TURF TIPS
B Y
L I Z
N U T T E R ,
L E A D I N G
P
erhaps nowhere in the arena of turfgrass management is a smooth, level surface more important than on an athletic field. Oh, sure, a rut, ridge or ragged spot may mar the look of a lawn or deflect the roll of a golf ball. For an athlete, however, an uneven playing field can quickly lead to a serious—even career-ending—injury. That’s why topdressing has become such an indispensable turf-tending technique for sports turf managers.
Why Topdress? In turf technology, topdressing is defined as spreading a layer of structural material—either native soil, sand, a sand/soil mixture or a soil conditioner—over the top of a turf surface. While a turf manager’s initial reason for the application may be to solve a single problem, topdressing can actually yield several additional benefits at the same time. First, and most obvious, adding and dragging a layer of soil or sand over a rough area of turf can quickly level out the lumps and 22
TENNESSEE TURFGRASS
JUNE/JULY 2004
E D G E
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S
low spots. Not only does smooth turf allow for truer rolls and bounces of balls, but a consistent surface also makes the field’s footing safer for the athletes. Topdressing also improves footing by helping reduce excessive thatch. While a little thatch can provide a bit of softness and traction to an otherwise hard surface, a too-thick layer of thatch can create a spongy, boggy-feeling field—i.e., a field where cleats snag, where mower tires sink and reels end up scalping the turf, and where insects and diseases find a haven for wreaking havoc on the turf health. Mingling topdressed soil into the thatch helps speed up the decomposition of the thatch. When used in conjunction with aerification, topdressing can also be an excellent remedy for fields that suffer from soil compaction. Typically heavy in easily compressed particles of clay and silt, soil—especially when mixed with water and heavy foot traffic—can quickly compact to rival the hardness of concrete. By aerifying such soil and then mixing in larger
Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com