Bermuda Sod for sports field

DF – posted 21 June 2004 12:52

Hello, I am in the process of having my Austin,Texas backyard flattened by removing rock and adding loam in preparation for sodding.

Is Bermuda 419 the right kind of sod if my goal is to make it similiar to a sports field? or is there a more specific Bermuda sod for athletic fields, ie baseball?

Also, what, if anything, needs to be done to the loam prior to laying the sod? After scraping and adding loam, there are no visible weeds, but I am guessing they are just below the surface in some areas, so does some type of weed killer need to be applied to keep it from growing back up into the new sod?

And finally, does fertilizer or anything else need to be applied to the dirt prior to sodding?

Any advice/answers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Lauri – posted 12 July 2004 14:26

Tif 419 has become most popular for athletic fields, although a very nice carpet it is commonly laid on a most sandy base, which is fine except for water issues, it takes alot, fertilizer issues, it takes a lot, mowing issues, it takes alot and prefers to be cut with a reel mower. These are the items the sports supervisors contend with. I have seen the Tif 419 put in on a loamy area and it has preformed beautifully much to the specialists saying it must be put in in practically all sand. It does create a very nice carpet. Try the Texas A&M website in the turfgrass division I believe they have information on this subject.