Tips For Caring For Your Sports Turf Fields During the Hot Summer Months

Extreme temperatures, UV radiation, and heavy use can all contribute to accelerated material breakdown and dangerously hot surface conditions. Despite these intense summer variables, the resilience of high-quality artificial turf in combination with proactive maintenance and cooling strategies make it possible to enjoy your field all year long. 

So, what can you do to keep it cool while preserving the material integrity and value of your turf field? Here are some of the top recommendations from our artificial turf care maintenance experts. 

Minimize Exposure With Shading & Covers 

A few well-placed shade sails can reduce surface temperature by up to 10-20°F. If you live in a climate where extreme heat is a common occurrence, you may also want to consider investing in comprehensive field cover solutions like weighted reflective tarps that can be placed in an emergency protective situation. Other shading solutions like mesh-covered fencing, a perimeter tree line, and other facility features like sun-blocking seating can also contribute to your summer cooling efforts. 

Choose a UV-Resistant Turf and Infill That is Reflective and Dissipates Heat

Many modern turf systems come with UV-resistant coatings and are available in an array of colors and infill types that are engineered to reduce heat accumulation. For instance, a lighter crumb rubber in combination with reflective grass tones and field striping can reduce excessive heat levels. 

Cool the Artificial Grass With Misting

Even though artificial grass does not require watering, misting the field may be necessary on occasion to keep the heat levels at a safe material range. If using water to manage heat levels, avoid oversaturating the field because this can lead to infill displacement, bacterial growth, and stagnant field conditions. 

Clean & Groom Your Field Regularly

As important as heat protection strategies, it’s equally vital to keep up with standard maintenance duties like inspection, trash removal, and grooming during the summer months. In fact, by maintaining a consistent grooming schedule for your artificial turf in Virginia Beach, benefits like optimal infill aeration and proper fiber alignment help to promote even heat distribution across the field. 

For best results, partner with a seasoned field maintenance team for comprehensive grooming and other core upkeep tasks like multi-point field inspections, infill impaction testing, and if any issues are detected, prompt repairs to resolve minor issues before they progress. 

If you are looking for a top-tier field care partner, our team at Keystone Sports Construction offers a professional suite of upkeep solutions. With state-of-the-art grooming tech like our Sports Champ turf-care system, we provide ultra-deep cleaning, align the fibers, redistribute infill, and keep your field looking like new no matter the season. 

Manage Plantlife & Wildlife 

Protecting against weeds, encroaching roots, destructive pests, and animal traffic are other key considerations to keep in mind during the summer months. Alongside your routine field cleaning and inspections, removing perimeter weeds and relocating large trees or shrubs is a simple way to preserve the integrity of the turf edges. 

As part of a proactive wildlife/pest prevention plan, protecting your field against compostable food waste and sugary drinks is another key step in minimizing animal and insect invasion. If your field is in a location with a large population of animals like deer or elk, you may also want to consider physical field defense strategies like fencing, natural chemical deterrents, or automatic lighting/sound solutions that activate when animal traffic is detected. 

Organize a Professional Turf Care Plan With Our Team

For field questions, maintenance planning, or prompt turf repairs, contact our experts at Keystone Sports Construction for fast and cost-effective field care today.