Stratford high school football is about to begin, and a local company is helping ensure the field both looks good and plays well.
Each year, ProVision Partners helps determine a custom fertilizer that contains optimal nutrients that maximizes the look and performance for the district’s baseball, football, softball, and practice fields.
“We do a custom blend of nutrients of some common maintenance materials that help the lawn and grass grow well and do well,” said Tom Hoffman, Agronomy Division Manager. “This includes nitrogen, iron, sulfur, and some potassium. We go in once a year to provide that service.”
Hoffman and his team develop the blend to improve playing conditions for the athletes and keep the field looking great.
“Part of the goal is to have weed control, because when you have weeds, it crowds out the favorable species – the grass,” explained Hoffman. “The grass is a nice sod, which makes for good, safe, solid playing fields which can tolerate bad weather and abuse. The better the sod is, the softer it is for athletes.”
Whether it be high school or professional, it takes a lot of care to keep playing fields in healthy conditions for the players. The district maintains the field through mowing and grooming, but a good foundation is key.
“Weeds are slippery when wet. You want the cleat to stick in and have good traction, yet when a players falls, there should be a bit of a cushion,” said Hoffman. “Quite a few years ago, they could have played on a blacktop parking lot with how hard the field was. Since the school has given some budget and consideration towards improvements, and we have been helping, it has made it not only look good, but be a better playing environment.”
For Hoffman, helping his local sports team through ProVision is a source of pride.
“It feels good that we know that our personnel and company had a contribution in helping things look nice,” said Hoffman. “I think the players have a better attitude playing on a well-groomed, nice field.”
