SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - A bit of magic will be returning to Four Winds Field this week.

Thats the way South Bend Cubs President Joe Hart sees it as the teams stadium returns to a natural grass playing surface.

I think it will be amazing, Hart said. I remember as a kid growing up, and even now when I go to a Major League stadium, whats the first thing you do? Even before I go to the concession stands. You walk in. You dont even go to your seats. You just walk into where you can look out and see the field. I think thats the experience thats going to come back here now.

Players will love it, Hart added. From a play-ability standpoint, having Roger (Bossard) do it, its going to be a Major League field.

Work began in late September. After tearing out the FieldTurf surface thats been in place for four seasons and putting down 7 1/2 inches of sand on the field, the team plans to begin laying sod today, finishing by Friday, Bossard told the South Bend Tribune (http://bit.ly/1s2ZVFV ).

Bossard is no ordinary groundskeeper. Hes put in 12 big league fields, including Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and his home field, U.S. Cellular Field, where he is the head groundskeeper for the Chicago White Sox. Hes been working on White Sox playing surfaces for 46 years.

Its crucial to get the sod down now, Bossard said Monday while praising his crew and taking a short break amid another long day and night at Four Winds Field.

While most people are looking forward to putting their lawn mowers away in a few weeks, the South Bend Cubs are looking forward to finally using one 10 days after the sod is in.

I need three to four weeks of good growth to get my feeder root down a couple inches, Bossard said. And I think I am going to get it. I want to get the feeder roots down at least 2 inches by the time the first snow hits. Ive been saying a rosary.

After the sod is laid, he will begin a maintenance program that will include a couple of different fertilization procedures. He likes the forecast calling for mild weather the next five days. Hes not that worried about any frost.

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South Bend stadium going back to grass field

Q uestion: How do we get rid of a large area of lawn and convert it to a natural woodsy planting area with a few perennial plants and shrubs?

Answer: Beginning a garden from scratch can be quite a challenge, especially when the site is covered with turf. But, there are a handful of techniques to help with this process all of which I have performed myself at one time or another.

For sites like yours that are covered in turf, the sod needs to be killed or stripped and a few inches of organic matter rototilled into the site before planting. Getting rid of the grass is the hardest part of making a new planting bed, especially if you want to avoid using chemical herbicides.

The easiest way to remove sod is to rent a gas-powered sod-cutter. The first time my husband and I used a sod-cutter to start a new planting bed, I thought we might end the project with a divorce, or at the very least, with a matching pair of broken backs. It's hard work, but it is certainly easier than digging up the sod by hand. If you have any reservations about your physical ability to use such a machine and then haul away large strips of sod, you may want to consider hiring someone to do this part for you.

If this is a task you prefer to do by hand, rather than with a machine, use a short, flat-bladed shovel with a D-handle to cut the sod into strips. Then use the shovel to slice underneath each sod strip, lifting and rolling it up in a thin sheet. To ensure you remove enough of the grass roots to prevent it from re-growing, be sure each sheet of sod is about 2 inches thick. Toss the sod rolls into the compost pile.

Once the sod is completely removed, till the area or turn it over with a shovel. Then add 3 to 4 inches of compost or leaf mould and till the area again. Now it is ready for planting.

With a little patience, a new bed can be created via the pile-it-on-and-wait method. The it that gets piled on is organic matter and lots of it. Various types of organic materials are placed in layers over the area to essentially smother the turf and, over time, amend the soil. One to 2 feet (yes, feet!) of well-aged animal manure, shredded leaves, grass clippings, compost and even newspaper and unwaxed corrugated cardboard should cover the planting area.

The big downside to this method is the amount of time it takes for the organic matter to break down and make the area plantable. Though some of the sites I have prepared this way were ready for planting in as little as six months, others have taken a full year. Patient gardeners love this technique.

If this bed is underneath large, established trees, be extremely careful not to till into the tree's roots or smother them with excessive amounts of organic matter and mulch. If this is the case, carefully remove the sod by hand before planting, and then cover the area with no more than 2 inches of mulch.

Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts The Organic Gardeners at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control. Her website is http://www.jessicawalliser.com.

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Garden Q&A: Remove sod to create garden space

Raising New Orleans area east bank earthen hurricane levees by a foot or two before allowing theArmy Corps of Engineers to install a combination of geotextile mat and Bermuda grass sod asarmoring against erosion caused by overtopping will cost the east bank levee authority between $40 million and $50 million, authority members were told Thursday (Oct. 16).

A more detailed estimate will be presented to theSoutheast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East by its staff in November, executive director Robert Turner said, after additional meetings to discuss the costs and the extent of the levee raising with corps officials next week.

The additional soil is needed to assure that the levees will continue to be high enough through 2028 to block storm surges caused by a hurricane with a 1 percent chance of occurring in any year, often referred to as a 100-year storm.

Without the additional soil "lift," officials would have to rip out the millions of dollars of geotextile mat used to armor the levee in a few years, when portions of the levees sink beneath the one percent protection level and the levees would need to be raised. A failure to raise the levees when they sink could result in the system being decertified, which could result in residents and businesses in the area losing flood insurance, or seeing higher flood insurance rates.

Most of the work will be required in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans. Most of the levees in St. Bernard Parish are topped by T-walls that were built about 3 feet higher than the surge height expected today, and won't require height adjustments for another 40 to 50 years.

Turner said the East Jefferson Levee District would rely on money it has and will have in its levee improvement fund, and on money it would request from the state's capital outlay budget for the lifts on its levees. The authority approved a resolution later in the meeting to request $29.6 million be included in next year's state capital outlay budget for the lifts there.

The Orleans Levee District's budget will have to be amended to address the increased cost, but at first glance, existing taxes are high enough to pay for the costs, he said.

The authority acts as the board of both the levee districts.

The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West is considering similar levee lifts in advance of armoring installation. The corps says thearmoring of all earthen levees on both sides of the river will cost about $300 million.

Authority member Rick Luettich, a civil engineer and professor of marine science at the University of North Carolina, questioned whether existing estimates of how high the levees should be are adequate, given a recent study for the authority that indicated the corps' storm surge modeling was already outdated.

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Adding soil to east bank levees before armoring could cost $40M-$50M, levee authority told

Fear not, overworked sod at Victory Field help is on the way.

A committee of about two dozen people are focused on replacing the natural grass surface at one of the busiest athletic fields in town with artificial turf.

The volunteer group has been meeting with officials from Gale Associates, Inc. of Weymouth, Mass., which has spearheaded artificial turf athletic field projects across the region, and most recently worked on the new facility at Portsmouth High School.

Dr. Alex Robertson, a Barrington resident and an orthopedic surgeon, has helped organize the recent local push for an artificial turf surface at Victory Field.

During a meeting with the school committee last spring, Dr. Robertson told officials that todays artificial turf was safer and more durable than regular grass. He said he had witnessed the rough condition of Victory Field late in the fall season after a friends daughter had torn a ligament in her knee in a non-contact injury while playing there.

The school committee voted 5-0 to pursue a plan to replace the grass with artificial turf, and since then organizers have been considering all the options available for a new Victory Field, including expanding the facility.

Most recently, the group decided to explore a plan that would increase the size of the field so that when a new artificial surface is installed it would accommodate not just football games but also soccer, lacrosse and field hockey. Dr. Robertson said that while soccer and lacrosse teams at the high school currently use Victory Field for some home games, the dimensions of the playing surface fail to meet national guidelines for those sports.

For safety reasons, no one should be playing on the field except football, said Dr. Robertson, adding that the field is too narrow for soccer and lacrosse.

But a larger project would result in a larger price tag it was initially thought that the work would cost about $800,000 but the expanded project would likely double that figure. Dr. Robertson said his committee will have a better idea of the estimated cost for the work in about two weeks.

According to reports, Portsmouths project (it included a new field, track and eight tennis courts) cost about $2.3 million, while Narragansett is spending about $3.2 million for a similar project. Both towns are combining privately-raised money with taxpayer funds to cover the costs.

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Barrington turf talk takes a turn toward expansion

Bermuda grass could answer long-term drought doubt

By John Hollenhorst

October 13th, 2014 @ 5:50pm

SALT LAKE CITY The man in charge of keeping the campus green at the University of Utah is calling for the state to lift its ban on a so-called "noxious weed."

He thinks it could be part of the answer to long-term worries about drought.

Senior Crew Lead for the University of Utah, Lorenzo Lopez, said Bermuda grass uses dramatically less water and thrives in many areas where other grasses dont.

"This could be a great opportunity for Bermuda grass. I think it's one of the answers. It's not the complete answer," said Lopez.

But Lopez is not allowed to do it.

Lorenzo Lopez's lawn crews can't even experiment with Bermuda grass. The state long ago declared it an enemy in the war on weeds.

Rich Riding, Noxious Weed Program Manager with the Utah Department of Agriculture said the plant is a threat.

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Bermuda grass could answer long-term drought doubt

Crews at the University of Utah are using bluegrass seeds to cover a brown patch, but it's not the kind of grass the university's chief lawn keeper would prefer. He said Bermuda grass would be better because it uses less water, but that the state considers it a "noxious weed."

John Hollenhorst, Deseret News

Enlarge photo

SALT LAKE CITY The man in charge of keeping the campus green at the University of Utah is calling for the state to lift its ban on a so-called "noxious weed."

Lorenzo Lopez said he believes it could be part of the answer to long-term worries about drought.

Bermuda grass uses dramatically less water and thrives in many areas where other grasses dont, said Lopez, senior crew lead for the University of Utah.

"This could be a great opportunity for Bermuda grass, he said. I think it's one of the answers. It's not the complete answer.

But Lopez is not allowed to do it. His lawn crews can't even experiment with Bermuda grass. The state long ago declared it an enemy in the war on weeds.

"This weed is one that we've looked at, and we've decided that it really poses a threat to the state, said Rich Riding, noxious weed program manager with the Utah Department of Agriculture.

Riding said Bermuda grass is way too aggressive, choking out nearby lawns and farm crops.

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'Noxious weed' could be answer to long-term drought, lawn expert says

NEW ORLEANS, La. (PRWEB) October 12, 2014

EasyTurf is scheduled to showcase their industry leading, environmentally friendly synthetic turf at the Greenbuild International Expo Oct. 22, 23 In New Orleans.

EasyTurf will unveil a booth that showcases the intricate energy saving and water conscious systems associated with their fastest growing artificial grass applications, pet, rooftop, playground and commercial landscapes. The EasyTurf artificial grass system can be largely engineered with recycled products, adding to the environmentally friendly nature of synthetic turf.

EasyTurf has been an innovator of synthetic grass landscaping and has taken a leading role in educating consumers of our many benefits, said Dave Hartman, EasyTurf President. Were excited to join the Greenbuild community of professionals and present the diversity of EasyTurf and our ability to improve homes, businesses, and ultimately, quality of life, while at the same time, conserving our natural resources.

Stop by the booth to learn how artificial grass fits into green roof design. When natural grass is a part of landscape irrigation costs, 60% of those costs go to watering sod - not only is the water conserved [when artificial grass is installed] but so is the energy that would be used to get that 60% of irrigation from point a to point b, said Jackie Luper, EasyTurf Vice President, Marketing. Because of the UV protection, artificial grass extends the life of existing roof membranes by up to 20 years artificial grass in rooftop applications has also been shown to help insulate buildings keeping cold air in and hot air out in hot weather, and hot air in and cold air out in cold weather.

Advancements in synthetic turf technology have increased the list of applications available to consumers. Lawns and putting greens are now just a fraction of EasyTurf's installations. The green roof industry has been growing aggressively since 2009, up about 115 percent thanks to companies and organizations like Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), Cities Alive, EasyTurf, and the more than 425 accredited Green Roof Professionals (GRPs) in the market. EasyTurf is one of the most effective water conservation products available to green building industry professionals. EasyTurf is 100 percent recyclable, reduces carbon emissions, utilizes waste and preserves precious water resources.

EasyTurfs superior synthetic grass products are matched by a dedication to exceptional craftsmanship and customer service, Hartman said. Our commitment to excellence continues to attract homeowners and commercial businesses searching for functional, aesthetic improvements.

World renowned dog whisperer, Cesar Millan recently introduced EasyTurf artificial grass as his turf-of-choice for pet owners. Millan says drainage was critical in his decision to partner with EasyTurf on the 10,000 sq. ft. installation of artificial grass at his Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita, Calif.

We have a lot of land to cover, so its important to me that our landscaping is easy to care for, safe for our pack and has proper drainage, said Millan. Not only does Easy Turf look just like natural grass, it helps to eliminate common lawn problems associated with pets like brown spots from urine, tracked in mud, grass clippings and it can even deter your dog from digging holes.

EasyTurf, the landscape division of FieldTurf, plays an important role in environmentally friendly lawns, recreational fields, playgrounds and energy conservation plans for communities throughout North America. More than 30,000 attendees and 900 exhibiters from across the U.S. and around the world are expected to gather at the Morial Convention Center. For more information, visithttp://www.greenbuildexpo.com.

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EasyTurf Scheduled to Showcase Industry Leading, Environmentally Friendly Synthetic Turf at Greenbuild International

The Tri States own "Sultan of Sod" puts his work on display for the nation to see during the ALCS

Monroe City native Curt Mayes is now in his eighth season as a groundskeeper with the Kansas City Royals....but is just now experiencing his first ever MLB Postseason on the job. /KHQA Sports File

ROYALS FEVER: A "GRASS ROOTS" PERSPECTIVE OF THE ALCS WITH MONROE CITY NATIVE/KC ROYALS GROUNDSKEEPER CURT MAYES

For the first eight years of his career, Monroe City native Curt Mayes was a little like the CPA who was told to go ahead and sit out Tax Season.

You see, his employer, the Kansas City Royals had this nagging thirty year inability to play their way into a postseason...which left our guy Curt, a rising young groundskeeper, with little more to do in October than watching the unused grass grow at Kauffman Stadium.

Business has, as you might expect,picked up considerable for Curt and crew.

Preparing The K for an All Star Game in 2012may have been Curt'sprevious career highlight, butit is a whole new ballgame now.

Curt Mayes via Phone: "This week we will have the ALCS Game Number Three on Monday. Major League Baseball umpires will come out Monday Morning and inspect all our mounds to make sure the slopes are correct, that we measured bases. We will do all that. And then on top of that is, we also have to paint all the logos. We want the outfield, all the grass and everything, to be perfect. There's much more that goes into it just because everyone is watching."

Since 2007, Kauffman Stadium has been Curt Mayes' everyday office. But until now, he's never gotten a chance to experience this place...or this city through this kind of postseason prism.

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Royals Fever: A "Grass Roots" Perspective from Monroe City native/KC Royals Groundskeeper Curt Mayes

The $63 million St. Paul Saints ballpark project in downtown St. Paul will soon have a playing surface, as crews from Chisago City-based Peterson Co. on Wednesday began installing sod for the field.

The 95,000 square feet of specialized sod has to be put down now to give the grass enough time to take root before the new 7,000-seat ballpark at Fifth and Broadway streets now known as CHS Field opens next spring, according to the city of St. Paul.

Ideally, there will be time to mow the grass at least once before the snow flies, according to Brad Meyer, spokesman for the citys Parks and Recreation department, which is overseeing the project.

Installation will be completed by Friday, Meyer said.

Meyer said the value of the sod contract is about $75,000, including materials and installation.

The sod came from Heath Farms in Coloma, Wisconsin, which provided grass for Miller Park in Milwaukee and other professional and collegiate stadiums, according to its website.

Located about 3 hours from the Twin Cities, Heath Farms was the closest supplier that had the exact growing conditions we were looking for, Meyer said.

The sod is being installed directly on top of a 12-inch foundation that includes a mix of sand (85 percent) and peat (15 percent). A drainage layer is directly underneath the sand-peat mixture.

The field will have a 0.5 percent slope to promote drainage.

Overall, the ballpark project is 60 percent to 65 percent complete and on track for its spring 2015 debut, according to Meyer.

Excerpt from:
Crews install grass for Saints ballpark

Jake Yunker, with Chisago City-based Peterson Companies, lays sod along the first base line at CHS Field. The turf started going in Wednesday. Tim Nelson/MPR News

CHS Field in St. Pauls Lowertown got a dose of summer with its first layer of sod Wednesday. Just after dawn, crews started installing the infield turf at the $62 million stadium. Its a key part of the construction process that signals the minor league baseball St. Paul Saints will play on the new home field at the start of the season next May.

I know it was a tough task to keep on schedule, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said, noting it was important to put grass down now to allow it time to grow. We can do a lot of things through the course of the winter, laying sod is not one of them.

Tim Ryan, with Ryan Cos., which is building the stadium, said the turf comes from Robert Heath Farms in Coloma, Wisconsin. He said its the same sod thats used in Miller Park, where the Milwaukee Brewers play. This sod was actually best suited to the drainage system we have installed here, Ryan said.

The sod, about 95,000 square feet of it, should be completely installed by the end of the week. Wed like it to take root and maybe get a couple mows on it before winter really sets in and it goes dormant. Ryan said.

Ryan estimates the stadium structure is 90 percent complete, the entire project has about 1/3 of the work left to do. Construction crews will focus on the interiors and finishing details over the winter.

Tim Nelson is a general assignment reporter for Minnesota Public Radio News, and a 20-year veteran of local news. Hes been covering the Vikings stadium issue since 2011.

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Home turf: St. Paul Saints field has new grass