Pictures from an athletic field contractor

[Complete Turf Care]

My guess is that it needed to be re-graded. It may have been holding water in some areas. In order to laser grade a field, the grass has to be removed.

And, while the grass was off, they decided to put in some better, more fertile soil. Maybe some soil with better drainage properties (such as more sandy).

You should go by the job and ask.

 

[Rockbadchild]

My guess is that it needed to be re-graded. It may have been holding water in some areas. In order to laser grade a field, the grass has to be removed.

And, while the grass was off, they decided to put in some better, more fertile soil. Maybe some soil with better drainage properties (such as more sandy).

You should go by the job and ask.

well the black dirt that they put is definitely fertile its organic matter in decomposition so ya... I will try to find out...

 

[Complete Turf Care]

We finally got the baseball field sprigged (planted) today. We used 52 big rolls of Celebration Bermuda grass

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Another pic of the sprigging machine. This was taken as they were getting started on the infield. This is not my equipment. It’s better for me to subcontract this part of the process.

 

[EddieWalker]

52 rolls!!!!! How did you get them there? That sounds like a massive amount of hay.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

52 rolls!!!!! How did you get them there? That sounds like a massive amount of hay.

It’s not hay. It’s sod. You can see one of the rolls in the sprigging machine in that last pic.
The sod farm delivered it with 2 - 18 wheelers.
We used 2 loads to sprig this field and it should be ready in about 90 days. If we would have sodded it, we would have needed about 12 loads, but it would have been ready in 3-4 weeks. Sod would have added about $50-60,000 to the job.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm probably confused on what sprigging is. I thought it was fresh cut hay that is baled the same day, and then sent to the pasture to be planted right away. They disk up the field, spready out the hay, and they roll it into the dirt. Hopefully it rains the next day.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I'm probably confused on what sprigging is. I thought it was fresh cut hay that is baled the same day, and then sent to the pasture to be planted right away. They disk up the field, spready out the hay, and they roll it into the dirt. Hopefully it rains the next day.

This method is the same thing....only different.

You are correct. That is how it is done most of the time for hay pastures. I've used that method 40+ years ago, at a farm I managed for a university.
For athletic fields, this 'sod to sprigs' method is much more effective. We can not take a chance on rain, because the sprigs must grow quickly so that the field can be used for the next season. I have been on a couple of jobs where the irrigation system did not provide full coverage, and some areas had to be re-planted.

And, it's not just any bermuda grass that is used for athletic fields. This variety, known as Celebration, was developed mainly for athletic fields. It is the only variety I use on athletic fields and is on hundreds of fields, including LSU's Tiger Stadium.

 

[EddieWalker]

That makes sense. I bet golf courses are the same too.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

This was a quick cleanup of the infield with the ABI Force machine. Some before and after pics.