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A Establishing & Managing
  Turf on Kentucky Athletic
Fields, School Grounds, &
Other Recreational Areas
By T.E. POPE and PAUL GRAY • CIRCULAR 609

 C 0 N T E N T S ‘ A
PAGE I l
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 Establishing and Managing Turf on
Kentucky Athletic Fields, School
A Grounds, and Other Recreation
Areas
By T. E. POPE and PAUL GRAY
Almost every Kentucky county has at least one football field. These
fields are planted and maintained by school personnel or county or
city park departments. In addition to these "game football fields,"
hundreds of acres of turf are in lawns or areas for physical education,
intramurals, or baseball at high, junior high, and elementary schools.
f Many of these fields, particularly those devoted to football and
baseball, are not adequately covered with turf or are not maintained
properly to produce a desirable turf. Thus, these areas are often bare,
l hard, or muddy and do not provide a surface where athletic contests
V can best be played while providing maximum safety to the players
during “game~contact."
If sound principles are followed in establishing and maintaining
. athletic and play grounds, an excellent turf can be obtained. These
same principles can be adapted to other areas such as school grounds
and public parks.
. PREPARING THE SOIL
Fall is the best time to prepare the soil. but most athletic fields are
in use at this time, and the worl; cannot be done unless alternate
fields are available. \Vhere alternate fields are available. the soil
should be prepared in August.
Late winter (February), or the first time the field is dry enough
A to work thereafter, is probably the most ideal time to begin soil
preparation on those fields which must be used in the fall.
To remove dead growth and make disking easier, chain barrow
those fields previously planted in grass. lf the field is plowed, this is
not necessary. Heavy clay soils should be disked or plowed to a depth
of B or more inches. Cultivating to a depth of fi inches is desirable
· where the soil type permits. In order to thoroughly cut up the area,
cross disk by first disking lengthwise and then crosswise.
3

 At the time the soil is prepared limestone may be added if a soil .
test indicates that it is needed. A pH of approximately 6.5 is desirable
for most grasses. In rare instances, an acidifying agent, such as sulfur
or aluminum sulfate, may be needed t0 lower the pH of the soil.
Consult your county extension office on the technical aspects of this `
problem as well as fertilizer needs. \Vhen soil tests show a low level ,
of phosphorus and potassium, use 1,000- 1,200 pounds of a complete
fertilizer srrclr as 10-10-10 per acre. Additional fcrtilizations will be
needed, the time and rate of application are given in the section on
fertilization.
SELECTING THE GRASS _
Cenerally, only three kinds of grasses are grown on atlrletie fields in
Kentucky: (1) tall fescue (Kentucky 31),   bluegrass, and  
berrrruda (conrinoir and named varieties).
BERMUDAGRASS
'l`all feseue and bluegrass are cool season grasses. '1`his rueans that
best growth is obtained in the cool seasons during the spring and fall
months. lierurudagrass is a warm season grass, with best growth ·
occurring from mid-\lay to ()ctober 1. \lost varieties are not hardy -
in Kentucky. llerrnudagrass turns brown with the first frost and does
not begin growth until the temperature reaches about G0°l7 in the
-. spring. V
Since bernnrdagrass is dormant for a good part of the fall when
play is heaviest on the field. it is the least desirable of the three for
turf on athletic fields. lf it is used. a thick turf must be built up
during the late spring and summer to allow for the wear during the V f
playiirg season. l.ittle or no recovery of this grass occurs during the
tootball season. and bare spots are common in late fall. ln extreme
western Kentucky. where the growing season is longer. common
berunidagrass might bc used. \fost schools. however. are not equipped
to give the high levels of maintenance required by berunrdagrass. _
(Zommou berrrnrda cair be established by sowing seed or by sprig—
ging. The best liernrudagrasses for athletic fields in Kentucky are
11-3. Kansas (‘)-li'. and 'filgreen, These can be established by vege-
tative means only. since they produce no seed.
llerurudagrass should be used on athletic fields only after careful
thought is giyen to the frequent inownig. fertilization. and watering
that this grass reiiuires. ln addition. it is subject to sod webworm and i
susceptible to a ruurrher of severe turrgus diseases. These factors.
coupled with the growth cycle which occurs only during the warm
-1

 mouths, make herniuda a poor choice for athletic iields i11 most ol
Kentucky.
BLUEGRASS
Kentucky bluegrass has l)t‘L’I1 widely used 01] athletic fields i11 tl1e
‘ Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass regions oi the state, hut its per-
fOI'1]1tU1C€ leaves much to be desired. The chieli ohjections to hluegrass
are its susceptibility to sod wehworni, gruh wor111s. fungus diseases,
moderate level ot drought resistance, lack ot resistance to high
temperatures, and moderate tolerance to heavy traltic.
\Vhile the insect a11d disease prohlems can he controlled, its lack
ot drought resistance a11d tendency to heconie S()HlL‘\\'lli1t dorniant
during periods of high temperature make bluegrass a poor choice for
southern and western Kentucky. The rate of recovery oi hlucgrass
from heavy traiiic and wear is slower than for tall lescue. .·\t warni
- teinperatures, it also recovers slower tl1a11 hermudagrass. However,
bluegrass is well adapted to central a11d ll()1'i§llCI'U Kentucky and is
still extensively used o11 play areas i11 these regions. Bluegrass can he
succcssliully used tor school grounds not intended tor the hard wear
‘ ot ioothall tllltl hasehall.
TALL FESCUE
Tall tescne (Kentucky 31) under proper nianageineiit makes excel-
' lent turf lor athletic fields in Kentucky. This grass, when heavily
seeded and mowed relatively close. does not stool and form un-
desirahle clumps i11 the playing {ields. lll texture. this grass is the .
coarsest ot tl1e three discussed.
' Kentucky Sl liescue is adapted to tl1e entire state. lt will tolerate
a great deal ol tratlic. grow on relatively inlertile soils. recover lairly
rapidly lironi heavy use. and is not so suhiect to insect and disease
pests as are the other two grasses, For these reasons. it is reconi-
inended lor athletic iields ill Kentucky.
SEED MIXTURES
Seed inixtures containing various aniounts ol Kentucky hluegrass.
(Ihewing`s or creeping red lescue. ryegrass. clover. and tall tescue
ll1l\'(‘ heen used on sonic iields. llowever. inixtures produce a turli
containing grasses that require dillerent inanagenient practices. are
susceptihle to dillierent insects and diseases. and are soinewhat dii`»
. iicrent in growth cycles.
li a turii cover is needed in less than 2 inonths. perennial ryegrass
is reconiniended tor the athletic iield. \\iith a well-fertilized soil.
adequate moisture. and nioderate teinperatures. this grass will provide
5

 ll se1‘\‘i<.·eal>le, l(‘IHP()l`tl.1`}' Cover iu #1-5 Weeks. llClllCIHl)C1`—l`}'Cgl'tlSS
should he considered an l.(flllp(lI`Lll`}` cover ouly.
Clover should be excluded from planting ou athletic fields. It is `
extreiuley suseeptihle to the rugged wear duriug athletic eveuts, the
tops soou disappear tluriuq the playiug season. aud it l)I‘<)\`ll1u‘;L1‘;iSs l)(`H‘lllll1ll I‘}‘<·;{r;1ss
7. Compacted soil tolerance 8. Nitrogen fertility requirement
'l`all leseue llerurudagrasses
ll<‘l'IlIll(l;ll.{l'1lSSL‘S l’ereuuial ryegrass
l‘ereuuial ryegrass K(‘Illll(’l{}` lwluegrass
Keutueky hluegrass 'l`all lescue
9. Rate of establishment `IO. Insect tolerance
llL‘I`lllll(lt\§[I'Ll§S(‘S Tall leseue
l’ereuuial ryeixrass l’ereuuial ryegrass
Tall leseue lleriuudagrasses _
Keutueltl sq lt
Aug. 15—Oet. 1
Bluegrass Same as above 2-3 ll>,~'l,Ut)U sq lit
T llyegrass Same as above 6-8 lb/l,t)(I() sq lt
Common bermudagrass Xlay or later 1-2 ll>,‘l,()()() sq lt
. Seed can be sown with a cyclone—type seeder, grain drill, or one
V of the other types available. \Vhatever kind is used, it must distribute
the seed uniformly. Divide the amount of seed needed into two lots
if a grain drill is not used. ()ne-half the seed should be sown length-
‘ wise of the field and the other half erosswise to give uniform dis-
tribution. No further covering is needed if a grain drill is used. It
surface-seeded, covering may be accomplished in several ways. The ‘
most convenient is to run a eultipacker lengthwise and erosswise OVCI'
· the seededlarea. If this is not available, use a disk in one direction _
only to lightly turn the soil. llowever, a grain drill or disk produces an
undesirable rowing ellect which can still be seen l or 2 years later. ll
neither of these two methods can bc used, the athletic teams can
hand rake the seed into the soil. Other alternatives are dragging or
floating the area with large brush (cedar tree top) or tooth or chain
harrow turned over.
Xlulching with straw or ground tobacco stems is reconnuended
where they are available and finances will permit. Use l bushel ol
ground tobacco stems on each l()() square leet or one bale ol
fumigated straw to each l,()()() square feet, if possible. The straw must
be fumigated to kill weed and crop seed it may contain. Your
_ county extension office can furnish information on how this is done.
7

 Mulching helps prevent conpaction of the soil, eonserves some mois- y
ture, and adds organic matter to the soil. V _
After the seed are sown, covered, and the mulching is done, the
field should be irrigated. Up to % inch of water can be applied at this _
time, depending on the moisture content of the soil. Avoid coarse ’
streams of water and washing, for the seed will move causing thin
stands in some areas and heavy stands in others. \Vatering is one of
the most important factors in obtaining a good stand from seed. _ ‘
()nce the seed is sown and watered in, do not allow the surface to dry ·. .
out completely. Considerable hand watering will be required for »
4-1-1 days. lf enough plastic hose sprinklers are available (bought or
borrowed), they will provide ideal droplet size for the initial and
follow-up waterings. 1f enough sprinklers can be “permanently”
attached to supply hoses, no one will need to walk on the wet ground
to relocate them. (Ioarser droplet sprinklers can be used when a
mulch is used. i
FERTILIZATION
\Vhen the seedbed is being prepared the initial application of `
fertilizer can be worked into the soil. Follow the recommendations of V ·
a soil test and your county extension office. Based on the initial soil
test, from 300 to 1,000 pounds of a complete fertilizer per acre should
be added at planting time to bring the phosphorus level up to 60-100
pounds per acre and the potassium level up to 200-250 pounds per V
acre. l’hosphorns and potassium increase the vigor of the new seed- T
lings. Xlore fertilizer-about the same rate as the first application-
_ may be necessary during the first year to hold the desired fertility ,
i levels. The time of application will depend on when the seed was
sown. lf spring sown, fertilizer should be applied in mid-()ctober.
\\'heu the grass is planted in the fall, the fertilizer should be applied ‘
by mid-Nlareh. Additional actual nitrogen at the rate of 1 pound per .
1,000 square feet may be necessary during the growing season. ;\p- ~
plieations are usually made when the grass is growing rapidly in mid-
Xlay and in late i·\ugust or early September and just prior to the season
of heavy use. The vigor of the grass and the amount of available
moisture will determine rate and frequency of nitrogen applications.
During the second and subsequent years, the amount of ferti- »
lizer applied will generally be less. .·\ spring application of a complete
fertilizer followed by one or two topdressings with nitrogen only will
usually be sullieient. Use these materials at the same rate as pre-
viously given. \\*hen the grass appears light green to yellowish, the
addition of nitrogen to the turf should correct this condition. .·\ soil
  (
`

 · test once a year provides an excellent check on the need for phos-
phorus, potassium, and lime. Visual observations on the vigor of grass
_ and loss of deep green color are the best methods to determine the
need for nitrogen.
The fertilization practices given above have proved satisfactory
on tall fescue. Bluegrass and other cool season trasses should trow
O
well when fertilized in a like manner.
Bermudaerass fcnerall retuires 1 iound of actual nitro ren Jer
e 1 1
· 1,000 s< uare feet ner month durint the erowinf season. Beiin
1 t e lv c
._ _ fertilization about 2 weeks before frowth starts in the siring, and
fj rv
. cease 2 weeks before the first killing frost in the fall. For the first
spring fertilization, apply 15-30 pounds per 1,000 square feet of a
complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10. To hasten establishment, top-
dress every 2-4 weeks with 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
Additional phosphorus and potassium may be needed to bring the
levels up to the desired 60-100 pounds per acre for phosphorus and
200-250 pounds per acre for potassium. Only by a soil test can these
levels be determined.
After the first vear fertilize bermuda rrass each sirin Y with 15-20
. 7 K I. t
mounds of a com ilete fertilizer. To adress with 1-2 iounds of nitro ren
1 1 1 1 S-.
_ per 1,000 square feet at monthly intervals. A total of G-9 pounds of
` nitro fen yer 1,000 st uare feet vcr season is needed for bermuda rrass
. 1 l 1 fo
turf.
In all fertilizations, divide the amount to be a i nlied in two e< ual
. 1 I l
. parts, and apply one part lengthwise and the other part eross-wise oi
the field. This method accomplishes better distribution of the
material, and strips of the turf are less likely to be missed or over-
fertilized. \Vhen iossible use granular material which can be dis-
1 P
tributed with a cvclone—tv ie seeder or s ireader. The "leather ed ie"
. . 1 1 t
of overlapping swaths permits "one—way application without burning.
Apply nitrogen and complete fertilizers when the soil is moist and the _
grass tops dry. lf it does not rain within 24 hours. irrigate with {/Q to
‘ 1 inch of watcr.
MOWING
Mowing practices on athletic fields planted in spring—seeded tall
fescue are extremely im iortant. Frei*lt<‘I‘el1;ii1e<‘to Q_I'tl\‘{, Seetling can also lie .
done on bare spots during _lanuar}.` and l·`el>ru:ny. \\'intei· Iireeying
and thawing helps the seed malte eontaet with the soil without
enltiyation,
Seed maybe sown on l1lii<·1;rass and tall l¤s