It's always been on one giant retractable platform. Most of the time, it's kept outdoors, which is what leads me to believe that it has to be over watered in order to keep it green. As you know, when temperatures get really hot, 100+ degrees, the grass plant will shut down and quit growing in order to protect its root system and the grass blades start to lose their glossy appearance. That's why I don't have to mow as often in the summer as I do in the spring. In potato growing, when it gets over 100 degrees, we actually have to cut back on watering as the plant has quit growing and won't use it, and if you don't cut back on the watering, we'll have potato tubers sitting in water and rotting.
But this field they played on last night was brand new, so it wouldn't have been subjected to the hot summer temperatures. They have a retractable field in the new stadium in Las Vegas, and it doesn't seem to have the same problems this one has. Glendale's field has always been an issue. I can remember Stephen Hauska missing a FG and mentioned that he hates kicking off that field as it was so unstable, and that had to be close to 10 years ago. I've seen lots of games where huge chunks of grass are torn up, another clue that leads me to believe that it's over watered and hasn't developed a good, deep root base.
Hawktawk wrote:It seems overwatered and there's no way to know the root zone without pulling a core sample. Maybe they are behind on processes such as aerification and sand top dressing which causes turt to become waterlogged as does excessive sodium. Maybe the amount of time it spends inside without sun or air movement weakens it .Incompetent grounds crew actually, how about that. maintaining that amount of turf would be like being on vacation. I maintain 140 acres in 105 degree heat at times, absolutely beautiful for a fraction of the average stadium budget . I had temperatures over 110 for a week in 2021.
I have absolutely no idea how they can F it up so bad so often. But as a guy who does it for a living if this is the best they can do perfect artificial surfaces.
I'm convinced that it has to be their watering and/or fertilization practices and that it's related to the hot, dry climate in Arizona. They want the field to have a deep green tone to it for aesthetics, and the only way to do that is to keep the grass from going into dormancy.
I've done it for 38 years brother. You dont have to flood turf to be green regardless of temperature. Its not potatoes. Its harder on me in the cool weather zone hitting 110 then there where the turf has acclimated.And I dont flood turf.
And what you forget about the heat on that turf is that it spends several days a week indoors at 70% so soil temperatures of 100 or more which is what shuts down/kills grass is easy to manage .
Someone said they put down fresh sod for the game which might explain it all. Sod only has root to the saw cut, maybe 2 inches. It takes a couple weeks minimum to grow any significant roots. Also sod must be watered quite heavily to keep from drying out at the seams and shrinking since it doesn't have the aforementioned roots. Its criminal the amount of sod they put down in this league . They chose appearance over function.
I think by and large the sports field industry lags far behind. Flip over the channel the the Phoenix Waste management open yesterday as I did to see incredible green turf a drive rolls out 50 yards on. Some on greens is a 10th of an inch long stimping 15.
perfectly healthy in that heat 24-7. NFL is bad at turf period.