Coach Jim Harbaugh cut short the 49ers final public practice at Levis Stadium on Wednesday after divots kept coming up and players such as Stevie Johnson perilously lost footing on the 4-month-old sod.

Johnson wiped out making a cut near the north end zone, and after one more play, Harbaugh led his team off the torn-up field, which is scheduled to host Sundays nationally televised exhibition against the San Diego Chargers.

The 49ers headed to finish practice on their normal training fields behind the adjacent headquarters.

It was the 49ers third practice inside their new $1.3 billion stadium, and one of the consolations offered to the 10,000 fans was free entry into the teams on-site museum.

The field conditions had team officials concerned from the start of practice. Team president Paraag Marathe, COO Al Guido and general manager Trent Baalke huddled with heads groundskeeper Matthew Greiner as practice unfolded.

Players repeatedly tried patting back down their divots, which often came up by pass rushers and linemen.

On Tuesday, the grounds crew replaced several patches of sod, in 1-foot-by-3-foot segments, throughout the field.

Livingston-based West Coast Turf began installing the 2.5 acres of Bermuda Bandera sod on April 17. That type of grass was heralded for its ability to withstand heavy use in variable climates with the need for 50 percent less water than the average turf.

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Sod story: 49ers cut short practice after Levi s Stadium grass looks hazardous

Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) August 19, 2014

With recent shifts in technology, ecology and logistics, Harmony Brands, LLC is laying the groundwork for a more streamlined and simplified approach to outdoor living. Leading this evolution is Harmony Outdoor Brands, LLC, with industry veteran and new CEO Jim Doyle at the helm.

Growers unite to form new company

Two of the nations top sod producers in the U.S. Bethel Farms, LLLP and BuySod, Inc. , consolidated earlier this year to do business as Harmony Outdoor Brands, LLC. From the new headquarters in Sarasota, FL, the companys network of top-tier growers has more than 10,000 acres of turfgrass under production in 48 states. The merger makes Harmony Brands the largest supplier of retail sod nationwide, distributed through all major home improvement retailers. This "farm-to-yard" service model will provide premium turfgrass, home delivery as well as professional installation services.

Managing this evolution is CEO Jim Doyle, who joined Harmony Brands in June 2014. A well regarded consumer-focused leader, Doyle was previously Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager, at Central Garden & Pet, the countrys second largest lawn and garden business.

It is a truly exciting time for Harmony as it follows the integration of Bethel Farms and Buy Sod. The company now has a national distribution footprint. This makes Harmony a single destination point for all of our retail customers. It also provides a trusted brand name that consumers can easily recognize and rely upon. This will be key as we further build out our strategy on a national scale, he remarked.

I am truly excited to be able to contribute my expertise in business integration to make this phase a remarkable transformational time for Harmony Brands. The leadership needs of the company perfectly align with the experience I bring to the table. In addition, the company's culture and 'customer first' philosophy align precisely with my own guiding principles.

Outdoor living made even easier

Until now, consumers had no single nationwide source to buy, deliver and install their lawns. They were left on their own to research the best sod varieties for their growing zone, arrange for home delivery, and then install their own sod or try to locate professional installers.

In contrast, Harmonys farm-to-yard model is an ongoing collaboration with the local farm, off-site production managers, retailers and consumers. It starts with having a line of best-in-class grass varieties that are grown specific to each region of the country. Each retailer offers the Harmony turfgrass that is best suited for that particular zone. In addition to being sold at national home improvement chains, Harmony turfgrass is available for home delivery by visiting the store's pro desk or ordering through the retailer's websites.

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Harmony Outdoor Brands, Nation's Largest Supplier of Retail Sod Grasses, Appoints New CEO

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SAN RAMON (CBS SF) An East Bay homeowner is in a battle with her homeowners association over her drought-resistant yard after she was fined by theHOA for not having sod.

Fran Paxton was trying to be good a citizen when she decided to replace her lawn with the water-savinglandscaping.

Its a variety of mint, it stays close to the ground , it takes very little water and it is green all year,Paxton said.

The newly-planted mint will fill in, she said, giving the appearance of grass in her San Ramon neighborhood of Twin Creeks.

It works for thelocal water district, which gave Paxton a rebate on the landscaping work.

On the other hand, the Twin Creeks Homeowners Association is nothappy. They were demanding that I put in sod, said an exasperated Paxton.

When she refused, the HOA fined her, assessing a $50 a month penalty until the sod is installed.

Meanwhile, many of her neighbors have had their lawns go completely brown during this drought. Other neighbors even have yards without lawns.

Originally posted here:
East Bay Homeowner Fined By HOA For Replacing Lawn With Drought-Resistant Landscaping

Bill Ryan/The Gazette

Montgomery County Park and Planning maintains the baseball and softball fields at James H. Blake High School in Silver Spring, site of this American Legion game between Cissel Saxon (Lawrence Johnson) and Wheaton (Zeke Green) on July 1. Most public high schools, however, must maintain their athletic fields themselves.

At most Montgomery County public high schools, coaches and athletic directors put in a lot of individual time and effort to keep athletic fields not only playable, but in excellent condition.

Take for instance Germantowns Seneca Valley High School, an athletics program that has enjoyed a lot of success, winning more state football championships than any other school in Maryland.

According to Athletic Director Jesse Irvin, he and the coaches mow the grass and line the fields themselves. The football field at Seneca Valley consists of Bermuda grass, which is supplied by a private outside landscaping company, the Brickman Group. But once the sod is put down, it is up to Irvin and his coaches to maintain the field.

Were not a school with a contract, Irvin said. The county doesnt maintain our fields.

Despite the hard work and time commitment, Irvin believes having control over his own fields helps the school in the long run.

It gives us an advantage, he said. I believe we have one of the nicest grass fields in the county, and our kids love playing on it.

Although the county does not help maintain Seneca Valleys fields, the Montgomery County Public School system does provide some financial aid.

High schools, for the most part, provide for the maintenance for their athletic fields, Dr. William Duke Beattie, Montgomery Countys director of system-wide athletics, said in an email to The Gazette. ...The school system periodically foots the bill for resurfacing a high school stadium field, doing about one school per year. The school system also takes care of resurfacing tracks and tennis courts.

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Some schools benefit from county facilities -- Gazette.Net

Q. I have several trees with branches growing very low over the lawn. They make mowing hard and the grass is thin beneath them. Can I prune now?

A. August is definitely a dangerous month for our lawns. High temperatures, lack of rain or too much rain, hatching insects, all can create problems for your sod. And low-hanging branches are just another problem for mid-summer lawns.

Most local lawns are evergreen fescues or bermuda grass. Bermuda and zoysia lawns require almost full sun and they will die out quickly in the shade of trees. Evergreen fescues and shade-grass mixes will tolerate some light shade but, as branches droop over the sod and create deep shade, the grasses will thin. Shade-tolerant weeds will take over or the grass will die out and leave bare ground or moss.

Trees can definitely be trimmed in mid-summer. The easiest time to trim, of course, is mid-winter, when there are no leaves on the trees. However, as temperatures rise and growth on deciduous trees stops, they have all the leaves they need. The trees are in their summer dormancy. They will not bleed sap profusely, as they would in spring, and so they can be safely pruned.

You should make a cut halfway back on the stem to reduce the weight when you are removing a larger branch. You do not want to rip away bark when you cut your branch. Then make a final cut that leaves about 2 to 3 inches of the branch on the tree.

Trees have natural defenses that will heal around this little stub and seal it off. The cut should be vertical so there is no area to catch rain and rot the stub. No need to cut too close to the tree and risk introducing problems into the main trunk.

Currently arborists are against using sealant products on cut limbs. No tree paint or creosote sealants are prescribed by experts; they now trust natural tree processes to seal off cuts.

Get ready to overseed and fertilize your grass area in September. Cool-season grasses will thrive in the rainy fall and your new grass will be ready for fertilizing again in February.

Contact Pat Lea at lea.pat@gmail.com.

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Lea: Low-hanging branches can be cut in summer

Grass Sod Knoxville, TN
Phone: (865) 984-0032 Website: http://www.volunteerturf.com Enhance your landscape by laying new sod. Here are a few installation tips from Volunteer Turf: ...

By: Daryl Hively

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Grass Sod Knoxville, TN - Video

The Georgia Bulldogs open preseason football camp later this afternoon, but they wont be able to practice on the grass fields right next to the football complex.

Poor growing conditions after a re-sod project earlier this summer left portions of the upper Bermuda grass fields unworthy of withstanding the wear-and-tear it will have to endure from the Bulldogs practices the next four months. So UGA is bringing in 18 truckloads of lay-and-play sod over the next two days. Athletic Director Greg McGarity said Georgia should be able to practice on the new grass by Monday.

We tested the root system and decided to just go ahead and do it now, McGarity said. The way this process works, theyll be able to practice on them next week, no problem.

In the meantime, the Bulldogs have two newly re-done field turf practice fields on the lower end of the Butts-Mehre football complex that they will utilize over the next three days.

The areas inside the hash marks on the three 70-yard natural grass fields was re-sodded after summer camps and are ready for practice. Georgia considered waiting until the off week after the season opener against Clemson but decided to go ahead and do it now. UGA says the lay-and-play system uses deep cuts of sod and is the same used for BCA National Championship Games and Super Bowls.

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UGA having to re-sod practice fields on eve of camp

ColoVista Golf Course general manager Ryan Andrews drives a golf cart over his 18-hole course. While most would be distracted by the scenic layout and startling views of the Lost Pines, Andrews is pointing down toward the grass.

He is pointing toward the fairway, particularly the plush Bermuda grass that populates it. Over the past year since its opening, the restoration of the courses fairways has been a top priority. And after 12 months of patient and steady care, it is starting to pay some major dividends.

It has been a slow process, Andrews said. It would cost tens of millions of dollars to re-sod and entire golf course, so we had to be patient.

Rather than start over, the course managers nourished the existing Bermuda grass planted by the courses original owners. As the grasss health returned, ColoVista began to slowly introduce herbicides to kill off the infringing weeds and wild grass that crept into the fairways when the course fell into disrepair. The slow-burn method has paid off, restoring the course to much of its original glory.

There was a time when this was one of the destination golf courses in Central Texas, Andrews said. We have been working to get it back to that level.

ColoVista is now ready to reclaim its status as a destination for weekend golfers from all over the state.

We had a bunch of people come through a year ago and tell us call us when you get the place in good condition, Andrews said. We are calling those people now and letting them know, this course is ready for them to return.

The facilities 31 overnight cabins were filled to capacity the weekend of July 26-27 with out-of-town golfers. And though all of the facilities arent open yet, the group had nothing but glowing reviews for the course.

I had several people come up and compliment the course, telling me what a good time they had, Andrews said.

As the tourists return, ColoVista hopes to add more amenities to compliment the weekend golf experience. The on-site mansion is still being renovated, but Andrews hopes to have it open and hosting weddings within a few months. Other facilities, such as the swimming pool, will open as course traffic continues to rise.

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ColoVista continues its comeback story

(PRWEB) July 30, 2014

Homeowners, don't let your beautiful new lawn go to the bugs. Armyworms love to eat brand new sod but they dont originate there. Here are some facts about fall armyworms:

-Fall armyworms are not indigenous to the Southeast and cannot overwinter here.

-They aren't really worms, they are caterpillars.

-The caterpillars are the larval form of a subtropical moth that migrates here from the tropics in late summer. Some years they don't make it here, but when they do they typically arrive in July and can thrive until the first frost.

-They get their name from the caterpillar's behavior of moving across lawns in an army-like fashion.

-Armyworms are particularly attracted to new sod, and new sod is very vulnerable to damage.

-They do all their damage to lawns when they are in the caterpillar (or larvae) stage of their life cycle.

-Armyworm moths lay their egg sacs on homes, fencing, bushes, etc., but rarely do they lay eggs in grass.

-There is no "over the counter" preventative treatment available to homeowners for armyworms in the moth, egg, or pupae stages.

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Super-Sod Reminds Homeowners to Be on the Lookout for Fall Armyworms in Their Lawns

Thursday, July 31, 2014 10:34 PM EDT

By KEVIN ROBERTS

BRISTOL When players, coaches and fans arrive today for the Little League Baseball Eastern Regional, they will find a pristine baseball diamond infield with fresh grass at Breen Field.

What those who arrive may not realize is it was once a pristine softball field, complete with the full clay infield and pitching circle one would expect to find for softball.

The softball to baseball conversion takes place in less than a week. The work began last Friday at 8:15 p.m., not long after the Eastern Regional softball championship game concluded.

You have five and a half days to turn the field over and make sure its at the standard its supposed to be at, Eastern Region Assistant Director Patrick Holden said.

The transition went smoothly, according to Facilities Manager Dave Seeger.

Hummer Turfgrass Systems of Manheim, Penn., was subcontracted to do the sod work and it was funded by Little League International.

They have a very solid reputation, Holden said.

Hummer counts the Philadelphia Phillies, Penn State University and the Little League World Series fields of Lamade and Volunteer stadiums in Williamsport, Penn., among its clients. In the past, the sod had been done by the Eastern Region staff and local vendors, but the transition was made to Hummer.

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No easy task getting Breen Field set for play at Eastern Regional Little League tournament