Soccer field maintenance

August is a time to do a little catch up. We aerate greens, tees, and fairways. We apply our compost to the Bermuda grass. In general, we are trying to relieve the turf from a long summer of stress and prepare it for a productive fall. We apply the same concept to the soccer field.

Since we built (rebuilt) the second soccer field, we have been able to close the upper soccer field for 3-4 weeks in August to attend to much needed maintenance without having to work around regular use. By closing the field, we are able to take all of the traffic off of the upper field, redirect it to the lower field, and give the turf on upper field a much needed break.

For this month of closure we perform several cultural practices. First, we aerate the field. This is similar to the process we do on the fairways, but in this instance we don’t pull any material out of the field. At the end of a long summer, the roots of the turf are so weak that if we try and pull a core, most of the field pulls right up with it. So we simply poke a hole instead. Following aeration, we apply the same compost as on the Bermuda grass. Next, we topdress the entire field with sand. For the last few years, we have been lucky enough to have old bunker sand available to use as top dressing material. We spread this on very generously, especially down the center of the field. Once the compost and sand are applied, we drag. Dragging helps to redistribute the sand and compost down into the holes created from aeration. It also moves material from high areas to low areas to help level the entire surface. Our last step is to seed the field.

Each spring we seed the field to start the season. The field is at its strongest right after this seeding, as the weather warms up, and the turf really starts to grow. Think of how thick, green, and healthy the rough is on the golf course; that is the equivalent of the soccer field. As spring turns to summer, after many matches and soccer camp use the field, and the heat turns up, the field slowly declines; again, compare it to the rough on the golf course towards the end of summer. Our resources are most often outmatched by these factors and we keep the field respectable, but it is not World Cup quality. So, come August, after the long summer, it is time to seed again. We seed 3 to 4 times, all in different directions, to incorporate as much new grass as possible.

Our last step is to lay new sod in some of the areas that are too damaged for even the seed to repair. Usually they are always the same areas: both goal mouths, center field, as well as a few low areas that always puddle. We level out the low areas, lay new sod, and then fertilize the whole field.

Ideally, we accomplish all of these steps in the first 7-10 days that the field is closed, and use the remainder of the time to let everything grow and heal so that the new turf is as mature as possible once we reopen.

By the time we reopen the field, the weather has usually retreated from its July/August peak and the turf is not subjected to the same stresses. The new seed thickens and the field is ready for a busy fall season.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the sand.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org