Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 02/19/2004

Home

.? General Maintenance Tasks for Turf Adjacent to Trails Cont. Overseeding Topdressing Irrigation M°Wing Growth Regulators Disease/Pest Control Rdates to reseeding of turf areas in order to introduce new seed growth - and new varieties of seeds that are more resilient to heavy use, diseases, and limited maintenance budgets. The type of seed that would prescribed for any given situation is highly dependent on the ,levd oftu~f maintenance, irrigation, and inherent soil stmcture~ Slit. se~'3i~ag is, the preferred method because in impgegnates the seed into the'=groun~t, therefore protecting it ,from the dements and fostering qu/cker growth. Rdates to adding rdadvely small amounts of sand, sandy loam, or other soil mixture to exisdng turf areas to protect the crowns of plants, and provide better footing for the trail users. The best time to topdress turf is afrer slit-seeding. ,.-- Adding an irrigation system to turf allows for more nutrient uptake in the soil structure, WNch in turn provides a more vigorous and durable growth of turf grasses. Also, it allows for a greater selection of turf grass varieties to be used. For intensively used and premium level turf areas, irrigation is important to maintaining turf quality. Rdates to the routine mowing of turf grasses to a preferred height to ensure strong plant structure and disease resistance: Using the proper equipment along with routine maintenance, espedally sharpening mowing blades, is important to maintaining qual/ty turf. On high-use areas of turf where fertility, aeration, overseeding, and irrigation are av,-41able, plant growth regulators can be used to redirect the growth from vertical to horizontal, resulting in a tighter knit and more durable turf. New products, such as Primo, are very effective and environmentally sound. As with fertilization, use of growth regulators should be in sync with the dty's policy on the use of chemicals on turf grasses. The use of prescriptive treatments for diseases, infestations, and pest control varies gready and is dependent upon many variables. Therefore, the use of pestiddes, herbiddes, and other treatments is on an as-needed, case-by-case basis. All applications should be done by trained personnd. As with fertilization, use of pesdddes ,and herbiddes should be in sync xvith the dty's policy on the use of chemicals on turf grasses. 37