Feature Article - February 2009 Field Goals Maintaining Sports Fields & Grounds By Emily Tipping Equip Yourself The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) offers these lists of typical equipment requirements for each type of turf: Synthetic: grooming equipment, typically some type of broom, brush or tine to drag the field to help fibers stand up and distribute infill utility cart for grooming/cleaning equipment, pushing snow or operating sprayer spraying equipment to apply weed control, cleaning agents, wetting agents to lessen static charge sweepers/blowers: to remove trash vacuum: to remove small items top-dressing equipment, to periodically redress areas that have lost infill Optionally: pressure washers, spiking equipment, irrigation systems, painters or a special rubber-bladed snowplow Natural: mower: rotary or reel irrigation system (not always required) aerator: core or plug type, typically pulled behind a tractor or utility vehicle seed/fertilizer spreader weed and pest control application equipment line painter (walk-behind or riding) tractor or utility vehicle Optionally: blower and/or sweeper, deep-tine aerator, dethatching equipment, groove or slit seeder, top dresser Source: Sports Turf Managers Association (www.stma.org)
