Summer Turf Care: Keeping Fields Game-Ready
Turf grass is popular throughout Millbrook, AL, with many businesses, country clubs, schools, and sporting arenas using it to create anything from golf courses to football and soccer fields. While some prefer the look and smell of freshly mowed grass, others opt for the easy-to-maintain faux turf. But whatever your choice, you should understand summer turf care.
At River Region Sports Fields, our local team specializes in lawn maintenance, which we’ll delve further into below.
Maintaining an Artificial Turf
Many choose artificial turfs because they have all the vivid green hue of natural grass without bald patches and mowing requirements. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need turf management to stay looking new for longer.
The biggest issue with fake grass is its synthetic makeup that attracts the sun’s rays, unlike real grass which deters it, causing the former to heat up faster and burn quicker than the latter. This absorption causes the grass to feel 60 degrees hotter than real grass. In turn, the grass feels uncomfortable on bare feet and the UV rays melt the fibers and reduce your lawn’s longevity.
Therefore, the most important lawn maintenance for a faux turf is lawn watering, but instead of doing so to promote green and healthy growth, do so as a cooling technique. Deeply water all turf layers, like the crumb rubber pellets that release moisture onto the surface. Also, avoid watering during the sun’s peak hours to bar evaporation, and consider these other ways to keep your turf cool:
- Place your lawn where planted trees or tall buildings can block out the sun.
- Use cooling infills that absorb water quickly and rerelease it slowly
- Install pergolas or other artificial shades
Maintaining a Natural Turf
Natural grass care also includes irrigation but less of it since most turfgrasses go three or more weeks without water, showing little to no damage. But, when you do water it, avoid peak sunlight hours during midday as you would with faux grass to prevent evaporation and uneven water distribution. Also, apply one inch of water weekly for deep rooting, which averages 640 gallons for every 1,000 square feet.
Mowing should also be on your summer turf care list. Bermudagrass is the most common type of turf grass and the blades should rest between 0.5 and 1 inch tall, so use sharp and balanced blades on a rotary mower to provide a clean cut. Mow once to twice a week for the best results, and leave the clippings on the grass to decompose and supply the soil with nutrients.
Other seasonal lawn care services necessary for optimal turf growth include:
- Soil testing every two or three years and fertilizing according to the results
- Coring during the turfgrass growing season, which aerates compact soil
- Controlling the turf surface level and thatch with topdressing
Contact Our Full-Service Millbrook Team!
At River Region Sports Fields, our team understands how important your Millbrook, AL, turfgrass is to your activities. So, whether you need more summer lawn tips or desire professional summer turf care, call 205-617-4884 to schedule unbeatable services today!