SOD FARMERS: PLAYERS IN THE SPORTS TURF INDUSTRY
Editor’s Note: Tis article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of SportsTurf magazine. Eric Schroder, editorial director of SportsTurf magazine, opened the article with this Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: We asked some prominent sod farmers the questions listed below about quality thick-cut sod, sod grown on plastic, and preparing to play on recently placed sod.
• What details define “quality sod” to you?
• What questions should inexperienced sod customers be asking when visiting your farm?
• Are your best products always available?
• What should someone do to prepare their field when fresh thick-cut sod or sod grown on plastic, is scheduled and
they intend to play on it immediately?
JIMMY FOX, EVERGREEN TURF CHANDLER, AZ
Quality is an overused and under-defined term. As it relates to thick-cut sod that is to be played on, the number one characteristic that defines quality is “superior playing surface.” Te surface has to be mature, low thatch (if not zero thatch), with great shear strength. So much attention gets drawn to the looks of the sod, or the bottom of the sod, and people always ask questions like “Is it grown on plastic? Are the roots massive? Is the sand compatible? How does it look?”
All of these are important characteristics, but no one is playing on the bottom of the sod, they are playing on the top. If the top isn’t the best possible quality, you will have failure, slips, divoting, shearing, poor performances by athletes, potential injuries, and you may get shredded on the evening news or ESPN. Te number one definition of quality sod is sod that has a superior playing surface. Inexperienced sod customers should ask:
• How much experience do you as a grower have in delivering a thick cut product that is played on instantly?
• How old (mature) is your sod? Sod grown on plastic (depending on the method) can be mature in 6-12
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Last year’s NCAA national title game: no divots and no shearing. Courtesy of Evergreen Turf, Chandler, AZ.
TPI Turf News September/October 2017
months. Sod grown conventionally can take up to 18 months to have good maturity.
• How much sod can you harvest and truck in a day comfortably?
• Do you have a back-up sod harvester, or a back-up plan if your machinery breaks down?
• Can you verify the source of your planting stock? For bluegrass that means sod quality, certified seed. For warm-season grasses that means certified planting stock, or a proven paper trail of where the grass originated. When your job depends on the sod, it needs to perform like the grass that has been tested and proven, the grass that you are expecting to get.
• Is your soil or sand compatible with the field the sod is being installed on? If your stadium field has a percolation rate of 15 inches an hour, and your sod growing medium has a percolation rate of 7 inches an hour, you just slowed the drainage in your field down by 50%! It really sucks to spend $500,000 on a high- end stadium field, and then screw it up with one sod install!
• If we get a lot of rain or snow, can you still harvest? • Do you have a list of references? Satisfied customers?
• What kind of mowing equipment do you have? Can you produce a mowing height compatible with my existing field?
• How much notice do you need to fulfill my order?
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