A well-manicured athletic field beautifies your campus and creates a safe surface for student-athletes. Lasting results require regular commercial landscaping efforts, as the turf endures serious wear during sporting events. Establishing a year-round maintenance plan is the best way to begin, and you can use the tips below to get started.

How to Care for a Natural Grass Athletic Field

1. Overseed & Aerate

Heavy foot traffic compacts soil and rips chunks of natural grass. Raw, unsightly patches will form, and athletes may trip and injure themselves on the uneven terrain. Commercial landscaping professionals recommend overseeding because the continued play will prevent some seeds from sprouting. Compensating ensures you replace natural grass at an equal rate that it’s ripped out during play.

Aerate compressed soil in high-traffic areas, like the soccer goalie box and football goal line. Loosening the soil allows moisture and nutrients to reach the plant roots and seeds.

2. Fertilize

Fertilizer helps new seeds grow and keeps existing grass green and healthy. Apply one pound of a nitrogen-rich fertilizer for every 1,000 square feet of the playing field. Continue doing this once every two to three weeks during the growing season, which is usually the late spring or early summer.

During the athletic seasons, fertilize only high-traffic areas damaged from play. Fertilizing, along with overseeding, will speed growth to restore these patches.

3. Irrigate Strategically

Focus on watering deeply rather than frequently. This reduces water waste and ensures moisture sinks into the soil to reach the roots. Drive a stick into the soil to check if you’ve watered enough—it should be moist to a depth of six to eight inches.

Avoid irrigating in the early morning to reduce afternoon water evaporation, as well as two days before a sports event so that athletes don’t play on soggy soil. Watering before an event will also allow heavy foot traffic to compact the soil, which will deprive the roots of moisture and oxygen once it dries.

If you want to replace a damaged field, turn to Alii Turf in Wahiawa, HI. These professionals offer a variety of durable grasses that are suitable to Oahu’s unique climate, including Bermuda and St. Augustine grass. View their full selection online, or call (808) 293-8873 to schedule an installation.