We have a baseball field with a multi-use outfield . The field is used regularly by the high school baseball and softball teams and the outfield is used as a practice field for football , soccer and marching band . Physical education classes also spend time on the field . As a town employee , I handle some of the on-site work with an assistant , but we also contract out work since we do not have a sprayer and other specialized equipment . Can you help us justify minimum maintenance practices , prioritizing the most important practices for this field to sustain a reasonable condition ?

Q & A WITH DR . GRADY MILLER

As a follow-up to the question , an on-site field visit was made . I was very pleased that the person who handles the on-site work , his assistant , the contractor who sprays the field , and an administrator ( i . e ., person with the money ) were available for the field visit . As the group discussed the field , the complexity of the field ’ s management became clearer to me .

It has been my experience that field managers sometimes need more help with their administrators than my agronomic advice . This was partially the case , but there were also a lot of field management products and ideas being presented that were not core to maximizing their resources for this field . This was further complicated by their need to contract out some routine maintenance . I felt my primary role was to prioritize their management practices to maximize the field ’ s condition with their given resources .

I began with a reminder that a safe field is the ultimate goal of a good sports field . Foremost in my assessment was that this native soil field needed to be aerified . In some areas , I managed to insert a long Philips-head screwdriver to the handle ; in other areas , I would have needed a hammer to insert it more than an inch . The dormant stand of bermudagrass was pretty good in areas that were not overly compacted , but was full of annual bluegrass in the compacted areas .

My advice was to contract out a deep-tine aerification , as the town did not have the equipment . Deep-tine aerification would not only soften the field , but it would also reduce some weeds , discourage spring dead spot , increase water infiltration , and improve plant stress tolerance . Once they sufficiently reduced compaction , they could use their

rolling aerator to try to minimize re-compaction . I do not believe the outfield could be aerated too often considering the amount of wear and compaction it receives .

Nitrogen fertilizer will maximize turfgrass density , and a denser field is a safer field . Increased density discourages weed encroachment ; plus , regular nitrogen fertilizations will help the turfgrass recover from damage faster . A field manager needs to be purposeful when picking their fertilizer products . My suggestion is to price fertilizer products per pound of nitrogen rather than per pound of product . Although some slow-release products may be cost effective , soluble nitrogen sources are financially hard to beat . With available labor , good results may be achieved by splitting the soluble nitrogen applications and going out more frequently .

The next most important item on the list should be weed control . The herbicide program will depend on the decision to overseed with ryegrass or to allow the field to go dormant in the winter . Since the field was not overseeded this year , they have a great opportunity to effectively and inexpensively clean up annual bluegrass and other winter weeds . Looking ahead a few months , planning a pre-emergence herbicide program combined with post-emergence herbicides as needed will maximize maintenance dollars and will help ensure an attractive , safe field .

After compaction relief , fertilization and weed control , a good mowing program is essential to maintain quality . The more frequently bermudagrass is mown when it is actively growing , the better the turfgrass density . Regular mowing also discourages broadleaf weeds from getting a foothold . If you do have some weeds , mowing makes them less noticeable .

These four management practices should take priority in scheduling , even when a contractor is necessary to complete some of them . SFM

Grady Miller , Ph . D . Professor and Extension Turf Specialist North Carolina State University

Questions ? Send them to Grady Miller at North Carolina State University , Box 7620 , Raleigh , NC 27695-7620 , or e-mail grady _ miller @ ncsu . edu

Or , send your question to Pamela Sherratt at 202 Kottman Hall , 2001 Coffey Road , Columbus , OH 43210 or sherratt . 1 @ osu . edu

50 SportsField Management | January 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com