If you are like many, getting past the first page in a website is a rare occurrence, which is unfortunate because many sites have a wealth of practical information. One of those sites is Greencast (https://www.greencast.com.au) and I am not just saying that because TechNotes-SH is produced by Syngenta.
To be able to locate the pertienent information does take some time. Recently Greencast in the United Kingdom has started to produce a series of short videos to guide you through the website. Currently, there are five including "Welcome to Greencast", and "How to use disease forecasting on Greencast" that run between 3 and 5 minutes.
YouTube videos have increasing become popular for answering questions ranging from replacing car headlights to setting up websites. I think the greencast videos will more than help you find important information for managing your turf.
Painting Logos Making Synthetic Sports Fields Harder?
Moving on, I attended the SportsTurf Managers Association (STMA) Conference and Show in Long Beach, California this past January. A major concern on artificial surfaces is paint increases the GMAXX of the field (hardness). The National Football League (NFL) is considering that all paint needs to be removed from the surface within 48 hours after completion of the game.
Photograph: The GMAXX is used to test surface hardness of sports fields
Additional Sports Turf Issues
Removal, recycling and reinstallation of synthetic turf was a topic that gathered considerable interest at STMA. The cost of removal and reinstallation can run into the several 100s of thousands of dollars (US). A growing trend - for a better word - is leasing the surface. In other words instead of paying for a field up front, teams and school systems are leasing so that the removal and replacement of the fields when they become worn is covered.
The use of high intensity lights to grow turf in stadiums under shaded conditions remains a popular topic.
Several of the meeting presentations are available on the STMA website under the Knowledge Centre.
Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit.