Talkin' turf: how San Diego successfully delivers fertile ground, despite never-ending challenges.The city of San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. Park and Recreation Department is the nation's second largest municipal park system, and harbors 36,970 acres of developed and undeveloped open space, 337 neighborhood and community parks, three regional parks, 51 recreation centers, 25 miles of ocean and bay beaches, 13 year-round pools and three golf complexes. Every one of these facilities keeps the staff busy, but the one thing that proves difficult to master is at the foundation of everything--turf. San Diego's park and recreation maintenance workers toil endlessly to ensure that their turf can survive the daily onslaught of activity inflicted by its residents. Their experiences can be related to any sized community. Green Thumb 101 San Diego's turf is some of the greatest and greenest in the nation. Of course the weather doesn't hurt. Because of San Diego's warm climate, a professional full-time mowing mow 1 n. 1. The place in a barn where hay, grain, or other feed is stored. 2. A stack of hay or other feed stored in a barn. crew made up of 35 men and women, and three fulltime equipment technicians, are able to mow about 1,400 acres of turf in the city every week throughout the year. Wherever there is a flat, turfed area, there is typically year-round play on it in San Diego. And the residents are constantly creative, transforming any large area into an available sports field. This presents a real challenge when it comes to allowing turf the time that it takes to recover from high use 12 months out of the year. Because of San Diego's climate, turf stays green and grows, even if slowly, between November and March when much of the turf in the country is white with snow. "My staff are committed to professionally maintaining turfed areas for thousands of residents and visitors who enjoy using San Diego's parks every clay of the year for activities like soccer, disc tossing, jogging jogging Aerobic exercise involving running at an easy pace. Jogging (1967) by Bill Bowerman and W.E. Harris boosted jogging's popularity for fitness, weight loss, and stress relief. and picnicking," says Park and Recreation Department Director Ellen Oppenheim. "Our goal is to acquire, develop, operate and maintain a park and recreation system that enriches the quality of life for people of all ages, abilities and income levels, and preserve this system for future generations." In order to maintain the lush lawns, the mowing crew depends on 10, 7-gang mowers; eight, 5-gang mowers; and 20 tri-plex mowers. The 7-gang mowers are heavily used in large open space areas such as Balboa Balboa, town (1990 pop. 2,751), Colón prov., in the former Panama Canal Zone, on the Gulf of Panama. The port for Panama City, Balboa was the administrative headquarters of the Panama Canal Zone. It was also the site of a U.S. navy base (closed 1999). and Mission Bay Regional Parks, where turf exceeds 350 acres. The city owns all of its mowers, and although reel mowers are more expensive to purchase and maintain, they have proven to provide a higher quality cut, which is important when it comes to maintaining sports fields. Most turf is mowed at three-quarters of an inch, making for a tighter and more compact lawn. This surface is also for better playing conditions, whether they are soccer, softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' or other organized sports. Three times a year, in the spring, the early summer and the mid-fall, staff fertilize the entire turf inventory. Prior to every fertilization fertilization, in biology, process in the reproduction of both plants and animals, involving the union of two unlike sex cells (gametes), the sperm and the ovum, followed by the joining of their nuclei. , staff aerate aerate Physiology verb To add air or O2 into a liquid. See Waste treatment. all acres in order to open the soil and allow for maximum penetration of water and nutrients. This process helps reduce compaction, a continual problem because of heavy year-round use. Using an integrated pest management Integrated Pest Management (IPM), planned program that coordinates economically and environmentally acceptable methods of pest control with the judicious and minimal use of toxic pesticides. program that was developed in San Diego, staff refrain from using chemicals whenever possible and instead use a process that controls invasive weeds through cultural practices. Turf herbicides are only used as a last resort when the weed infestation infestation /in·fes·ta·tion/ (-fes-ta´shun) parasitic attack or subsistence on the skin and/or its appendages, as by insects, mites, or ticks; sometimes used to denote parasitic invasion of the organs and tissues, as by helminths. is severe. While this may not make for a perfect-looking lawn, the park and recreation department has made the decision to accept a slightly less aesthetic appearance in lieu of Instead of; in place of; in substitution of. It does not mean in addition to. using excessive chemical herbicides. "As pesticide pesticide, biological, physical, or chemical agent used to kill plants or animals that are harmful to people; in practice, the term pesticide is often applied only to chemical agents. regulations become more restrictive in public areas [California Healthy Schools Act], and as an increasing number of regulatory agencies regulatory agency Independent government commission charged by the legislature with setting and enforcing standards for specific industries in the private sector. The concept was invented by the U.S. such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and are monitoring the pesticide application process, it is clearly the right time to proactively develop an integrated pesticide management program," says Stacey LoMedico, assistant to the director of the San Diego Park and Recreation Department. "These efforts have been viewed positively throughout the community by park patrons, environmentalist environmentalist a person with an interest and knowledge about the interaction of humans and animals with the environment. groups, as well as elected officials." Kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum The tropical grass species Pennisetum clandestinum is known by several common names, most often kikuyu grass, as it is native to the region of East Africa that is home to the Kĩkũyũ tribe. It is perhaps best known as a noxious weed. ) can be found in most San Diego parks. Not long ago, this type of turf was considered to be an invasive weed, but turf experts decided, "If we can't live without it, then we had better learn to live with it." Thus began a relationship where, rather than attempt to eradicate Eradicate To completely do away with something, eliminate it, end its existence. Mentioned in: Smallpox it, staff created a maintenance plan and schedule to use it to their park users' benefit. The good news is when maintained properly, Kikuyugrass forms a nice "carpet" as it is fast growing, has high drought tolerance Drought tolerance refers to the degree to which a plant is adapted to arid or drought conditions. Desiccation tolerance is an extreme degree of drought tolerance.[1] Plants naturally adapted to dry conditions are called xerophytes. and excellent wear/traffic tolerance (See Table 1 on pages 54-55 for more information oil the different types of turf). The bad news is, it is known for its thick stolons or branches that sprout from the root and form buds, which can pose tripping hazards, especially for athletes wearing shoes with cleats. The solution is an aggressive "verticutting" or turf restructuring program, which gets rid of the excess thatch between the blades of grass. Verticutting is done on approximately 500 acres annually, covering all main sports fields in the city. Wiregrass wire·grass n. Any of various grasses, such as Bermuda grass, having tough wiry roots or rootstocks. (Sporobolus indicus), more commonly known as "smutgrass," is an invasive perennial perennial, any plant that under natural conditions lives for several to many growing seasons, as contrasted to an annual or a biennial. Botanically, the term perennial that forms stiff upright clumps clump n. 1. A clustered mass; a lump: clumps of soil. 2. A thick grouping, as of trees or bushes. 3. A heavy dull sound; a thud. v. that can also cause athletes to trip on multi-purpose fields. When mowing crew members detect a wiregrass presence, they make every effort to control it by using a flail mower Flail mowers are a type of PTO driven implement that can attach to the three-point hitches found on the rear of most tractors. The mower is best used to provide a rough cut to taller grass where contact with loose debris may be possible such as roadsides. that mows closely and knocks down the clumps. Also problematic are tall seed heads that are difficult to cut with a reel mower mower, farm machine used for cutting grasses and other hay crops. Mowers, drawn by or attached to tractors, or self-propelled, have superseded scythes. The mower is essentially an adaptation of the much earlier reaper. The first commercial mower was patented in 1847. . A rotary mower is used to successfully eliminate the seed heads. Booming Blades Two years ago, the development of an enhanced sports turf maintenance program was put into place. Previously, all turfed sites were maintained in the same ways, regardless of the type of turf and the frequency of its use. These sites were mowed once per week, and aerated aer·ate tr.v. aer·at·ed, aer·at·ing, aer·ates 1. To supply with air or expose to the circulation of air: aerate soil. 2. and fertilized fer·til·ize v. fer·til·ized, fer·til·iz·ing, fer·til·iz·es v.tr. 1. To cause the fertilization of (an ovum, for example). 2. three times per year. Sites that were being used for active sports play were in obvious need of an enhanced level of maintenance, compared to more passive use sites. The new enhanced maintenance program not only increases mowing schedules but also increases the frequency of aeration aeration /aer·a·tion/ (ar-a´shun) 1. the exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen by the blood in the lungs. 2. the charging of a liquid with air or gas. aer·a·tion n. and fertilization. Turf is mowed twice per week, and aerated and fertilized up to eight times per year. Four heavily used sports fields were selected as good "trial sites" for the enhanced maintenance program, and their appearance improved so significantly and recognizably that the park and recreation department received numerous positive comments from users specifically in regards to the turf quality and playability at these sites. In an August 2002 department performance survey, several comments were made regarding San Diego's turf. "San Diego has one of the most beautiful park and beach facilities I have ever seen," says one resident. Six percent of the 1,400 acres that are mowed each week are on areas known as "joint-use fields" where staff go to 47 elementary and middle schools in the San Diego Unified School District A unified school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9-12). In Illinois, these districts are called unit school districts. to maintain the turf at these sites. At most school sites, there are no turfed fields and children play on fields made of decomposed de·com·pose v. de·com·posed, de·com·pos·ing, de·com·pos·es v.tr. 1. To separate into components or basic elements. 2. To cause to rot. v.intr. 1. granite. In a joint-use field agreement, the city performs all maintenance of the fields, and the school district provides use of the fields to neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. communities during non-school hours. These agreements benefit the school by providing a turfed field for the children attending school, and benefit the community by providing Families with additional recreation resources. Based on its success, another 10 joint-use field agreements are expected to be added over the next two years. In addition to maintaining regular park sites and joint-use fields on school sites, the mowing crew is also responsible for maintaining approximately 80 acres of turf at San Diego's Mount Hope Cemetery There are hundreds of cemeteries named Mount Hope, including over 200 in the United States alone. Among the notable cemeteries with this name: Canada
loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl buried there. San Diego may be synonymous with synonymous with adjective equivalent to, the same as, identical to, similar to, identified with, equal to, tantamount to, interchangeable with, one and the same as beach and surf, but its turf reigns supreme among its thousands of active residents. In 2002, the Reason Public Policy Institute, a non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. , reported that in comparing the 10 largest cities in California There are 478 incorporated cities in California, 22 of which are styled "Town of (Name)" instead of "City of (Name)." They are arranged in alphabetical order, with the "towns" marked '*'. Under California law (see, e.g. , the city of San Diego's Park and Recreation Dept ranked number one in efficiency for seven years in a row-from 1993 to 1999.
Tell-'Till' Signs *
Turf Characteristics Maintenance
Bermuda Warm season Moderate watering needs
Fine to medium leaf texture Optimum mowing height is
Best adapted to hot, dry or 1-2 inches
tropical climates Prefers an acidic sail pH
Recommended for commercial of 5 to 6.5
landscapes, golf courses, Aggressive enough to
sport fields, parks and compete with weeds
recreation areas
Highly drought resistant,
but also responds to
irrigation
Requires full sun for most
of the day
Centipede Warm season Moderate watering needs
Medium to coarse texture Optimum mowing height is
General-purpose grass for 1-2 inches
lawns Prefers an acidic sail pH
Best adapted to hot humid of 5 to 6.5
and tropical climates Aggressive enough to
Grows well in full sun compete with weeds
Sensitive to drought, but
has a rapid recovery rate
Some varieties maintain
adequate turf quality in
60% shade
Will not withstand heavy wear
Fine Fescue Cool season Low to moderate watering
Finest grass blade of any needs
lawn grass Optimum mowing height of
Well adapted to cool summers 1-2.5 inches
and high altitudes Tolerates acidic soil, can
Tolerates hot and cold grow with pH of 5 to 6.5
weather well, has good Good resistance to
winter hardiness turfgrass diseases
Very good drought tolerance
Most shade tolerance of all
grasses but needs some sun
Ideal play surface, does not
recover well from severe
injury
Kentucky Cool season Moderate watering needs
Bluegrass Medium leaf texture Optimum mowing height of
Widely adapted for basic 1.5-2 inches
lawn grass Performs best in fertile,
Widely used on sports non-aside reacting soil
fields, play areas, parks, with good drainage
cementaries, commercial Improved resistance to
lawns and roadsides diseases
Thrives in cool weather and
will tolerate very cold
winters
Medium resistance to drought
Thrives in sunny areas
Recovers quickly from
occasional abuse
Ryegrass Cool season Moderate watering needs
Fine leaf texture Optimum mowing height of
Prefers mild winters and 1-2.5 inches
cool, moist summers; but Highly adaptable to wide
highly adaptable range of soils
Can be mixed bluegrass and Good resistance to diseases
fescue for sport fields and insects
and play areas
Good drought tolerance, but
will go dormant after a
short drought.
Tolerant to filtered shade
Suitable for moderate
recreation and foot
traffic
St Augustine Warm season Moderate to high, thrives
Coarse leaf texture in wet sites
Well adapted to coastal Optimum growing height of
regions with hot, tropical 2-3 inches
climates Prefers neutral to alkaline
Used in residential, soils, excellent saline
commercial and industrial salt tolerance
landscapes
Thrives in heat
Excellent to fair drought
tolerance
Shows range in shade
adaptation
Moderate resistance to wear
Tall Fescue Cool season Moderate watering needs
Moderate density Optimum mowing height of
Good transition zone grass 2-3 inches
Adapted to moderately cold Wide range of soil
winners and warm summers conditions
Good for a variety of uses, Resistant to some diseases
including landscapes,
roadsides, parks,
recreation areas and sport
fields.
Good drought resistance
Prefers full sun, moderately
tolerant to partial shade
Zoysiagrass Warm season Low to medium watering
Fine to medium coarse needs
texture Optimum mowing height of
Hot, humid and tropical .25-1.5 inches
climates Tolerates high salinity and
Recommended for commercial infertile soil relatively
lawn sites well
Moderate to good drought Good resistance to diseases
resistance
Good shade adaptation, much
better than some warm-
season grasses
Superior wear resistance
* Table information generated from Turfgrass Producers International.
Steven Remley is the district manager for the city of San Diego Park and Recreation Department. Carol Drummond is the department's public information officer. For more information on turf contact them at (619) 525-8219. |
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