Top Growth
Achieve a dense turfgrass stand that chokes out weeds and pests by following proper mowing, grass selection and overseeding practices.
Mowing
Reasons to Mow High (2 ½ – 4 inches)?
- Reduce shoot damage- As a rule of thumb, grass will use minimal energy to recover its shoots if you remove 1/3 of the blade per cut. Any more taken from the blade could stress the grass plant and cause scalping.
- Increase root density- Roots absorb water and nutrients, stimulate microbiology activity and anchor plants. Mowing low allocates energy and growth away from these vital root services to the shoots.
- Shade out weeds- Increasing the surface area of the grass blade shades the soil preventing weed seeds from germinating and growing. The larger blade surface area, also, benefits photosynthesis.
Case Study:
Kristi Solberg, Assistant Superintendent of Buildings & Grounds, Park Ridge Park District
When Kristi Solberg joined the Park Ridge Park District in 2016, she could not keep on schedule for the necessary mowing. Solberg tries to mow at heights no lower than 2 ½ inches. She says that mowing high “keeps sun away from the weeds and inhibits their growth. The whole process of cutting at an acceptable height and cutting more frequently has promoted stronger roots in the turf.”
In the beginning of this switch, her four mowing employees wasted time attempting to follow the necessary rigor of the new high mowing program. Solberg responded by allocating the mowing of 10 parks to a private contractor and purchasing a stand-up mower to hit tighter areas.
Now Solberg can mow her sporting fields the necessary two to three times per week. Solberg rarely sprays for weeds and avoids both 3-way herbicides and grub control all-together on the park district's 21 parks. She attributes a large portion of this success to these changed mowing practices.
“Natural lawn care is easier than some people might think it would be,” Solberg stated. “It can seem like change is hard, but if you start small, even at one park, that can really get you jump-started in the right direction.”
Audio
Listen to the Interview
Photo Gallery
Mower operated by contractor for 10 Park Ridge Park District Parks
Overview of Park Ridge Park District's Lawn Care practices in 2019. The park district has not applied chemicals on its athletic fields since May of 2018 and attributes much of this success to the changed mowing practices.
Propane mower purchased by Park Ridge Park District in 2017. This mower saved staff time, because previously they push mowed areas hit by this mower. Propane burns cleaner than regular fuel. The park district operates four propane mowers and one-ride on mower for all parks.
Overview of lawn care products used by Park Ridge Park District in 2010 vs 2019. The park district only used two synthetic products and sparingly for all parks
Grass Selection
Four grass species function well in the cold-temperatures of the Midwest: Tall fescue, Fine fescue (that includes Hard fescue, Creeping red fescue, Chewings fescue and Sheep Fescue), Perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass. Table A below, evaluates the functional characteristics of each species based on research and the review by MGG Forum working group members.
|
Species |
Wear |
Shade |
Drought |
Disease |
Weeds |
Upkeep |
Growth Pattern |
|
|
★★★ |
★★ |
★★★★★ |
★★★★ |
★★★ |
Low |
Bunch-type, Germinates in 7-12 days, needs full season to achieve optimal performance/quality |
|
★ |
★★★★★ |
★★★★ |
★★★★ |
★★★★★ |
Low |
Bunch-Type, Germinates in 7-14 days, recovers poorly from injury, specifically in summer months |
|
|
★★★ |
★★★ |
★★ |
★★ |
★★★★ |
Very Low |
Rhizomes, grows laterally, Germinates in 7-14 days, needs a moderate amount of time to establish |
|
|
Chewings fescue |
★★★ |
★★★★★ |
★★★★ |
★★★ |
★★★★★ |
Very Low |
Bunch-Type, slowest to recover, Germinates in 7-14 days, needs 6-18 months to reach optimal performance/quality |
|
Sheep fescue |
★★★ |
★★★ |
★★★★★ |
★★★ |
★★★★★ |
Low |
Bunch-type, slow to recover Germinates in 8-11 days, takes up to 2 years to reach optimal performance/quality |
|
★★★★★ |
★★ |
★★ |
★ |
★★ |
High |
Bunch-type, Germinates in 5-10 days, fastest establishment rate |
|
|
|
★★★★ |
★★ |
★★ |
★★★ |
★★★★★ |
High |
Rhizomes, germinates in 14 days minimum, recovers the best from injury |
Choosing turfgrass seed mixes for sports fields
The wear tolerance of Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue dominant mixes best handles the high traffic of sporting fields. Tall fescue requires minimal input to achieve optimal performance and maintain its green color, but needs regular overseeding. Kentucky bluegrass demands the most maintenance, sunlight and water, but spreads laterally the easiest to choke out weeds. Seed distributors tend to include perennial ryegrass in mixes for both Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue to quickly establish a dense turfgrass structure.
Scientists and companies progressively develop higher quality turfgrass seed mixes and cultivars to address the shortfalls of standard turfgrass species. Visit either the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) or A-List for more information on these varieties. The photo gallery below lists both high performing tall fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass cultivars based on the most recent assessments by NTEP.
Photo Gallery
High performing Kentucky bluegrass cultivars. MGG first listed cultivars that received a mean score of 6.0 or higher for traffic tolerance. After, we logged data for four other characteristics that are important to sports field management if the rating exceeded 6.0.
High performing tall fescue cultivars. MGG first listed cultivars that received a mean score of 4.0 or higher for traffic tolerance. After, we logged data for four other characteristics that are important to sports field management if the rating exceeded 6.0.
Case Study
Dr. Eric Watkins, University of Minnesota
“Starting with the best possible grass for a given site is really important,” says University of Minnesota Professor of Horticulture Science, Dr. Eric Watkins. Management programs that try to grow grass species in the wrong place, such as planting perennial ryegrass in shady areas, may find that they need more herbicides to keep up appearances.
Dr. Watkins collaborates with a number of turfgrass genetics experts to help make turfgrass evaluation databases such as NTEP more user friendly. Currently, however, local university turfgrass research programs are the best option to assist practitioners with grass selection, Watkins’ opinion.
If sifting through NTEP information on your own, Dr. Watkins recommends “paying attention to the tolerance or resistance that these grasses have to certain diseases that might be common at your location.” For example, while we may value appearance of grasses, sports can still occur on a “brown” field. Diseased or patchy fields, however, will limit playability.
When choosing between a high quality turfgrass seed versus a generally cheaper “box-store” seed, Dr. Watkins believes the investment in high quality will pay back. He explains, “the small difference in seed price is more than made up for in reductions in maintenance or pesticide applications.”
For practitioners that have chosen the grass seed they want to purchase, Watkins recommends contacting local seed mixer, farmer co-ops, sod producers or retail nurseries regarding seed availability.
Audio
Watkins Top Growth
Overseeding
High traffic sports fields (25 or more events per year) require routine overseeding to recover and maintain high performance. The preferred overseeding method and seed mix varies by season. Perennial ryegrass’ ability to quickly establish can fill divots and bare spots by athletes cleating-in the seed during the sporting season. Meanwhile, Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue grow best in late August or early September during periods of low-traffic. Thinned out fields in the fall could benefit from a late season dormant seeding to stimulate quick growth next spring.
Forum Best Management Practice: To cut costs, target seeding for highly trafficked, thinned out spaces of the sports field. The red in the two diagrams to the left visualize the most trafficked sections of both soccer and football fields and, thus, the sections most compacted, stressed and thinned out. Follow the same practice for aeration.
Case Study
Carl Gorra, Park Operations Manager, Naperville Park District
“Getting a lot of use doesn’t mean your park has to look bad and you can’t recover the turf,” said Carl Gorra.
Gorra proves his point every year when managing Knoch Park in Naperville, IL. This centrally located park hosts sports and multiple large community events. Over the spring, the nearby high school uses the park for gym classes and the park district programs softball and baseball games. Over past summers, the annual fair Ribfest used the park and attracted more than 125,000 people over three to four days. Finally, football and soccer clubs would use the turf in the fall.
“The beauty of turf is you can wear it out and you can get it back growing again,” Gorra said.
Gorra recommends focusing on preemptive lawn maintenance practices for parks that will hold events at the scale of Ribfest. Before and after Ribfest, Gorra will aerate and fertilize Knoch Park.
For the most part, Gorra has been able to establish the grass before these events, which enables the grass to bounce back following foot and car traffic. However, Gorra will focus on reseeding and overseeding with a mix of perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass during the rare times that the grass thins out. Gorra frequents the websites of seed companies or contacts salespeople directly to find turfgrass mixes that best fit the environments of his parks.
