How To Build A “Sports Grass” Lawn?
More and more homeowners are realizing how difficult it can be to have an attractive home lawn and a satisfactory play surface for kid’s outdoor games at the same time.
It’s a fact, many turf grass varieties just won’t stand up to the foot traffic, wear and tear created by playing sports on the lawn.
Before the advent of artificial turf, grounds keepers battled to maintain playing surfaces and minimize the mud that accompanies a thin, beat up turf area. At times, in desperation, turf managers would plant quick germinating ryegrass on Saturday morning after a particularly damaging Friday night game played in the rain, in the hope that at least some of the seed will germinate before next week’s game! The truth is, it rarely happened; one week is simply not enough time.
So, how do you maintain a lawn of “sports grass”? Can it be done?
The simple answer is, sometimes. Your first decision will be deciding whether to seed or sod the lawn area. Sod is fast but, without time to develop roots deep in the soil, it can be torn up before the first, first down!
Seed takes time to germinate but, once established will endure more foot traffic and stress. And, if you’ve planted Kentucky bluegrass, even damaged turf can repair itself to some degree. Combine that with over-seeding with quick-germinating ryegrass during the growing season and you have at least a partial solution.
Part of the decision rests with the schedule requirements. If you have several months to build the turf, you have more options. If you need instant turf, good luck! Most turf managers will agree, there is no magic bullet answer to creating a ‘sports grass’ lawn quickly. If that is the requirement, your best option is artificial turf. Not an inexpensive choice, at least you will have a safer, more aesthetically pleasing playing surface.
For step by step directions on how to build a ‘sports grass’ turf area, click here.
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