A jammed pack day at Wakemed Soccer Park, home of the North Carolina Football Club and the North Carolina Courage. First off, general turf management was necessary again to increase the quality of the park outside of the stadium (trimming trees, edging grass, etc.).
Next, I learned about the aerification process of the playing field. For sand-based fields like the ones at Wakemed, drainage is the key to maintain the highest quality playing field. Aerification is the process of punching tiny holes all around the field to allow for airflow and necessary nutrients to reach the roots of the grass. In the below picture, half of a field contains the cores of aerated grass while the other is totally cleaned up.
Next, I learned about the treatment process of ryegrass using chemicals. As the NC weather gets hotter and dryer, the science in this industry becomes important to create correct mixtures of substances to put on the grass to keep it healthy and appealing. The substance is sprayed from a machine that lines the field with a foam substance to limit the risk of over-applying chemicals to the ryegrass.
Lastly, I learned that time is money. When this industry piles up many jobs, technology can help to get mowing done quicker or paint lines of a field quicker. Although it may not be ideal, the help is great to limit the labor area of the industry.
Another great day!