutting height 1/2 inch.  So far, the field has seen 23 straight days of play:

The shear tester is reading 15 ft. lbs. before the field tears.  This is similar to a well maintained bluegrass field.

Next stop was up the hill to the 1 year old Patriot Bermuda grass field hockey field.  Cutting height 1/2 in.  So far, this field has seen three straight weeks of women's field hockey practice:

The shear tester is reading 30 ft. lbs. before the field tears.  This is similar to a well maintained Bermuda fields in the Midwest.  Not surprisingly, a one year old field is much stronger than a 3 month old field.  

Look for more updates as the season continues.  

Click HERE to learn more about DePauw Athletics

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

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

Now is the Time to Overseed Athletic Fields

Barenbrug seed delivered today, ready to be planted this afternoon:

Slice seeder:

Late summer/early fall is quickly approaching.  Now is the time to overseed athletic fields.  Here is a link for overseeding soccer fields from Purdue University.  Focus on pages 11-12.

Overseeding can be accomplished after aerification and before topdressing and dragging of the cores or with an overseeder.

I like to follow a simple overseeding formula:

• Core aerify
• Overseed
• Topdress
• Drag the cores, sand and seed into the field
• Apply a starter fertilizer 16.28.12 at a rate of 4 bags an acre

Also, don't hesitate to overseed at a higher rate in season.  Remember, seed is one of the most cost effective ways to keep fields looking good and coaches happy throughout the season.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

Arizona Diamondbacks - Doubleheader in a Retractable Roof Stadium - What Happened

Typically doubleheaders are due to a rainout.  Not so much in the Valley of the Sun thins afternoon.  Why did the Miami Marlins and the DBacks play 2?  Click HERE to find the answer.  Now that is something you don't see everyday.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Indianapolis Colts - Training Camp Complete

The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up training camp last Friday.  I stopped by today to take a look at the post-camp fields.  Here are a few photos:

The fields performed very well.  After a quick sweeping, the fields would be ready for another practice.  As shown above, the fields are now turned into soccer practice fields for the Anderson Ravens.

Click HERE to see the post before camp started as well as earlier posts from this year as the field went from dormant turf through camp.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer