The Cotton Bowl in Dallas, sponsTURf ~ _____ TX,uses a turf paint to touch up the color on the bermuda- grass field. Chemical Log: Photo cou tesy: World Class Athletic Surfaces. Regreening Dormant Turf With Paints and Dyes These before and after shots of the softball facility for the Johnson County Girls Athletic Association in Texas illustrate the effectiveness of green dyes on turf. Photos courtesy: Jack Schwarz. aintaining a consistent green schoolsand colleges.At the end ofthe sea- paint. "It dries pretty fast - 45 minutes coloris a high priority for most son, it's very popular." to an hour," notes DuBois. M sports turf managers, espe- The dye is sent to the customer in Is the dyeharmfulto the dormantturf? cially those charged with the care of concentrateformand is simplymixed with "Surprisingly, no," says Dr. Coleman high-profile athletic facilities. While water to match the color ofthe natural Ward, professor and turf extension spe- most sports turf managers use over- grass on the field. DuBois explains that cialist at Auburn University. "Bermuda seeding to maintain green coloron their he can formulate the dye to match is a remarkable grass," Ward contin- fields during the winter, sometimes a virtually any color of turf. "Different ues. "The latex-base paints don't seem quick fix is needed in time for an impor- areas ofthe countrydemanddifferenttints to harm the bermuda." tant game or a television appearance. of dye," he relates. "Some of the grass Wott Whatley, turf manager at That's when sports turf managers turn in the south that's a 419 [bermuda- Memorial Stadium in Jackson, MS, to paints and dyes to provide quick color grass] is a springy grass that's more of prefers to overseedhis fieldwith ryegrass in emergency situations. a yellow-green. Others are a more blue- but admits that paint is fine in certain World Class Athletic Surfaces of instances. "We use it for some of our Leland, MS, provides turf dye in a con- green shade." designs,"he says,citingthe end zonedec- centrate form to many high schools and At the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX, orations used for the NFL exhibition colleges in the southern U.S. It also sports turf manager Roland Rainey uses game between the Philadelphia Eagles provides the dyes used on a number of a turf paint from World Class to touch and New York Jets that was held at fields used for college football bowl up the color on his bermudagrass field. Memorial Stadium. "If I were to have games, including the Cotton Bowl in ''Westarted blendingcolors,"he explains, Dallas and the Liberty Bowlin Memphis. "soas to not showa great texture change, something happen to my ryegrass, I "The bowl teams have been doing it we started adding yellow to the dye wouldn't hesitate to paint it." for years for the aesthetics," says Tra until we got closerto the bermuda color." Bart Prather, who maintains the DuBois,president ofWorldClassAthletic DuBoissays his dyesets up likea film, football stadium at the University of Surfaces. "It's caught on with high similar to a good quality latex house continued on page 24 22 sports TURF FOR PRODUCT INFO FAXED TO YOU NOW! DIAL: 1(800) 817·1889 Regreening Turf other uses for the dye. "More often than "That gets a better field appearance continued from page 24 not, sports fields are emergencies," and helps protect the sub-strata root he admits. system for the turf." Arkansas in Fayetteville, faced a minor Pete Flynn, head groundskeeper for In some cases a green paint or dye on crisis last year and used the dye produced the New York Mets, was faced with just dormant turf can provide a measure of by World Class to revive the color in his such an emergency when Shea Stadium protection for the grass. To the untrained field. "I had a ball game two weeks after hosted an Elton John concert just prior eye, dormant turf may display charac- a Rolling Stones concert, and I had some to a Mets homestand against the teristics of diseased, dehydrated or damage I had to mask," he relates. Pittsburgh Pirates. "We had a cover on undernourished grass, and grounds Prather also uses a green dye on the game it for four days, and the field was wet crews may be tempted to apply fungicide, field toward the end of the football when we covered it," Flynn explains. fertilizer or water when these treat- season instead of oversee ding. ''We do it "The grass was dead when we took the ments are unnecessary and, in fact, do gradually," says Prather. "It makes the cover off." Flynn obtained some of more harm than good. Dormant turf grass look green all winter." Prather Wellborn's dye and sprayed the field. "It which is painted or dyed looks green estimates that he used about 100 gallons wasn't too bad," Flynn admits. "It wasn't and healthy, so the temptation to over- of dye to cover the football field last the same as the natural color of the manage the turfgrass is removed. year, and he plans to use the dye again field, but it served a purpose." When overseeding is not an option due this season. Wellborn claims that the product is col- to time or budget constraints, and a Jim Wellborn, president of Green orfast and extremely safe to use. "Ifit's green field is needed for a high-profile Graphics of Albuquerque, NM, markets really humid, it takes maybe a half hour event, regreening dormant turf with a green dye that is used extensively by to dry," says Wellborn. He notes that his paints and dyes can provide dynamic color golf courses and athletic facilities through- product is non-hazardous and will not for your field without harming the turf. out the country. "Actually it was devel- harm the turf in any way. In some cases, especially when fields oped by my dad in 1972," he explains. "The Jon Graves, president of Missouri are not in use during most of the time the original color was targeted toward warm- Turf Paint and Field Graphics in Kansas grass is dormant, a field paint or dye can season grasses like bermuda." To match City, says his company carries the Green be used successfully to keep the turf the color of other turfgrasses, the dye is Graphics product. "We like to recom- looking green through the end of the simply modified with different pigments. mend a combination of overseeding at a season. Paint can also be used for spot Wellborn notes that sports turf much lower level and applying dye and touch-ups on problem areas of turf until applications tend to be quite different from using that in combination," says Graves. the problem can be resolved. 0 Wor{dC{ass athleticsurfaces MANUFACTURERS OF ATHLETIC FIELD MARKING PAINT NEW PRODUCTS ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE, 100% ACRYLIC, QUICK ARTIFICIAL TURF PAINT, GREEN GRASS DYE DRYING, NON HARMFUL TO GRASS, LAST LONGER, AEROSOL FIELD MARKING PAINT GOES FURTHER, SAVES MONEY (ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE) BEST KEPT SECRET IN THE TURF INDUSTRY-ASK OUR REFERENCES UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA • COTTON BOWL • UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI • AUBURN UNIVERSITY POMONA COLLEGE • CORNELL • NEW ORLEANS SAINTS • OLE MS • LIBERTY BOWL II MEMORIAL STADIUM· DALLAS COWBOYS· MISSISSIPPI STATE· MANY OTHERS 1-800- 74.8-9649 ~IIIIM Wor[dC[ass --- ----~- athleticsurfaces - - 200 Wa hington Ave.· Greenville, MS 38701 -- (601) 378-3151 • Fax (80l) 378-3420· Toll Free (800) 748-9649 --.------- ATHLETIC FIELD "We make the game look better. " Sports coatings are our only business. MARKING PAINT Call 1(800) 817-1889 use Fast Fax #1110995 and/or Circle 111 on Postage Free Card 24 sports TURF.