Field Of Study

What to do with tired-looking grass and turf

By Mary Helen Sprecher
Photos: Courtesy of Stantec Sport Group

The old axiom, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” might be appropriate for almost any sports field this time of year. With play returning and athletes absolutely determined to make up for lost time, it’s not surprising fields aren’t looking their best.

What may be surprising is this applies to both synthetic and natural-grass fields. Over time and with use, fields are apt to take on a worn appearance. This doesn’t necessarily signify something is wrong with the fields or the surfaces, and in many cases, minor problems can be fixed, provided the maintenance crew takes a proactive approach.

Here are some useful tips from field-specific contractors—professionals who design, install, and maintain sports fields across the United States.

For Natural-Grass Fields

Natural-grass fields are in the inventory of almost every park and rec department across the nation. Departments see league, rec, and camp use in the summer, and when school is in session, it’s likely they’ll host athletes for practices or games as well. They may well host tournaments.

Unfortunately, that means that fields take a beating—in some cases, all year long. No matter how great the grass is, too much foot traffic will make a field look worn, rutted, and bare. Throw in some rainy days and the surface will really start looking unkempt. 

Field professionals advise rotating play among various fields to allow the grass to regenerate and recover from so much hard use. And while keeping fields closed might not be a popular move, it is necessary. 

Depending upon the geographic location of fields and the type of grass, reseeding the fields, either whole or in part, may be necessary. If you’re not sure what type of grass there is, the seed you should get, or the schedule you should use, consult a field contractor or an agronomist. The expert advice will pay dividends.

Mowing

While the temptation may be to keep grass as short as possible, field builders caution against it.

“Never mow more than one-third of the total height of the grass blade at one time—or even within four days,” says Todd Smith, Ph.D., PE, LEED AP, of R&R Engineers-Surveyors, Inc., in Denver, Colo. “Cutting any more than one-third of the height stresses the plant and makes it more susceptible to disease, as well as taking longer to recover.”

Additionally, Smith notes, “Keep the grass-mowing height at two to three inches, rather than one-and-a-half to two inches.”

Over time, a field will become harder, a function of compaction, which reduces water and air movement in the soil. Smith advises slicing and core aeration, along with sand topdressing, to help reduce compaction and allow nutrients and air to better reach the grass.

Another problem, the pros say, is overwatering a field. Grass that is not bright-green does not always need water; in fact, it may need less water—and more nutrients.

“Often, what grass needs is less nitrogen and more potassium and/or more phosphorus,” adds Smith. “Less water makes the roots search deeper (this is good in terms of the quality of the field), and potassium and phosphorous can help with plant food storage, as opposed to nitrogen, which is a quick top-growth activator that initially makes grass look nice and green, but sacrifices long-term health and good roots.”

In addition, be sure to have a field builder or agronomist offer advice on any pests or weeds that might be damaging a field. Some municipalities regulate the type of weed control or pesticides that can be used, preferring natural compounds over chemicals.

Synthetic Fields

Just because synthetic fields don’t have to be mowed or weeded doesn’t mean you get a pass on doing any work. In fact, you may already notice that specific areas where play is concentrated—the lacrosse crease, soccer goals, corner kicks, and kick-off areas—look uneven and worn.

“Synthetic doesn’t mean zero maintenance,” says John Schedler of Baraka Sport in Fort Worth, Texas. 

“Once infill gets loose, the fibers lay over and wear faster, or even rip out of the backing,” Smith adds. “You can help slow the infill movement by adding sand at the bottom and topping with crumb rubber. You should also be checking for loose seams. These are typically found where multiple lines come together, around hash marks, or where any smaller sections were glued. Once they start to come loose, kids pull on them, and even simple use causes them to get larger.”

A field builder can provide instruction on how to address tears, pulls, or uneven spots in the field, and can assist in making up a schedule for field care throughout the year. (The added bonus of having this type of documentation is it can be shared with other rec directors in the area; it also creates a permanent record should the current facility manager leave his or her position.)

“Synthetic fields have a life cycle that requires maintenance to be adjusted to wear, use, and age,” says Schedler. “Brushing fields is fine for a new field. Brushing grabs fibers and helps to stand them back up again, and helps to smooth out surface infill. Fibers need to be supported by infill to continue to stand up, much the same way trees do in a dense forest. If you remove trees that have always supported trees around them, the surrounding trees will be weak and could fall over. The synthetic-turf system helps to support itself so keeping infill from compacting by using grooming, combined with brushing. helps to fluff up the infill and pull the fibers back up.”

Care may need to be adjusted as years go on, he notes. “Brushing an aging field with the fibers laid over isn’t going to have that same effect. Fibers don’t have a good memory, and once laid over, they are very difficult—if not impossible—to stand back up again. So, brushing on an aging field is just wear. In my opinion, brushing is good at the beginning of a field’s life and should be avoided near the end of the life of a field. I’ve seen turf managers who are scared to maintain aging fields due to the amount of fiber brushes and equipment collected every session. This is a legitimate concern, and additional education on how to maintain an aging field needs to take place.”

Those departments with synthetic fields that are approaching the end of their useful lives will need to make decisions on whether to repair existing fields or build new ones. An industry expert who specializes in sports-field construction is the best person to act in an advisory capacity. Getting recommendations from colleagues with facilities similar to the one you are planning is another way to obtain good information. Make sure to ask questions about the responsiveness of the contractor to questions, their ability to deal with problems, and anything else of importance.

Another way of finding an appropriate professional is to check with the American Sports Builders Association (www.sportsbuilders.org). This organization, for designers, contractors, and suppliers for the sports-facility construction industry, also publishes Sports Fields: A Construction and Maintenance Manual, which contains user-friendly, in-depth information that leads a reader through the decision-making process, as well as design, construction, and maintenance.

Mary Helen Sprecher is a technical writer for the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the professional association for those who design, build, maintain, and supply equipment and materials for the sports-facility construction industry. She is also the editor of ASBA’s publication, Sports Fields: A Construction and Maintenance Manual, and is the managing editor of Sports Destination Management. Reach her at mhsprecher@gmail.com.