The Piedmont School is a private school in High Point that caters to children with ADHD as well as other learning challenges. They offer a very intimate learning environment which allows them to cater to each child’s individual learning needs.
They have a small field that they use for soccer, football, PE and all other outdoor games and activities. Unfortunately, because of the constant traffic and wear and tear of the field, it has caused a lot of compaction and created a ‘bowl’ affect in the middle that would collect water when it rained. Not to mention, it also caused a large area that no longer supported grass. Because this school is near and dear to my heart, I knew that the children needed a safe playing field. Since that is GrowinGreen’s specialty, we decided to supply the time and materials to provide the children with a nice, safe playing surface by the time school started back in August.
The biggest problems with the field were the fact that it was not level and the field was 75% weeds and compacted dirt. The first thing we had to deal with was the over abundance of weeds. Two weeks before we could work on transforming the field, we applied weed control.
Once we had the weeds taken care of, we needed to level the field. We did not want to cause a layering affect by simply dumping a layer of compost on top of the compacted dirt. Instead, we used an aervator to break up the compaction of the surface. We then applied a slow-release, organic fertilizer. By working it into the ground, it would feed the grass throughout the summer.
We then spread a large amount of high-quality, organic compost. This would help put life back into the soil. By working it into the soil, we were able to break up the compacted sand layer that was currently there as well as address any holes and level the field. We were also able to fix the ‘bowl’ affect that had been created due to wear. We used the aervator to till the compost and create a richer soil compound. It is always important to mix compost into the existing surface because compost is always breaking down. This creates ammonia and heat that could possibly damage the new seed. Mixing it in will help the new seeds to grow. This is why it is important to never just use compost in your beds or your lawn. If you use compost, always mix it into the current soil.
At this point, the field was ready to be planted with GrowinGreen’s athletic field Bermuda grass blend of seed. This blend of grass provides a durable playing surface that, once established, will not require a lot of water. It can take the wear and tear and traffic of a playing field and it is what we use on our other athletic fields.
Even though this blend of grass will not need a lot of water once it is established, it does require water to get started. Because the school did not have an irrigation system, we put in a temporary irrigation system. We will check the progress of the field every few days but we expect to see new grass within two weeks! The best part is that when the kids come back in August, they will have a nice, safe field to play on. This is important because there are a lot less scrapes and bruises when the ground is nice and soft!
Be sure to follow our progress on Facebook as well as https://growingreen.wpenginepowered.com. We will document the entire process. Also, be sure to check out The Piedmont School at https://thepiedmontschool.com! I can not say enough positive things about the changes they have made in my son’s life as well as so many other children’s lives!
