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Field conditions at Ohio Stadium

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coastalbuck;619343; said:
The new bluegrass field will not have the artifical fibers in it, that is both good and bad. In a rain event like PSU, the artificial stuff holds things together somewhat, so it doesn't tear up as badly as it might have were they not there; on the other hand, some of the problems the field was having were probably made worse by the mat being there, disease, thatch, shallow rooting, ect. As for the new field, it should be as good as any other. Weather and usage being the main factors in a fields lifespan. IMO, a college football field should last between 3 and 5 years, not counting the small resodding project now and then. Weather, of course, can change this. Most NFL teams with natural grass have 2 to 3 sodding projects in their budget yearly. That's not to say they do it that many times, it's just budgeted. When our field was built, I felt I'd be pleased with 3 years, satisfied with 5, and amazed if we got 8. We're on 4 now.
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I think I'm pickin' up what you're layin' down. :)
 
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WhoDeyForever;619676; said:
Glad the Bucks got new grass. I really wanna see field turf like the rest of all you guys also
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We practice and play all of our games on field turf this year, i hate it personlly, our field has longer "grass" while other fields have more of a soft bouncy carpet turf, Ours is horrible when its wet and i pray the Buckeyes do not get field turf
 
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osugrad21;618860; said:
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]"But the upside to a gorgeous golf course looking grass field is there's nothing better than a perfect grass field," he said. [/FONT]
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Turf obviously has advantages over grass, but nothing is better than playing on grass on a sunny 70 degree day.

I personally don't care either way, prefer turf if the states came to columbus and to avoid problems with the weather
 
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Turf conditions are hard to control especially when you don t have a handle on what the cause or problem could be. Bermuda grass is very difficult to grow in midwest or Ohio areas because it is so temperamental. Here in Jacksonville it is popular because of the climate but very attractive to chinch bugs and mole crickets. Rye grass can be mainted here in the south during winter months but can be very expensive. Its popular here, used only on the greens and tee boxes of golf courses. It is used mostly in the winter months around october thru march. Ohio field of the Horseshoe could have had an attack of "Nematodes", a microscopic worm that causes massive destruction to all types of grasses. it has been the ruins of many golf courses in Florida.

The Jacksonville Jaguars Alltell stadium has been ripped up twice because of problems caused by "Nematodes". Bermuda grass is the choice of football fields here in the south. But a person experienced in Agronomics and the growth of grasses is certainly held in high esteem in that area. Good Luck to Ohio State in thier search of maintaining a perfect grass football field for all seasons. It can be very expensive.
 
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Good article from tOSU website.


[SIZE=+2]New Field for the Buckeyes[/SIZE] Picture 1, Sunday 24th Sept.: The day after the Penn State game, the Koro Field Topmaker removed the stabilized perennial ryegrass field. The field was in its 4th season and was playing well but over those 4 years, fine mineral particles (silt & clay) had accumulated on top of the stabilizer and had created an anaerobic and unstable surface. Traditional management of the fine mineral layer (aerate & topdress) had not been an option as it would have destroyed & buried the stabilizer. The fine mineral particles probably came in as a result of the extensive construction work around the stadium and by other natural sources (wind, rain). Textural analysis of the stabilized layer showed that the sand had been contaminated with around 11% silt & clay. As a side note, the Koro has revolutionized the field renovation business as it can remove a whole field and leave the surface graded in just a few hours.
Picture 2: There are not too many mid-season renovation options - big roll thick-cut sod is really the only way of producing a playable field in a very short period of time. This particular sod was from Cygnet Sod in NW Ohio and was grown on soil (sandy loam). The turf component is 100% Kentucky bluegrass and is 2 years old, so has a 1/4-inch thatch layer and moderate rhizome development. The sod was harvested 1.75 inches thick, 48-inches wide and 35 ft long. The shear weight of big-roll, thick-cut sod is what gives the field instant playability.
Picture 3: Big roll, thick-cut sod. In this particular instance, the sod was grown on soil. Sand-based sod (>80% sand by wt.) is also available but would not have offered the same stability at such short notice. Sand-based sod needs some establishment time for roots to offer stability. A lot of the sand from the back of the sod can also be lost during transportation. Soil sod was chosen because instant results were needed. One of the concerns with soil sod is that it has the tendency to stay saturated once it gets wet, creating a poor environment for root growth and it could possibly become muddy & unstable during a rain game. This will dictate future field management practices.
Picture 4, Monday 25th: The first sod roll gets layed. Around 650 rolls were layed - 26 truck loads with 25 rolls per truck. Pre-sod, micro and starter fertilizers were applied.
Picture 5, Tuesday 26th - Friday 29th: As each roll was layed in a staggered pattern, the seams were topdressed with sand and hand-syringed with the hoses to prevent the seams for drying out. One of the critical processes is making sure both the longitudinal and latitudinal seams fit tight, so that when they shrink they do not cause gaps in the sod. Post-sodding, the field was rolled with a 2,000 lb roller. The roller straddled the seams. The field was mowed periodically as the sod was layed & rolled. Sodding was completed on Friday 29th at 6.30pm.
Picture 6, Saturday 30th: The entire field was injected with sand. Four DryJect machines were used to produce sand channels through the sod on 3 x 3 spacing. The purpose of the DryJect is to create sand channels that bypass the fine-textured sod layer. In the event of a rain game, the sand channels will help to shed surface water and keep the field playable. From an agronomic standpoint, the channels will also provide a healthy , aerobic environment for root growth & gas exchange.
Picture 7: The DryJect system is an intense renovation process that injects sand channels through the sod layer but then leaves the playing surface intact and instantly playable. For that reason, it is a popular renovation procedure in golf green management.
Picture 8, Saturday, 30 September - Sunday 1st October: Post-sodding practices start. This includes lowering the mowing height (the sod came in at 2.5-inches), applying starter fertilizer, topdressing with the same sand used in the DryJect, and painting lines & logos. Any seam discoloration will also be addressed with paint. The next home game is October 7th. If rain is forecast before any of the remaining games, tarps will be used to keep the sod as dry as possible.
Picture 9: The OSU Stadium agronomy team includes Assistant AD, Don Patko, Field Superintendent Brian Gimbel and his two assistants, Brian Blount & Brent Packer, and Dr. John Street & Pam Sherratt. Brian Gimbel (pictured on the new field)and his team of staff & students have worked tirelessly during the renovation process & we cannot speak highly enough of them. Working from dawn until dark most days they have worked extremely hard to get this field ready for the Buckeyes. We really appreciate their dedication & hard work & hope that the media & the team do the same. GO BUCKS!
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Author(s): Pam Sherratt & John Street
[SIZE=-1]Published: October 02 2006[/SIZE][/FONT]
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coastalbuck;624319; said:
Link to the same article in case any of you want to join SK turfnotes. It's free and you get turf updates in your e-mail. Very good article and pictures, why's and how's of what they did.
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Very interesting on how they inject sand channels to let the sod drain. Kinda like drain tile.

CB is that a process that they have to do monthly, quarterly, once a year to keep the sand channels open?

Cool as hell actually.
 
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I've seen that machine demo on a green here at school. I'd say the sand channels probably stay functional for a month or more, depending on use (compaction issues). Actually a brilliant idea to use it there on the soil grown sod. There's a large possibility of a layering issue between the sod and the existing mix that was on the field. The existing mix probably had a relatively large portion of sand in it, the soil on the sod not so much. Two differing soil mixes can cause huge problems farther down the road. I have the distinct impression that this was a fix for the rest of this year, you'll probably see some major changes this summer, if the budget allows. If not, alot of aerifying and topdressing will be needed to try even out the soil differences.
 
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