OSTMA celebrates Summer Field Day at Columbus Crew Stadium

June 13, 2014 - By Joelle Harms

The Ohio Sports Turf Managers Association (OSTMA) held its annual Summer Field day at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on June 4.

Just before the rain rolled in, Weston Appelfeller–director of grounds for Columbus Crew Stadium–gave OSTMA attendees a tour of the stadium.

OSTMA’s sports turf managers and grounds crew members got an inside look at how Appelfeller keeps his field in top-shape. His crew uses hex pluggers to remove Poa annua and replaces it with turf plots grown in the back of the stadium.

The field’s tweaked Rain Bird irrigation system allows unique watering, hitting the most important areas, Appelfeller says.

Columbus Crew stadium hosts several concerts each year, such as Rock on the Range. The group was able to check out the flooring system used as well as the permanent stage, built in the north end of the stadium. Appelfeller says the stage is key to the upkeep of the stadium after concerts, and even recommended attendees look into building one for their own stadiums to reduce the field damage of building a temporary stage.

Later in the day, John R. Street, associate professor at The Ohio State University’s department of horticulture and crop science, gave a presentation on summer weed control strategies. Street provided attendees online resources, namely NTEP.org and OARDC, and stressed the importance of timing preemergent herbicides.

After lunch in the Stadium Club–a tented bar-area on the west end that doubles as a host to World Cup viewing parties–turf managers broke off into groups of five for a turf disease quiz, given by Pamela Sherratt, Ph.D., The Ohio State University turfgrass specialist.

The rain hit midday, which brought the painting demonstration on the concourse using AstroTurf carpet. Darian Daily, head sports field manager at the Cincinnati Bengals’ Paul Brown Stadium, demonstrated how to paint turf using an “Ohio Sports Turf” stencil.

Check out photos from the Field Day by viewing the slideshow below.