University grounds dept. cultivates campus greens

An odd blue-green blanket is spread over Alexander Beach. The Wilson College quad, strewn with straw, resembles a barnyard. While students are scratching their heads in wonder, at least one University official — Grounds Manager James Consolloy, the University's goto person for grass — likes what he sees.

Consolloy used the term "turf operation" to encompass all the civil engineering and maintenance of lawns. Grass growing at the University is a substantial undertaking that requires a good deal of science, he said.

An example of this science in use can be observed at the Alexander Beach site.

Civil engineering employees in the grounds and buildings maintenance department regraded Alexander Beach over the summer, damaging the lawn in the process.

The turquoise substance now covering the area is hydromulch, "cellulose fiber that shades developing [grass] seed embryos," Consolloy explained. Without cover, grass embryos would "burn right off" in intense sunlight.

Hydromulch promotes fast germination, allows for a one-step application process and requires minimal cleanup. "We put seed, soluble fertilizer and mulch in a slurry and spray it on," Consolloy said.

Straw must be raked up after growth but serves the same purpose as hydromulch. "Straw holds a lot better around sloped areas, such as around the Wilson College quad. It helps to prevent soil erosion," Consolloy said.

Summer construction trampled and destroyed portions of Wilson quad's grass, and reseeding has presented special difficulties to grounds crews.

"When they started running out of room [on campus], they made the Butler and Wilson courtyards smaller and less traditional," Consolloy said. "The subsoil is pretty poor."

Many students in Wilson have remarked on the slow pace of regrowth in the quad. Consolloy explained that the quad lacks irrigation, which would speed up lawn germination.

"We don't use sod because we don't have irrigation," Consolloy said.

Besides the impact from construction, lawns take a beating from the annual convergence of thousands of black-and-orange jacketed alumni.

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"We have 15 reunion sites," Consolloy said. "After putting flooring down for tables and dance floors, the lawns are pretty well shot."

The reunions' aftermath requires seeding or soil amending in different areas depending on the level of grass disturbance. Expenses vary by treatment.

Annual and ad hoc seeding with a machine called a slit seeder costs $0.10 per square foot. "We call it the 10-cent cure," Consolloy said.

Amending existing soils runs $0.25 per sq. ft. and all-out civil engineering is $0.45 per sq. ft. The grass seed itself costs roughly $1 per pound.

The Grounds Department commissions custom mixes of grass seed for the University, with varying proportions of Park and Kenblue Kentucky Bluegrass, Reserve Tall Fescue, Creeping Red Fescue and Perennial Ryegrass. "It's all certified seed," Assistant Grounds Manager Al Pearson said.

High traffic areas require a lot of tall fescue, "an athletic turf mix that gives you a tougher grass with a thicker leaf," Consolloy said. "Where's there's less foot traffic we use more bluegrass," he added.

A 50 percent organic, all-purpose fertilizer encourages growth. The University uses an organic fertilizer because it is gentler on the grass and releases over a longer period of time. It consists of nitrogen compounds, phosphate, a potassium compound, and lesser amounts of sulfur, iron, manganese and chlorine.

"It's not rocket science," Consolloy insisted. "It's just knowing what Mother Nature does and having a hybrid mix. It's a matter of the right seed in the right place."

As Frank DiDonato, a grounds employee working on the Wilson quad grass, explained, "We just want everything green around here."