Are there any plans to go back to natural grass in the future?

[Mike Irwin]

They can do much, much more with natural grass now, especially given the resources available to UA. But the X factor here is the fact that coaches LOVE to practice on the game field, every day.

And it is my sincere belief that no system of natural grass can stand that, this far north.

What coaches are you talking about? The subject is Arkansas and the Razorbacks spend most of their practices indoors or on the two outdoor fields. They practice in the stadium less than once a week.

[wholehog92]

I've got to say, I've never seen a press guy this passionate about the playing surface.  FWIW, I hope we change it back and forth every year.  Helps pay the bills.

[Mike Irwin]

I've got to say, I've never seen a press guy this passionate about the playing surface.  FWIW, I hope we change it back and forth every year.  Helps pay the bills.

I love grass. I don't smoke it or chew on it but I grew up playing on it and to this day there's something about the smell of freshly cut grass that always reminds me of football and baseball.

I also get a kick out of talking with those that are experts at developing and maintaining natural grass playing surfaces. I haven't talked to Pat Berger in a while. I have to remember to go by and see him soon.

For those of you who don't know, Pat was one of the few people at the U of A that stood up to Petrino before wreck-gate.

Petrino wanted the grass fields mowed every morning before practice during August camp. One morning the mower called Pat and said that the water was going. He could not mow. Pat called over to the football offices and was told that Petrino felt the grass needed extra water because it was going to be a hot day so one of his people turned it on.

Later in the day Petrino jumped Pat because the grass had not been mowed before the morning workout. Pat said to him, "You want to blame somebody for that ? Find the nearest mirror and look in it."

I'm told that Petrino never messed with him again probably because he knew that Pat could work anywhere in the country. He didn't need Petrino's dog and pony show. He's that good.

[thirrdegreetusker]

What coaches are you talking about? The subject is Arkansas and the Razorbacks spend most of their practices indoors or on the two outdoor fields. They practice in the stadium less than once a week.

Then I'm in. Change my vote to "natural grass at DWRRS".

I have always preferred organic to synthetic.

[Mike Irwin]

Then I'm in. Change my vote to "natural grass at DWRRS".

I have always preferred organic to synthetic.

I don't recall Bielema discussing the subject in a press conference. Obviously if he prefers Field Turf it will stay that way. If he likes grass then at some point in the future I would expect it to change. I'll try to remember to ask him about it but I have a lot of stuff rattling around in my head. 

[Mike Irwin]

For those of you who said they must have dyed the bermuda or overseeded rye grass into the bermuda at DWRRS to keep the grass green in November, you are wrong.

I talked to Pat Berger at the baseball game tonight. He said whenever the temperatures approached freezing toward the end of the season they would water the field at night. That would cause ice to form on the surface which would trap the heat under the surface keeping the grass above freezing.

Also they never had a problem with a lack of direct sunlight in the south endzone during the fall. The problem came in the early part of spring football. However by the time of the Red White game they had the grass green in the south endzone.

Berger also told me that Bielema has never indicated a preference for either grass or turf.

[Inhogswetrust]

For those of you who said they must have dyed the bermuda or overseeded rye grass into the bermuda at DWRRS to keep the grass green in November, you are wrong.

I talked to Pat Berger at the baseball game tonight. He said whenever the temperatures approached freezing toward the end of the season they would water the field at night. That would cause ice to form on the surface which would trap the heat under the surface keeping the grass above freezing.

Also they never had a problem with a lack of direct sunlight in the south endzone during the fall. The problem came in the early part of spring football. However by the time of the Red White game they had the grass green in the south endzone.

Berger also told me that Bielema has never indicated a preference for either grass or turf.

Some people might think that sounds strange to water knowing it will freeze but I can attest it is right. I grew up in the florist/plant nursery/landscape business. We always watered down our nursery stock when it was suppose to freeze. It insulates and keeps the internal liquid plant parts from freezing as long as the freeze isn't too bad. It's kind of like an animal being inside an iglo.

[jesterzzn]

Fresh cut grass smells like football. 

Fieldturf smells like a stadium bathroom.  Which also smells like football, from a certain point of view, but that's not the football smell I want to remember.

[Razorback7281]

It's already been done and without paint. Houston Nutt's last few years the field at DWRRS stayed green until after the last game. I saw it. Also these days mud is out. Call A&M and ask them how they do it. The Aggie I talked to in 2012 explained it to me but I don't remember what he said.

All one has to do is look at the Baum Stadium outfield yesterday.  All that rain Saturday night and Sunday morning and it looked like it hadn't even rained.  I know when they tore out the turf at Baum they put in like a foot of gravel with one very large french drain pipe running from home plate to Lake Norm in center field.  Then every so often there were lateral french drain pipes running into the big pipe in the middle of the field.  After the 1 or 2 feet of gravel they put 2 or 3 feet of sand on top and that's what the grass is growing in.