Overseeding Athletic Fields - Ohio State Article

Overseeding athletic fields have been a recent topic.  NOW is the time to overseed athletic fields.  HERE is an article from Pam Sherratt and Dr. John Street from Ohio State discussing overseeding.  Two items that I think are of interest.

1. Rate of overseeding - Are we overseeding fields with enough seed?
2. Slit seeding - Is this the best method?

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

Play on!

--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Should I Topdress My Athletic Field with Sand?

That depends on your situation.  Do you have irrigation?  Due you have the funds to continue to topdress in the future?

HERE is a great article on building up a sand cap on a athletic field from Michigan State University.  J&D Turf topdresses a number of athletic fields across the Midwest.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Fall Core Aerification Article from Ohio State

This past week, Karl Danneberger, from Ohio State University posted a great article on core aerification.  Click HERE to see the article.

Are you core aerifying your field this fall?

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

St Luke - Patriot Bermudagrass After 3 Inches of Rain

I wanted to share a couple of photos from the playing surface at St Luke Catholic Church from this past week.

First of all, the area received in excess of three inches of rain on Friday night.  They were on the field at 9 AM on Saturday:

The damage after play, Sunday morning:

To be honest, there was not one divot on the field.  The turf was a bit discolored from the play, but 100% cover remained.  Why?  The sand topdressing and excellent shear strength.  Look for more updates later this year on this surface.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Shear Strength Testing - Bermudagrass and Bluegrass

I travel the Midwest with a Turf-Tec Toma Shear Strength Tester.  Why?  I use it as a tool to compare the strength of turf across all sports.  Here are a few recent findings:

St Luke Catholic Church - Patriot Bermudagrass Sod - June 2012 - 25 ft. lbs:

DePauw Soccer - Riviera Bermudagrass Seed - May 2012 - 15 ft. lbs:

DePauw Field Hockey - Patriot Bermudagrass Sprigs - June 2011 - 25 ft. lbs:

Needless to say, a seeded field is weaker than a sodded field during the first year of play.  Secondly, a field that is in its second year is as strong as a newly sodded field.

Bottom line:

A "normal" blue/rye field will test 15-20 ft lbs.  A "normal" bermudagrass field after a year of establishment will test 25-35 ft lbs.  So, the first year of a seeded/sprigged field will act more like a cool season turf in regards to shear strength.  The second year will produce a field with superior shear strength.

Look for a post from St Luke tomorrow with photos of play after 3 inches of rain......

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

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