grass at child care center

diamondchild – posted 18 March 2001 12:58

hello, i own a child care center in a western suburb of cleveland. we have a 10,000 square foot yard and simply cannot get grass to grow.

we currently have a large mulched area where the climbing equipment is. we have a large sidewalk circle for tricycles, etc. and a very large sand play area. we have essentially minimized the area that we want grass in, but we really really need grass to grow in the space that’s left.

the area that i am trying to focus on right now is about 30 x30′. it receives full sun all day (well, as much sun as there is in cleveland). currently watering is accomplished only by a sprinkler attached to a hose, but we are hoping to put in an automatic sprinkler this spring. we have put sod in this space to the tune of $600 (!) only to have it die. traditional bluegrass/rye mixtures have also not been successful- there is simply too much traffic. i need an extremely tough grass, but am not sure what that would be. i’m currently thinking of zoysia because it is tough but i am not sure if it would withstand the winter and the traffic on it then. i also don’t know how hard it would be to establish this type of lawn. i was thinking of overseeding with rye to help get it going.

after i get this area established, i have to focus on a hilly area beneath it. this area also has no grass.

any suggestions anyone may have would be most appreciated.

thank you jody

seed – posted 18 March 2001 17:19

Jody, a few days ago I visited a private school in Coconut Grove, with the same problem. In desperation, the principal had had several playgrounds mulched over with wood chips, which added potential problems from airborne molds. This being humid south Florida. As she and I stood talking about it, I noticed that there was also a dense crop of weeds poking through the mulch.

The school had already spent $21,000 on three sod replacements, over an 18-month period, with equally dismal results. She wants to get it back into grass, but with 240 kids spending their break time in three courtyards, and the boys playing kick ball, the grass hardly has a chance.

My other experience was my daughter’s school. Twice one spring we had to cancel Field Day because of muddy conditions, because of worn out grass, no drainage, and rain. Here is what I have learned from children’s playgrounds as well as my research on vehicular turf http://floridaturf.com/vehicle.htm

In my opinion:1. This is 2/3 a soil problem and 1/3 a grass problem.2. By a soil problem I mean that “normal” soils cannot withstand high traffic, without becoming compacted and unable to drain, unable to provide oxygen to turf roots, and thus unable to support the growth of turfgrass.3. A medium sand (particle size uniformly 0.33-0.50 mm in diameter) will support moderate traffic, will not compact, will provide oxygen to turf roots, and will have some moisture retention. (This is based on published studies that lead the United States Golf Association to develop a specification for the rootzone of golf greens.)4. Such a sand root zone will require total control over irrigation. The turf may not be played on when it is dry, rather, the turf should be watered during the morning and given a few hours to drain. The turf may not be played on when it is soaked. Irrigation control almost certainly will require a fixed, in-the-ground sprinkler system, properly designed to give head-to-head coverage.5. Traffic and shade conspire to work together to the detriment of the turf, but fortunately you do not have a shade problem.6. Choosing a grass for the traffic, the best option for your latitude is perennial ryegrass. (For people with shade, it would be a poor choice. The fine fescues are excellent in the shade, but only fair under traffic.) Tall fescue has at least as good wear tolerance as perennial ryegrass (plus it has fair to good shade tolerance), but except for the more cold hardy types, this species may be winterkilled in your area.7. While zoysiagrass has high wear tolerance, it is slow to recover, so it is probably not a good choice, plus the concern about cold hardiness. Zoysiagrass does okay in southern Illinois.8. Mowing on the high side will help the turf deal with the wear problem (as well as shade, for those who have shade). 9. Another thing that should be considered is a rotation plan so the children are not on the grass when it is suffering from too much moisture or too much traffic. Give it a rest. Also, with smaller turf areas the traffic will increase10. Bottom line is, check out your soil and if it compacts or drain poorly, a replacement would be appropriate. Next, you are probably going to have to reseed areas. One thing they have done here is to pregerminate ryegrass seed in soil benches, so when an area gets worn out, there are sod beds and it’s easy to grab a few handfuls to fill in the worn areas.Phil