Bonita Creek Phase 1 – Slow down the deterioration

Bonita Creek Phase 2 – Establish the sod and seed

Bonita Creek Phase 3 – Maximize turf durability and playing conditions

Starting in September

Pictures of washed roots.  STO PRO 01 on left and control on right.  All watering and fertility the same.

By: Mike Palmer and Brad Snavely

Will Schnell is the Stadium Superintendent for “The Rose Bowl” in Pasadena,
California and is responsible for maintaining the sports field in top shape. Anything less
than perfect is unacceptable. Preparation is already under way for this year’s main events
including the UCLA Bruins football schedule, The Rose Bowl game on January 1st and
the BCS Championship Game a week later. Now throw in a U2 concert on Oct 25,
Hollywood film shoots (The Biggest Loser, American Idol auditions, Motion Pictures,
etc.), private parties and the challenge to maintain a pristine field becomes crystal clear.
Will and his team of experts are carefully planning out the steps to insure the best field
conditions with the least amount of risk. Along the way, this team is developing and
practicing soil management and fertility techniques that can revolutionize the way home
lawns are maintained.

The Rose Bowl is all about results. Will is focused on getting the job done right.
As one might imagine, The Rose Bowl has to specifically time and coincide fertility and
amendment applications as well as cultural and watering practices around their hectic
schedule. New items being added to the schedule also impact their ability to be flexible
in order to meet important timelines. Can you imagine sodding a field three times in less
than three months? How about sodding a field and expecting it to be ready for a major
televised national championship game in only four days?

Will has assembled a team of experts to help him develop pre-plant, establishment
and maintenance fertility plans. The heart of this team consists of Brad Snavely (Aqua-
PhyD / Turf Consultant), Robert Leon and Russell Taylor (Live Earth) and Gary Crocker
(California Turf Support / Floratine Products Group Distributor). Each of these
independent experts brings a wealth of knowledge, and experience in turf grass
management. As a team they have access to and utilize quality tools to analyze site
specifics to a very scientific degree. In fact, the Rose Bowl has become a laboratory for
scientific turf analysis.

Will is a self-proclaimed numbers guy and a true team player. At Will’s disposal
are lots of numbers. He regularly sends in soil for analysis to provide data at different
depths. Water analyses are reviewed to determine how it contributes to the soil
chemistry. Tissue analyses are also frequently submitted to identify restrictions in the
soil that are then overcome by precise foliar feeding practices. Numerous sensors buried
in the field provide real time salinity, moisture and temperature levels at varying soil
depths to assist with salt management, bermuda grass transition as well as indicators to
help with water management and leaching practices. The team interprets this data and
develops strategies that facilitate determining the proper fertility and amendment
applications, salt and water management techniques and cultural practices, so linear
availability of nutrients are available while also promoting a living soil where beneficial
microbial activity compliment their overall plan. Will calls this plan his “map” and says;
“the map will tells us where we are and how to get where we want to be.”

At first there was a temptation to over apply; if 100 pounds is good, then 120
must be better. However, “numbers don’t lie” it’s all about balance and the numbers lead
the team down the path of prescribed applications of primary, secondary and micro
nutrients combined with soil amendments and conditioners composed of humic and other
organic acids along with high quality Norwegian Sea Kelp. The balanced approach
focuses on pro-actively sustaining balance to optimize the natural occurring microbial life
that will contribute to the plants health by improving nutrient availability and the uptake
efficiency of both water and nutrients to promote optimum plant health which in turn
improves resistance to wear, heat, cold and mechanical stresses as well as pathogens.

The team’s maintenance plan is working great and the latest tissue test provides
the proof. The warm season turf transition is also moving along nicely. The lessons
learned are proof positive that routine applications to spoon feed fertilizer combined with
attention to beneficial microbial diversity and activity can revolutionize home lawn
maintenance. Life is about balance, day and night, Yin and Yang, good and bad, hot and
cold, etc. The Rose Bowl approach demonstrates a “balanced approach” which if
implemented in the general landscape arena can lead to improved plant health and vigor
while realizing water efficiency and reduction in pollution from fertilizer runoff.

The different watering needs of different plants have been simplified into a concept called the “Plant Factor.” SMART Timers use this plant factor along with site-specific information such as soil type, sprinkler precipitation rate, and slope to continually adjust the watering schedule by taking into account weather. The plant factor for a cool season grass, such as the common Marathon Brand, is a 0.8. This simply means Marathon needs 80% as much water as 7 inch tall fescue grass.

This approach provides a great baseline, or goal, for auditing. However, how can this plant factor take into account the lifecycle of the living organism? Surely, a newly planted plant needs excess water to become established. Furthermore, can you take care of a plant in a manner that will reduce the individual plant’s “Plant Factor” over time? Finally, how much more water could be saved if the goal posts were pushed higher?

At Sustainable Turf Science, we help our clients develop plans to care for turf grass that helps grass become more water efficient over time. SMART Timers and low-precipitation sprinkler heads with good distribution uniformity are a great first step. However, water alone is not enough to grow a healthy plant. We work with our clients to develop plans that include fertility, amendments, and supplements to match the need of the plant over time. Our plans our both pro-active and re-active to soil, water, and plant tissue testing.

Healthy plants can be trained to develop deep healthy roots. Over time, this deep root system is nature’s way of reducing the plant factor. We continue to work with leading edge companies on new technologies and test our approaches with leading institutions. Our trials at Mt. San Antonio College have already shown increased root mass and now we are moving forward to prove this root mass correlates with reduced plant factor.

Visit www.sustainableturfscience.com for more information

The pond world is facing an interesting dilemma:  The major component in a pond is…….water!  It seems that pond installers and retailers are getting a bad rap. I have noticed several drained water features in the front of government building.  The sign in front said “This pond was drained, due to the severe drought”.  It should be noted that, just like the landscape world, Smart Pond Products are available to help professional pond builders to save water.  How so?  Use of quality liners, native plants around the pond, and capturing rain water run off.

We might also add the prevention of unnecessary pond evaporation by blocking wind.  Did you know that concrete absorbs water.  Liner does not, thus a liner pond is a smart way to build a pond.

On a more technical note, many companies use a cheap pump with an expensive skimmer box, which requires an auto fill feature to retain a constant water level.  In effect, you are filling the pond, so that you can protect a cheap pump.  When the water drops below the intake of the skimmer, the pump burns up and fails.

OASE offers a thermal overload pump, which features an auto shut off and is not connected to the skimmer, thus eliminating the need for an autofill.  I  am getting more and more calls for educated consumers.  The internet is a wonderful thing when a homeowner is already educated on what makes a great landscape or water feature.  Contractors, are you prepared?  Take advantage of the new Smart Technology offered by cutting edge manufacturers and their distributors.