NOW YOU KNOW
Groundskeeping facts about Dodger Stadium:
* There are 15 members of the grounds crew during baseball season, five in the off-season. They manage 2.5 acres of turf.
* The grass is mowed at least every game day.
* It takes one person four hours to mow the grass.
* The most common question fielded by the grounds crew is “How do you create the checkerboard pattern in the grass?”
* Grass “stripes” of uniform width are created by using a single mower; the checkerboard is created by mowing perpendicular stripes.
* Field is watered twice a day.
* The grass variety is Bermuda, which has more grain and is lighter in color than the colder-climate ballpark variety, Kentucky Blue grass.
* In 1996 the field was rebuilt with the patented P.A.T. (prescription athletic turf) system, incorporating subsurface irrigation and a vacuum pump to remove water after heavy rain.
* The color of the soil’s top-dressing is custom-made per the turf manager’s specs.
* The Dodgers’ Turf and Grounds Superintendent mows his own lawn.
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Source: Los Angeles Dodgers
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