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Turfgrass SodGuarantees

On-Time UseAnd Benefits

Turf managers are frequently caughtin a tug-of-war. Administrators,owners and accountants insist on

maximum cost control and low-bidacceptance. Coaches, players, parentsand fans want first-class turf that with-stands heavy play and provides maxi-mum safety. Turfgrass sod is the solutionthat can satisfy everyone, especiallywhen all of the costs for establishment,aftercare and maintenance are includedin the calculations.

Establishment CostsYes, a pallet of sod costs more than a

bag of seed, a bushel of sprigs or trays ofplugs. But to create a new play area orsports field that can handle a full sched-ule of use in the six to eight week time-frame typically available to professionalturf managers, establishment by anymeans other than turfgrass sod has veryreal, but often overlooked added costs.Even with six months lead-time, it willtake at least one complete overseeding ormany more sprigs or plugs to approachthe density of mature turfgrass sod.Repairing washouts and areas where theseed just didn't take costs more time andmoney. The project is setback when timeis critical. In short, establishment costsusing these methods easily approachthose for sodding.

Aftercare and Maintenance CostsMany school administrators, elected

officials and even professional fieldowners do not include aftercare and

maintenance costs in their budgetingprocess. Turf managers know that after-care and ongoing maintenance of seed-ing, sprigging or plugging jobs cost morethan those of turfgrass sod. Seeded areasneed more water, a major expense inmany parts of the country. Also, seededor sprigged athletic fields need more fer-tilizer than turfed ones for at least thefirst year, often longer. Seeding requiresmultiple applications of herbicides aswell, another added cost for labor, mate-rials and equipment wear.

These additional costs continue wellinto the second year of maintenance, sowhen you add the cost of extra water,fertilizer, herbicides and the laborinvolved over two years to an estimatefor seeding, turfgrass sodding actuallycosts less.

Added BenefitsThe real costs for seeding exceed

those for turfgrass sod, it is the intangi-ble or unmeasurable benefits of turfgrasssod that really tip the balance in soddingsports fields. Intangibles are hard tomeasure, but everyone involved in asports field knows what they are.

• Most sports turf jobs have a verylimited time for actual turf grow-in. Thepressures of school schedules, teampractices and other time limitations giveturfgrass sod the advantage because itcan be successfully installed in the short-est timeframe.

• Sports turf professionals value theimmediate results turfgrass sod guaran-

tees. Sod is established on time, withpredictable results. Stadium owners,school boards, golf course managers andespecially the players and fans recognizeturfgrass sod creates a finished look andplayable surface almost immediately.

• Golf course owners and playersalike know that turfgrass sodding mini-mizes the amount of time a course is out-of-play and reduces the wear and tear onmaintenance equipment and golf clubswhere rocks are prevalent.

• Athletes, coaches, team physiciansand parents are all well aware of theimproved safety offered by the denselayer of turfgrass on a newly establishedfield with turfgrass sod. Schoolboardsand park officials are all becoming moreand more concerned about liability prob-lems resulting from injuries to studentathletes that could have been easily pre-vented.

Help Is A Call AwaySports turf professionals can learn

more about how to translate the intangi-ble benefits of turfgrass sodding intoinformation they can use in making pre-sentations to various officials. TurfgrassProducers International (TPI) is preparedto provide real-world examples of turf-grass sod's cost-effectiveness andimprove everyone's understanding ofhow a high quality, natural turf playingsurface can be established at the lowestpossible cost.

Call TPI at 1/800-405- TURF formore information.

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sporlsTURlttPj/www.aiP.comT=Louisville EXPO-ses

ItselfBy Bob Tracinski

Imaginehaving every major powerequipment company from across theglobe trying out its machines on your

turf. And, imagine having a contingent ofmajor turf managers examining thatturf to gauge the effectiveness of themachines. Add in a few thousand morepeople - the buyers, dealers and dis-tributors of such equipment, the com-ponents within them or the attachmentsfor them. Then factor in a contingent ofadvertising and editorial representativesfor the media - print, radio and TV.

EXPO-sing itself to such close scrutiny,and doing it year after year, is justanother "opportunity" for the GroundsBranch of Louisville's Kentucky Fairand Exposition Center. Grounds BranchManager William "Buddy" Brooks, Hor-ticulture Section Supervisor VickeyHypes,and Grounds Section Supervisor TomFitzsimmons, operate in sync like thefine-tuned machines on display to coor-dinate the many grounds-related detailsthat make a major show "work." Andthe Outdoor Power Equipment Indus-tries' EXPO, one of the top ten tradeshows in the US, is just one event in thepacked schedule of the multi-facetedcomplex.

The Kentucky Fair and ExpositionCenter racked up an impressive overallattendance of 4,164,882 during 1994.Events take place year-round, withinthe 1 million square feet of indoor spaceand the 100 acres of turf and 350 acres ofpaved and graveled outdoor area.

First impressions are as importantfor a facility as they are for an indi-vidual, and the EXPO makes a spectac-ular first impression. The site is so cleanit almost sparkles, the turf is uniformlywell maintained, and the plantings arestunning. Massive hanging baskets burst

12 sports TURF • http://www.aip.com

with blooms at the front entry area, andone entry walkway makes it impossiblenot to stop and smell the roses.

Obviously there's a well developedmaster plan in place here - and a highlyskilled staff to implement it.

As branch manager, Brooks coordi-nates the overall functions of the groundsand horticulture sections, and handles theadministrative tasks that pertain to thegrounds. That means he does everythingfrom monitoring the bids, specs and con-tracts connected to grounds construc-tion projects to arranging for on-sitetransportation and drivers and over-seeing the exhibitor and concessionaireset up to avoidlittle problems like tent polesinvading the irrigation system. "If it'soutside, we're involved," says Brooks."And we handle the interior plantings andthe arena set-up indoors, too." There are19 full-time and six part-time personnelwithin the Grounds Branch.

Maintaining 100Acres of TurfThe grounds section is responsible for

those 100 acres of turf, including themowing, trimming, and edging; and forturf renovation following the shows, forthose 350 acres of asphalt and gravel,including maintenance and grading, forrefuse collection, barns maintenance,special show lot set-ups, general main-tenance on gates and sign installation.Grounds handles all minor outdoorrepairs, including those to the concreteand blacktop. "We also work closelywith the contractors who handle majorrepairs," says Fitzsimmons. "And wehandle the equipment maintenance."

The horticulture section responsibil-ities include installation and maintenanceof all ornamental plantings, interiorplants and plantscaping for shows, foun-tain maintenance, all chemical appli-cations inside and outside the buildings,

The Kentucky Fair and ExpositionCenter, with one million square feetof indoor space, 100 acres of turf and350 acres of paved and graveledoutdoor area, makes a spectacularfirst impression.

maintenance of the sports practice fieldsand the irrigation systems. "We alsomain tain two greenhouses and growapproximately 35,000 annuals and peren-nials for on-site use each year," saysHypes. "And we maintain the AllAmericaRose Society CAARS)garden including its2,500 roses. This garden was judgedthe number one public display garden inthe US in 1993."

The Exposition Center has under-gone a series of expansions, the mostrecent, the addition of the south wing. Apaved "Ring Road," completed in June1994, now encircles the grounds, makingtraffic flow more efficient. This roadextended the useable portion of outsidegrounds and entailed the removal ofseveral homes. Brooks defined the con-struction-grade "fill dirt" brought in forthe upper soil level as 90 percent rock,ten percent dirt.

Hypes said, "After the homes werecleared and the soil brought in, weremoved 22 dump truck loads of concrete,rocks and other solid debris. In the pro-cess, we discovered six wells, approxi-mately four feet by four feet by 30 feet.We filled them with rock too. We wantedto end up with a six-inch top layer of rock-free soil. We rented rock hounds, powerrakes and spent days picking up rocksby hand. We even put some prisoners onpick-up duty for a couple days."

The Kentucky Derby is Louisville'spremier event, and it seems that allpublic "space" becomes involved in partof the celebration. During the annualDerby Festival Week, the EXPO groundshosts a Great Balloon Festival. Thedemo area is filled with hot air balloons,their crews and support equipment, andthe public.

continued on page 14

Poor soil structure resultsin recurrent drainage anddisease problems, excessiveirrigation and syringingneeds, and unnecessarymaintenance expense.

University and fieldtests show AXIS improvesinfiltration, increasesavailable water, reducescompaction, and improves .soil structure to promotehealthy root growth.

You can keep treating symptoms.Or improve your soil structure once

and lor all with AXIS.AXIS amends soil lortUrithat's more resistant torecurring problems.It's basic. Healthierturf handles stressand fights off diseasebetter. And it allstarts in the rootzone. AXIS is asuperior all-naturalinorganic soilamendment that makes a permanent structuralimprovement in virtually any soil profile tomake it easier for you to grow healthier turf.

Proven enective in USGA greens.Ohio State University testing showed AXISincreases both readily available water and waterretention in USGA root zone mixture, whileincreasing permeability in most cases.

% of Readily Available Water In USGA Fine Sand Mix10

~e:. 8

.... '"~ ~ 630

j~. 4

~~;>,

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Enective lor NFL TeamsVince Patterozzi, Head Groundskeeper of theBaltimore Ravens, formerly the ClevelandBrowns, uses AXIS to keep his turf in peakcondition. "AXIS makes good agronomic sense,"he says. "It worked so well for upgrading the fieldin Cleveland that we're using it in our newstadium field and practice fields here inBaltimore. AXIS encourages deep, thick rootgrowth. It helps resist compaction problems inthe middle of the fields where traffic is heaviest.Plus it gives us more latitude in managing the

air / water balance in theWATER soil." AXIS makes a

permanent improvementin soil structure for everysports turf application,from football to soccer tobaseball fields.

AIR

AXIS is easy to use.Modify soil structure by filling aeration holes witha 50% AXIS, 50% sand mix. For renovation andnew construction, till 10% AXIS into the top 6" ofthe soil.

AXIS is a uniquediatomaceous earth product.AXIS is the only American-made calcined DE soilamendment. It's naturally porous with low bulk

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density, is chemically inert, and will not compactor break down over time even under the mostextreme conditions.

Improve your soil structure once and for allwith AXIS. It's the surest, safest, most basic wayto grow better athletic sports turf.

Call today for your free AXIS Fact Kit, sample,and the name of the dealer nearest you.

AXIS'MImproves Soil Structure

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Louisville Expocontinued from page 12

Demo Lot RenovationHypes says, "The outside demo lot is

19.56 acres, and eight acres of that weretotally renovated this past year. Renovationbegan immediately following the Bal-loon Festival in 1995. Our total windowextended from that first weekend in Mayto the EXPO '95 move-in at the end of July.We called on Dr. A.J. Powell of the Uni-versity of Kentucky to advise us throughoutthis renovation - and he's been terrific."

Following Dr. Powell's recommenda-tions, the staff had eight loads of "good"soil brought in to augment the existing filldirt, then tilled the entire eight acres. Withno in-ground irrigation system, theydelayed the broadcast seeding of Mirage,a variety of seeded bermudagrass fromInternational Seed, until mid-May tocoincide with natural rainfall.

But within a few days of seeding,heavy rains deluged the area, washing outmuch of the seed and leaving a networkof ruts. Hypes commends InternationalSeed for its assistance, but it still took time

Grounds BranchManager William"Buddy" Brooks(left) andHorticultureSection SupervisorVickey Hypes aretwo of the primarypeople responsiblefor groundsmaintenance at theKentucky Fair andExposition Centerin Louisville.

to track down enough Mirage to reseed thearea, and by May 31, when the secondapplication was made, the staff was ''bat-tling time." Another series of drivingrains hit the site, again requiring majorrepair. When the rains finally ended,extreme high temperatures set in.

"We had to apply water continuouslyfor several weeks prior to the show," saidHypes. "And all we had for irrigationwas a portable Wade Rain system. Thishad to be moved two to three times each

day to cover the area. We had to allow anhour or two after each irrigation cycle forthe surface to dry sufficiently to move thesystem without tearing out the seedlings.We pushed the new seed with weekly appli-cations of urea and still needed to spot seedwith annual ryegrass in a few spots.And, because some of the original seedingcame up in the flat areas, we were spotmowing there.

continued on page 16

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Louisville Expocontinued from page 14

from Highway 1-65,reseeded all the ditchlines. We made two applications ofMSMAto combat grassy weeds and treated a fewpatches of clover."

Weather wasn't kind to EXPO turf.Hypes says, ''We had a hard winter withsnowfall and extreme temperatures.Unfortunately, we experienced the severecold with no snow cover. The Miragebermudagrass was really put to the test.Unfortunately, we lost about 85 to 90percent of our stand.

"The established turf was easier. Wetest the soil each spring and base the fer-tilization program on the test results.We'd applied 10-10-10fertilizer in the fallof 1994 at the rate of 250 pounds peracre, and the grass came through thewinter in goodshape. We aerified, resodedin some weak areas and, because drainageis a continuing problem due to runoff

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"We had to re-seed the entire eightacres we had in Mirage this past spring.We had over nine inches of rain in themonth of May - three inches is thenormal average. We have some germi-nation now, and we are trying to pushwhat little we had retained with biweeklyapplications of ammonia nitrate. We'rehoping, with all the rainfall, our bermudaseed won't be germinating along thebanks of the Ohio."

Compaction is a major problem inthe demo area because it's used forvehicle parking most weekends, for theNorth American Livestock Show inNovember, for the stock dog trials andfor RVs, as well as the Fair, EXPO andBalloon Festival. The staff also con-tends with the ruts left by vehiclesduring wet weather.

Each year, special events related tothe State Fair begin moving in as EXPOmoves out. For EXPO '95, move outcame on August first, and the mainFair set-up started August seventh.With all this going on and the demo lota prime site for parking, crews havelittle time to spruce up the turf. Hypessays, "We'll aerify the drive lanes andheavily used booth areas, but overall, thelot appears to be in pretty good shape."

Another part of the complex, Car-dinal Stadium, is the home of the TripleA Louisville Redbirds baseball teamand the football team of the Universityof Louisville. The stadium field is arti-ficial turf, but just outside the stadiumwalls lie the University of Louisvillepractice fields. There are two completefields with goal posts, one for offense, onefor defense; an additional field, 1 1/2times normal length, with no goal posts;and a "sled" area. In addition, there's alarge outlying section of turf under thesame maintenance practices that servesas a "sodnursery." Practices begin in earlyAugust and extend as far into November"as the team keeps winning."

The practice fields were originallyMidiron bermudagrass, but after sig-nificant winter kill in 1994,they have beenresprigged with Quickstand bermuda-grass. This is overseeded with a blend ofperennial ryegrasses when tempera-tures cool. These fields have an in-ground irrigation system.

Besides the practices, the fields areused for occasional clinics and camps, andthe tailgaters. Hypes says, "On game days,15,000 people, 20 vendor tents andnumerous trucks move onto the longfield. We aerify that section three tofour times more than the other fields. But