Queston/Answer ttMurphyts Lawtt

Dr. James Murphy is an Associate Extension Specialist in TurfgrassManagement for Rutgers, department of Plant science.Ask Dr. Murphy your questions: E-mail us at hq@;fmani.org

Field TipRealityWhat A Concept

Quest ion: The soccer f ie lds inour area are cunently dormant, brownand dry as a bone. Ifthese conditionscontlnue can Dermanent or excesslvedamage to the turf result from typicalplay on the fields?

Answer: Absolutely!Dormant turf has very low vigor.

Dormant turf has prepared itself tosurvive without water; but not towithstand intense traffic. Thus, the lowvigor of the dormant turfgrass plantswill only be able to tolerate a verylimited amount of traffic.

Signs of severe damage includethin ooen turf and bare soil. The lowerleaf s6eaths and crowns of the turfgrassnlants have been and wi l l cont inueio bedamased once vou staft to see bare soilin the playing f ie ld. This is a ser ious

problem because regeneration of newhealthy shoots and roots come fromthe crowns. Dead crowns translates intodead grass with no hope for recovery (Ican not word it more bluntly)l

If you can stil l find crowns as afresh, translucent green appearance,then the turf can recover. Dried up,brown crowns are severely damagedand have a high probability of beingdead. Weed invasion is anotherproblemwith iutense use (traffic) under dormantturf conditions. The dormant turf wearsout very quickly with use. Once naturalrains return or irrigation is applied, thedormant weed seeds in the soil haveample opportuniry to germinate. emerge,and infest the field. Thus, you will likelyobsele greater weed problem on fieldsthat receive significant play (use) underdormant conditions. r

bv Jim Hermann. CSFM*

. Real i ty is the di f ferencebetween a state of the arl utility vehiclethat grooms, carts and dumps and a 1980pickup truck equipped with a length ofchain link fence.

. Reality is the difference betweena ten-man grounds crew for one fieldand a one-man grounds crew for tenfields.

. Reality is the difference betweenwhat works on paper and what works inthe field.

. Reality is the difference betweentreating for crabgrass and being thankfulthe field is green.

In the realm of absolute right andabsolute wrong, if your lucky, reality

Continued on page B

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Continuedfrom page 7

lies somewhere in the middle.Accepted yet never formal ly

discussed, real i ty is the single mostl imit ing factor in the managementof every athlctic field. Dealing withand understanding the effects andconsequences of reality is a primaryobjective for every sports field manager.It is kind of like putting a round peg ina square hole and making it fit.

Reality should never be used as anexcuse. A clear vision of what is idealshould always be maintained as a pointof reference for what is real. In order toevaluate what we can do, it is imporlantto know what we should do. Educationis critical. Education is a like a roadmap. We are taught the most directroute. As sports field managers we leamto deal with roadblocks. We learn to getaround obstacles. There is no such thing,as "I can't get there from here".

Sometimes we need to look at ourobjectives from a different perspective.I often times discuss selection of theproper infield mix. Ideally, selectionof the proper infield mix should bebased on an understanding of thephysical analysis of that product andhow dif ferent percentages of sand,silt and clay affect the characteristicsof that product. In reality, selection ofan acceptable mix is more often basedon price. Therefore, a more realisticobjective for the sporls field managerwould be to have the ability to recognizeand understand the characteristics ofthe infield mix chosen, rather than theability to choose a mix based on anunderstanding of its characteristics. Thekey point remains, an understanding ofinfield mixes.

We are all aware or should be awarethat soil testing is critical if a qualityturf is to be established and maintained.Unfoftunately when recommendationsare made based on soil test results; theserecommendations vary from field tofield. Ideally, each field should be treatedprecisely as the recommendations haveprescribed. Realistically, you and I bothknow "that may not happen". Typicallyin a situation like this I would selecta fertilizer formulation that addressesthe needs of all the fields but may notprovide the nutrients required by someflelds in the total prescribed amount.

An agronomist once told me that

soil testing should be used as a meansof determining soi l fert i l i ty t rends.These trends are detetmined by periodictesting on a yearly or biyearly schedule.What that means to me is that, withinlimits of acceptability, as long as thefertility of a field is headcd in the rightdirection, I'm a happy camper. Theeducation received on what is ideal hasallowed for the ability to discem whatis acceptable and real.

I t was once said. "al though the

primary objective may be to drain theswamp, i t is sometimes di f f icul t toremain focuscd when you are up to yourbutt in alligators". A clear vision of theobjcctives and the ability to prioritizeapplications and proccdures is key indealing with reality.

*J im Hermann, is a Cert i f iedSports Field Manage and serves on theBoard of Directors of SFMANJ and isPresident ofTotal ControlAthletic FieldManasement. I

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