Sportsfield Management Advisory Report. For

Transcription

1 Sportsfield Management Advisory Report For Gisborne District Council June 2,

2 Prepared By: Alex Glasgow Agronomist New Zealand Sports Turf Institute Auckland DDI: Mobile: Job Reference: Gisborne District Council, Sports field management report, Version 2, 2/6/15 Date of Visit: 7/5/15 Present at Visit: Andrew White, Gisborne District Council Garrett Blair, Gisborne District Council Shannon Crane, Downer Ray Dudding, Downer Alex Glasgow, NZSTI Prepared For: Andrew White / Garrett Blair Gisborne District Council Disclaimer This report has been prepared by the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute (NZSTI) specifically for use by the client for the identified project or location. No responsibility will be accepted by NZSTI for the use of the information by other parties or for other purposes. Conditions of Copyright The contents of this report are copyright of the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute (NZSTI). The information shall not be copied or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written approval of NZSTI. New Zealand Sports Turf Institute Ltd

3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction Executive summary Mowing Fertilisation Fertiliser recommendations Irrigation Irrigation recommendations Turf species selection Turf species selection recommendations Turf density Recommendations for ryegrass establishment Soil compaction relief Recommendations for soil compaction relief Drainage improvement Drainage recommendations Weeds: Crowsfoot Recommendations for Crowsfoot management Individual sports parks visited The Oval Childers Road Reserve Barry Park Wainui Reserve Waikirikiri Reserve Anzac Park Nelson Park...11 i

4 1. Introduction A New Zealand Sports Turf Institute (NZSTI) sportsfield turf advisory visit to Gisborne District Council took place on 7/5/15. This report summarises the discussions that took place and the specific recommendations arising from the visit. The requirement is to identify areas for improvement of management of the sports fields and to develop longer term development and management strategies for the various fields. 2. Executive summary Currently it appears that there is reasonable level of expenditure on the maintenance of the sports fields. However better results could be achieved if various aspects of key management programmes were adjusted to achieve better outcomes. The main areas where adjustments are recommended are: Fertilisation: The contractor needs to be more nimble when it comes to fertiliser applications so that fertilisers can be applied frequently and at short notice when opportunities arise It is recommended that the contractor obtain a few small fertiliser spreaders to facilitate this Correct nitrogen based fertiliser programmes need to be developed for the fields Irrigation The long term aim should be to install automatic irrigation in more of the fields because in this climate irrigation is essential where quality and use demands are high Where irrigation is available, it should be managed to ensure that it is if and as effective as possible - this requires deep rewetting (100mm plus) when irrigation is applied Use of warm season grasses This is a warm season grass climate and hence it is recommended that the medium to long term plan be to use of these species more extensively in the sports fields Both couch and Kikuyu will be suitable with the choice of species being dependent on the specific circumstances of each field Improving turf density The current practice of under sowing most fields in the autumn and spring is largely ineffective because it fails to achieve long-term establishment of new ryegrass plants Alternative approaches to the establishment ryegrass are recommended with the aim being to achieve long-term establishment of new ryegrass plants This will result in improved turf density and overall quality Drainage improvement It is essential that drainage improvement treatments are matched to the soil profile present on individual fields 1

5 Soil treatments that open up long continuous slits in the soil are risky because of the dry summers and should not be undertaken unless it is possible to apply significant water to the fields subsequently Where drainage improvements are required, it is recommended that the appropriate drainage solution is identified by a suitably qualified turf management expert before any work is undertaken. 3. Mowing In situations where the ryegrass density is low, the resulting clumpiness gives an uneven surface. Consequently on some fields closer mowing will improve surface smoothness. 4. Fertilisation There is nothing complicated about the fertiliser requirements on these playing fields because: clippings are returned in most cases they are on fertile soils with a history of fertilisation This means that almost always the only nutrient limiting to growth will be nitrogen and even it won't be limiting most of the time. Often the main factor limiting growth will be lack of soil moisture. From my observation the major problem with the fertiliser application to the fields was the practical implementation of the fertiliser programmes. Specifically: Fertiliser applications are subcontracted out by the main contractor, making the application of fertilisers quite a complicated and cumbersome process. In practice it needs to be possible to respond very quickly when opportunities to fertilise arise (e.g. when rainfall is imminent and additional growth from fertilising would be beneficial) Poor application was evident on at least one of the fields that had recently been fertilised (i.e. better uniformity of application is required). Key points to note concerning the fertilisation of these fields are: In this dry climate, the opportunities to fertilise to promote additional beneficial growth will often be limited by a lack of soil moisture. Hence it is important to be nimble enough with fertiliser applications to take advantage of rainfall opportunities when they arise In addition it is also important to be able to be surgical. For example, apply fertiliser to high wear areas only rather than entire fields. Hence fields as a whole might be fertilised only once annually but the high wear areas fertilised four or five times. This type of management can make a huge difference to overall sports field performance For warm season species such as couch and Kikuyu, fertiliser applications should be made at any time in the November to March period when they can be made in conjunction with a significant rainfall event (40mm plus) 2

6 In all cases, if there is potential for growth (i.e. there is sufficient soil moisture and temperatures are warm enough) and additional turf density or recovery would be of benefit, fertiliser (soluble nitrogen) should be applied. The first aim when budgeting for fertiliser use should be to apply sufficient nitrogen to each field annually. Inexpensive nitrogen sources such as urea are perfectly suitable and often better than more expensive options. These low-cost nitrogen sources will allow you to apply the required annual nitrogen quantity required even if budgets are relatively tight Fertiliser recommendations Equipment I recommend that your contractor obtain the necessary fertiliser equipment to enable them to carry out regular fertilisation on the fields. Two or three small spreaders that can be towed behind a quad bike or a utility would be suitable Fertiliser programmes The existing fertiliser programmes for the individual fields should be reviewed and adjusted based on the primary aim of applying sufficient fertiliser annually to each field (erroneously that is often not the main driver of fertiliser programmes). 5. Irrigation Gisborne s is a relatively dry climate and many of the fields are on droughty (sandy) soils. This is a situation where irrigation is more or less essential as demands for year-round quality increase. On the driest soils (i.e. sandy rootzones such as the Oval) and where use levels and quality demands are both high, irrigation installation should be the long-term aim. However when irrigation is installed it is essential that is managed correctly. In practice most sports field irrigation is mismanaged and it will be important to avoid that. Where travelling or movable irrigation is used it must be used correctly to avoid being a waste of time. Specifically, at each location it must be run for long enough to re-wet the soil profile to depth (100mm plus). To this end the temporary irrigation should be positioned and run until such time that rewetting to depth has occurred. Only then should the irrigation equipment be moved onto the next location. While labour-intensive, this type of irrigation will work well. If rewetting is only shallow (<40mm into the soil), the benefit will be very short lived there will. That is there will be almost no benefit from irrigation Irrigation recommendations Plan to install irrigation In the longer term the plan should be to install automatic irrigation systems in some of the fields (i.e. fields on sand profiles and subject to high use). 3

7 5.1.2 Practice effective irrigation Use the irrigation that is available more effectively by implementing deep and infrequent irrigation (this may necessitate irrigating a smaller total area).observe the profile following irrigation applications to ensure that deep rewetting has been achieved. Continue to irrigate during dry autumns. In the absence of rain, a single deep irrigation at any time from early April onwards should be sufficient to provide good autumn growth. 6. Turf species selection The long dry summers in this region mean that it is well suited to the use of drought tolerant species such as couch and Kikuyu. To further illustrate this, there are already examples of fields that are partially or completely dominated by these grasses. Colonisation of fields by these grasses hasn't been deliberate or managed it has simply occurred naturally. This indicates that these grasses are well suited to this region. With active management, they can contribute to greatly improved sports field performance Turf species selection recommendations Use warm season species It is recommended that active establishment and management of warm season turf species be carried out on the fields. Couch will be the most widely used but Kikuyu would be appropriate on fields where it is already present (that tends to be on fields closest to the sea). The best way to establish will be via turfing as opposed to stolonising or from seed. The source of turf should be a field or fields where a full couch (or Kikuyu) sward is present. This nursery field will need irrigation. The turf would be cut, lifted and re-laid on a new field. The original turf cover on the nursery field will regenerate naturally without the need to replant. This would be a low risk, quick and relatively inexpensive way to establish large areas of turf (entire fields) Management of existing fields with warm season species present On existing fields where there is a lot of couch or Kikuyu present management practices that promote rapid spread of existing populations are recommended. Specifically: The focus should be on the December to March period when the growth potential of these grasses is the greatest If irrigating, ensure that deep rewetting is achieved as that will promote 2 to 3 weeks growth in mid-summer 4

8 Fertilise (e.g. urea at 100kg/ha) in conjunction with irrigation to maximise the growth rate and hence spread following irrigation In addition, take advantage of any significant rainfall events (minimum 25mm of rain) that occur during the summer. Fertilise with urea as above prior to or during such rainfall events Make this a high priority - when such rainfall events are forecast, applying fertiliser should be the number one priority. 7. Turf density Many of the fields have a sparse rye grass population with only a few widely spaced ryegrass plants present. Their presence tends to be supplemented by grass weeds such as Poa annua (winter months) and Crowsfoot (summer months). There is also a lot of bare ground. My observation is that the vast majority of ryegrass plants present are old. That is, they have persisted in the fields for many years. Further to that it appears that the regular under sowing, as it is carried out at present is almost completely ineffective and hence a waste of resources. Reasons for this are: Spring under sowing: The majority of new ryegrass established from spring under sowing dies subsequently during the summer due to the long dry period. Hence there is little or no long-term benefit. Autumn under sowing: In recent years the autumns have often been dry. Consequently autumn under sowing if it is carried out is often quite late (after the start of winter sport and as temperatures start to cool). Under these circumstances, unless use is withheld for a minimum of 6 weeks following germination, no ryegrass will establish successfully in medium to high wear areas. If the current seeding programs were working at all, there would be much more evidence of it in the form of dense ryegrass swards, at least in the low wear areas on some of the fields. There was little or no evidence of this and hence my assessment is that the current programmes are ineffective and need a rethink. The problem is not so much the methods and level of expenditure. It is more around timing and techniques to ensure that long-term survival of newly sown ryegrass is achieved. Instead of under sowing all fields as a matter of course in spring and autumn, it is recommended that you concentrate on only a few fields each spring or autumn. That is, concentrate all efforts on a small number of fields each year rather than spreading the effort across all fields. If good results are achieved on those fields, the benefits will last several years and hence it won't be necessary to under sow new ryegrass into them for several years. With spring sown fields the key to success will be early seeding and then the ability to apply some irrigation in the spring and summer to ensure long term survival. 5

9 With autumn sown fields the key will be to keep the fields out of play for several weeks (ideally the entire winter) to establish mature and hence long-term ryegrass plants Recommendations for ryegrass establishment Spring under sowing Select a small number of fields for spring under sowing (the number will be governed by how many can be effectively irrigated during the summer). Close the selected fields early (late winter/early spring) Under sow the fields with multiple passes (minimum of four) at a high seeding rate (50kg/ha/pass) Irrigate enough during the summer to ensure survival of the ryegrass plants established in the spring Autumn under sowing Select a few fields with the number governed by the ability to close the fields for some or all of the winter period Under sow in mid-autumn in multiple passes at a high rate of seed (as above) Withhold play to allow the ryegrass time to become fully established Irrigate if it is very dry in the subsequent summer Broadcast rye grass seed into high wear areas As discussed above, discontinue regular seasonal under sowing of all fields. However it is recommended that ryegrass seed is broadcast into high wear areas of fields in the mid to late winter Broadcast seed by hand into these areas two or three times, one to two weeks apart prior to heavy play a rate of 30grams/m 2 The subsequent play will push the lot of the seed into the soil and it will then germinate as soon as the weather warms up sufficiently in the early spring. That earliest possible germination will increase the chance of long term survival (c.f. spring under sowing which can only be completed once winter sport has finished and the fields are dry enough to get machinery on) 8. Soil compaction relief There is significant variation the soil type present on the various fields. The soil type ranges from full sand profiles to high clay content profiles. Consequently the requirement for soil compaction relieving someone treatments will vary significantly from field to field. Note the following: Verti-draining This treatment is best suited to fields such as the Oval and Childers Road where there is free draining material (sand) at depth. It is not well suited to fields where the underlying subsoil is poorly drained. In that case it won't bring about any significant 6

10 improvement in drainage unless it is in conjunction with other drainage treatments such as mole ploughing. Mole ploughing This treatment is well suited to high silt and clay content soils where it can improve drainage significantly. But to be successful a network of correctly installed and functioning drains is required. The combination of installed drains, mole ploughing and compaction relieving treatments such as Verti-draining will maximise drainage performance on poorly drained soils. Unfortunately as you have found, a significant problem associated with treatments like mole ploughing that create deep and continuous lines in the soil is opening up of the lines as the soil dries out during the summer. If the autumn rains are late, the lines can remain open well into the winter playing season. This problem of lines opening up also applies to other similar treatments that create continuous cuts in the ground (Turf Quaker, Ground Breaker, etc). Note also that in addition to the lines opening up, turf death immediately adjacent to the lines can also occur. Hence in this dry climate, these are risky treatments Recommendations for soil compaction relief Verti-draining Only verti-drain soil profiles that are suitable. That is, soil profiles where free draining material is present deeper in the profile (at a depth that the treatment can reach) Mole ploughing / Turf Quake type treatments Be cautious with these types of continuous slit treatments. Ideally they should only be carried out on the fields where it will be possible to apply sufficient water to prevent the lines opening up to an unacceptable extent. 9. Drainage improvement On sand fields like the Oval and Childers Road, regular Verti-draining is all that is required for drainage improvement (if drainage is a problem at all). However unirrigated, high clay content soil profiles create a dilemma when it comes to drainage improvements, assuming that drainage improvement is required. Specifically: Mole ploughing will improve drainage provided that regularly spaced and functioning drains to mole plough to are present The best time to mole plough is in the spring but in most seasons, opening up of mole plough lines will be a problem subsequently That isn't a major problem on fields that aren't used for summer play In recent years, the autumn rains have often been minimal so that it may not be until well into the winter playing season before the lines close up These days expectations are higher and hence this is probably less acceptable than it was in the past 7

11 The problem of such lines opening up is reduced when using warm season grasses such as couch and Kikuyu On these fields achieving drainage improvements is probably more complex than it was previously (i.e. implementing such drainage improvement treatments probably needs to be done in conjunction with the provision of some irrigation to minimise the lines opening up and the use of a warm season grass species) Where that is not possible, one option with poorly drained fields is to use them heavily in the autumn and early part of the winter before they become too wet and then discontinue use. For this approach to possible there will need to be sufficient playing field capacity to accommodate it. 9.1 Drainage recommendations Where drainage problems exist on specific fields, a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the drainage problem and hence the correct solution is recommended before any work is carried out. 10. Weeds: Crowsfoot Crowsfoot is an annual summer grass. As such it will die in the late autumn / early winter as temperatures decrease. Before dying it drops seed from which it re-establishes in the late spring / early summer. Therefore you do not need to worry about killing it at this time of the year because it is going to die anyway. Crowsfoot invasion and subsequent re-establishment is worst in the areas where the turf cover is thin in the spring. In fact it can be regarded as a symptom of problems with turf density. Therefore the best solution to problems with Crowsfoot is to improve turf density. However in the short to medium term the use of a pre-emergence herbicide in the late spring/early summer can be a good strategy. In that case, the pre-emergence herbicide application would be restricted to areas where Crowsfoot invasion is known to be particularly bad Recommendations for Crowsfoot management Implementation of previous recommendations designed to improve turf density will help to reduce the Crowsfoot problem over time. In the short term, the use of a pre-emergence herbicide is recommended for the worst problem areas. The following are recommended: Accurately map the worst areas now while they are still evident Apply the pre-emergence herbicide ethofumesate to these areas in the spring/early summer Make an initial application in early November and repeat six weeks later (or alternatively observe the problem areas very closely starting in early to mid October as soon as the first Crowsfoot seedling is observed, make the first application. Ethofumesate is sold under a number of trade names including Nortron, Claw and Expo 500. Apply Nortron (or other equivalent) at a rate of 4.0 litres/ha 8

12 Individual sports parks visited The Oval Key points to note were: These fields are subject to heavy use because it is the home ground for three clubs The soil profile is predominantly sand but a poorly drained soil overlays some of the area. The turf cover was a mixture couch was dominant in some area and rye grass was dominant in others In the high wear areas, the rye grass density was low and large amounts of weed species such as Poa annua and Crowsfoot were present as a consequence. In our wet winter climates, naturally sandy playing field sites like this are gold because of their excellent natural drainage. But in the absence of irrigation, maintaining turf cover is difficult because a lot of the grass can die in the summer. A common response to this is to put soil on top that appears to be what has happened on part of the area at the Oval. The problem with this is the poor drainage performance of the soil. Recommendations: Long term These fields have the potential to be very high quality fields because of the sand based profile. Given the high use levels, peak performance is required. The recommended long term aim for the entire area is: Remove soil where it overlies the sand Re-level Install irrigation Establish a full couch sward Recommendations: Short term In the short to medium term, on these fields the main thing to focus on is turf density. Given the intensity of winter play, autumn under sowing is unlikely to ever work well. Hence the focus needs to be on spring undersowing. Completing undersowing early and irrigating subsequently during the summer will be vital Pre-emergent control of Crowsfoot in the areas where bad infestations occur is recommended In the areas where couch is dominant, summer fertilisation and irrigation are recommended to promote more growth Childers Road Reserve Key points to note were: These fields have good drainage being built on sand The major problem on these fields is poor rye grass density as a consequence of high wear and limited irrigation 9

13 Due to the low rye grass density, Poa annua and Crowsfoot ingression occurs Recommendations: Long term As at the Oval, the sand based profile is of great benefit on winter sports fields. The recommended long term aim for the entire area is: Install irrigation Establish a full couch sward Recommendations: Short term In the short to medium term, on these fields the main thing to focus on is turf density. Given the intensity of winter play, autumn under sowing is unlikely to ever work well unless play can be transferred away for the early part of the winter playing season. The focus needs to be on improving the results of undersowing with rye grass (through methods discussed in Section 7 above) Barry Park The turf density on these fields was good from discussion at least part of the reason for this is relatively low use levels. Ideally, some of the use from other high use fields would be transferred to these fields. The predominant species here was couch. Recommendations: Focus on improving couch density through fertilisation in conjunction with rainfall or irrigation as discussed in Section 4 above 11.4 Wainui Reserve This field is constructed from a poorly drained, silty / clay material. Turf quality was poor due to low rye grass density. There was a small amount of Kikuyu in the pitch and a lot of Kikuyu in the surrounds. Recommendations: Long term In the long term it is recommended that a warm season turf be established on this pitch (e.g. through turfing). Given that some is already present, Kikuyu is recommended (but couch could also be used). Recommendations: Short term In the short to medium term, on this field the main thing to focus on is turf density. There is no water available on this site so spring undersowing is not recommended. Hence the recommendation is to plan to heavily undersow in the autumn once every few years and keep the field closed well into the winter playing season in the years when it is undersown. 10

14 11.5 Waikirikiri Reserve The soil on these fields has a high clay content. As a result, mole plough and similar lines open up to a damaging extended dry summers. So much so that these treatments are not recommended unless plenty of water can be applied during the summer to stop the lines opening up too much. Rather than trying to improve drainage through mole ploughing and similar treatments, the best approach may be to use the fields a lot in the early part of the winter playing season and then transfer play when the fields become too wet later in the winter sport season Anzac Park This field is constructed from a poorly drained, silty material. Turf quality was poor due to low rye grass density. Some drains are present but they are old and it appears likely that some are blocked. The soil on this field is more dominated by silt than clay and hence probably not as prone to cracking as the soil at Waikirikiri Reserve. Recommendations: Long term In the long term, a warm season species would be a good option on this pitch (e.g. established through turfing). To improve drainage, a new drainage system should be installed so that mole ploughing can be used to improve drainage performance. Recommendations: Short term In the short to medium term, on this field the main thing to focus on is rye grass density. Spring undersowing would be feasible as there is potential to apply water to the pitch during the summer. Alternatively autumn undersowing would work if the field can be kept closed well into the winter playing season in the years when it is undersown Nelson Park This park has a large area of playing field but only two pitches are marked. The off field area could be used for late afternoon junior training (i.e. in the absence of lights). Hence it may be possible to transfer some training to this park. There is good turf density (cool season species) on these fields current use levels are not so high that they result in elimination of desirable grasses from the sward. The only areas at risk of that are high wear areas such as goal mouths. Recommendations: 11

15 Transfer use at other parks to these fields if possible. Practice surgical fertilisation on these fields to maintain density in the high wear areas. That is, fertilise the goal mouths / high wear areas to promote extra growth there but not on the balance of the area. 12

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