Results tagged “Beijing” from iVillage - House Calls
Check in with Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers, on how the grass is growing in Beijing.
Day 6: August 16, 2008
This will be my last Olympic blog post, as we leave for home tomorrow. Our work is done. The field is in relatively good condition. (As a lawn geek and a perfectionist, this is a pretty high grade for me, especially since grass is a living entity with a fine line between acceptable and unacceptable.) Now the games and events must simply be played out. School starts soon, so it’s time for me to leave.
One question I have been asked on a fairly consistent basis involves the varied grass conditions of the preliminary Olympic soccer matches. These are games being played at different venues around the country with only one site in Beijing—Workers National Stadium. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to answer those questions since I wasn’t involved with the grass there or the management of those fields. We were only charged with the portable field for the Bird’s Nest (and believe me, that was enough).
Renovating by resodding
As we are preparing to leave, I sometimes catch snippets in the press about the beauty of the landscape, the sculptures and the grass. It makes me smile, because I understand how the green color of the grass complements the landscape, the ornaments and the statues. I also know that 3 weeks ago quite a bit of Beijing was resodded with fresh turf so the city would look perfect for the Olympics (and it does). Since the resodded areas are in public places and are inside right-of-ways, there’s just no way the grass could have been unmarred going into the Olympics, given the brutality of the weather in Beijing. Renovating through resodding was the only answer, and it certainly appears to have worked.
Goodbye from Beijing
So, as I close this blog, let me say how much I enjoyed these Olympics and blogging about them from a “grass roots” perspective. The end of this experience is bittersweet. On one hand I’m glad my responsibilities are over since the weather and the distance made this a tough project. On the other hand, it will be hard to beat the excitement and the attention, and I never really know when a project will be my last. I sure hope this one isn’t.
Goodbye from Beijing,
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 6: August 16, 2008
This will be my last Olympic blog post, as we leave for home tomorrow. Our work is done. The field is in relatively good condition. (As a lawn geek and a perfectionist, this is a pretty high grade for me, especially since grass is a living entity with a fine line between acceptable and unacceptable.) Now the games and events must simply be played out. School starts soon, so it’s time for me to leave.
One question I have been asked on a fairly consistent basis involves the varied grass conditions of the preliminary Olympic soccer matches. These are games being played at different venues around the country with only one site in Beijing—Workers National Stadium. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to answer those questions since I wasn’t involved with the grass there or the management of those fields. We were only charged with the portable field for the Bird’s Nest (and believe me, that was enough).
Renovating by resodding
As we are preparing to leave, I sometimes catch snippets in the press about the beauty of the landscape, the sculptures and the grass. It makes me smile, because I understand how the green color of the grass complements the landscape, the ornaments and the statues. I also know that 3 weeks ago quite a bit of Beijing was resodded with fresh turf so the city would look perfect for the Olympics (and it does). Since the resodded areas are in public places and are inside right-of-ways, there’s just no way the grass could have been unmarred going into the Olympics, given the brutality of the weather in Beijing. Renovating through resodding was the only answer, and it certainly appears to have worked.
Goodbye from Beijing
So, as I close this blog, let me say how much I enjoyed these Olympics and blogging about them from a “grass roots” perspective. The end of this experience is bittersweet. On one hand I’m glad my responsibilities are over since the weather and the distance made this a tough project. On the other hand, it will be hard to beat the excitement and the attention, and I never really know when a project will be my last. I sure hope this one isn’t.
Goodbye from Beijing,
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Check in with Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers, on how the grass is growing in Beijing.
Day 7: August 15, 2008
We came back into Beijing this morning. What a contrast to Harbin! With all the people from around the world in the city, the electricity in the air is quite exciting.
Repairing the Damage
The track and field events started today. The grass will require some repair after the competition (those shot puts are quite heavy), so the Chinese turf staff will be busy at night repairing and replacing the divots. Since each divot is likely to be only 2 to 4 inches wide, the replacement will not require the removal of a whole module. Rather, they will simply use a tool similar to the cutter used to make a cup or hole in a putting green. It will remove the damaged area and 4 to 6 inches of soil and replace it with a fresh piece of turf—a “plug”.
The removal of soil is the key. The turf is damaged, not dead, so the root system transfer is critical. If you just remove the top, there will have to be root re-growth, impossible in such a short time. We call this “plugging.” The beauty of this procedure with a modular field is that we can simply bring in a few extra modules and plug from them.
Plugging is a practice I strongly advocate for repairing small areas in high profile places of the yard. “Borrow” plugs from an inconspicuous side of your home. Just cut out square plugs with a regular shovel. I think you’ll be happy with the results and the matching turf color and texture.
Watching the Weather
As a turf person, I watch the weather constantly this time of year, hoping things will cool off. Any little bit helps actually. Any relief is welcome and will benefit the grass in the stadium. From this point on, there is little that we can do to change the overall strength of the turf. It is what it is, as they say. The keys are to keep up with mowing and not over water. Sound familiar?
Fortunately, the weather has been a little less humid than it was last week. The grass all over the city seems to be perking up a bit. They have gone to enormous lengths to beautify this city (a fact lost on me until I visited Harbin). The landscaping is incredible and it is well-thought out and coordinated. The colors are vibrant and everything seems to be in bloom (I suspect there is some plant/shrub manipulation going on by the chief horticulturalists here.) Ah, money and manpower! A lot can be done with that combination.
Until next time,
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 7: August 15, 2008
We came back into Beijing this morning. What a contrast to Harbin! With all the people from around the world in the city, the electricity in the air is quite exciting.
Repairing the Damage
The track and field events started today. The grass will require some repair after the competition (those shot puts are quite heavy), so the Chinese turf staff will be busy at night repairing and replacing the divots. Since each divot is likely to be only 2 to 4 inches wide, the replacement will not require the removal of a whole module. Rather, they will simply use a tool similar to the cutter used to make a cup or hole in a putting green. It will remove the damaged area and 4 to 6 inches of soil and replace it with a fresh piece of turf—a “plug”.
The removal of soil is the key. The turf is damaged, not dead, so the root system transfer is critical. If you just remove the top, there will have to be root re-growth, impossible in such a short time. We call this “plugging.” The beauty of this procedure with a modular field is that we can simply bring in a few extra modules and plug from them.
Plugging is a practice I strongly advocate for repairing small areas in high profile places of the yard. “Borrow” plugs from an inconspicuous side of your home. Just cut out square plugs with a regular shovel. I think you’ll be happy with the results and the matching turf color and texture.
Watching the Weather
As a turf person, I watch the weather constantly this time of year, hoping things will cool off. Any little bit helps actually. Any relief is welcome and will benefit the grass in the stadium. From this point on, there is little that we can do to change the overall strength of the turf. It is what it is, as they say. The keys are to keep up with mowing and not over water. Sound familiar?
Fortunately, the weather has been a little less humid than it was last week. The grass all over the city seems to be perking up a bit. They have gone to enormous lengths to beautify this city (a fact lost on me until I visited Harbin). The landscaping is incredible and it is well-thought out and coordinated. The colors are vibrant and everything seems to be in bloom (I suspect there is some plant/shrub manipulation going on by the chief horticulturalists here.) Ah, money and manpower! A lot can be done with that combination.
Until next time,
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
No, I’m not talking about ticket scalping. Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers, explains a different kind of scalping and how it affects the grass growing in China.
Day 6: August 14, 2008
The field is being mowed and rolled. It is in good shape. There is lots of attention on all the TVs and in the newspapers here. The focus on the Olympics in general is incredible.
China Is Focused on Grass
Yesterday, we took a side trip to another part of China. We went to the city of Harbin. Small by Chinese standards, only 2.5 million people live Harbin. It is the major center for the Northeast province of China. It’s a very modern city in many respects, and so big!
I went to Harbin to give a lecture at the Heilongjiang Academy of Agriculture Sciences. The topic? Grass, of course. We had to use an interpreter but it went pretty smooth. Their turf research and education program is quite new. But the way China is expanding, their need and desire for more green space makes this group very anxious for information on how to do it right.
When I toured the area and the various sites that had grass, one thing continued to stick out. The one-third rule applies universally. If I could get this city to quit scalping, two thirds of their overall issues would diminish. Sure, these areas could use rain or irrigation, but their number one issue is they let it grow up to 6 inches and scalp it back to 1.5 to 2.0 inches. I guess my work will never be done.
The grasses prevalent in Harbin are Kentucky bluegrass and creeping red fescue. I did see creeping bentgrass on the one golf course in the whole province, though. (Now that is a tough tee time.)
Now, it is back to Beijing.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 6: August 14, 2008
The field is being mowed and rolled. It is in good shape. There is lots of attention on all the TVs and in the newspapers here. The focus on the Olympics in general is incredible.
China Is Focused on Grass
Yesterday, we took a side trip to another part of China. We went to the city of Harbin. Small by Chinese standards, only 2.5 million people live Harbin. It is the major center for the Northeast province of China. It’s a very modern city in many respects, and so big!
I went to Harbin to give a lecture at the Heilongjiang Academy of Agriculture Sciences. The topic? Grass, of course. We had to use an interpreter but it went pretty smooth. Their turf research and education program is quite new. But the way China is expanding, their need and desire for more green space makes this group very anxious for information on how to do it right.
When I toured the area and the various sites that had grass, one thing continued to stick out. The one-third rule applies universally. If I could get this city to quit scalping, two thirds of their overall issues would diminish. Sure, these areas could use rain or irrigation, but their number one issue is they let it grow up to 6 inches and scalp it back to 1.5 to 2.0 inches. I guess my work will never be done.
The grasses prevalent in Harbin are Kentucky bluegrass and creeping red fescue. I did see creeping bentgrass on the one golf course in the whole province, though. (Now that is a tough tee time.)
Now, it is back to Beijing.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Check in with Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers, on how the grass is growing in Beijing.
Day 4: August 12, 2008
The field installation has been completed after about 30 hours of intensive work and the grass is looking good right now. Over the next couple of days, the crew will spend time smoothing the field through rolling. They will also repair any seams that are not up to par and mow the field, but there won’t be much watering because the environment inside the stadium won’t allow the field to dry out like it would outdoors. The wind movement is less and this will keep moisture in the soil. They will start track and field events sometime over the weekend, but the big game, the gold medal soccer game, is actually not until Sunday, August 24. After that we’ll remove a few modules in the center of the field for the closing ceremony.
Stay Tuned
By the way, it does look as though NBC Sports will do a special report on this field in the next week. I’ll let you know as soon as we find out the schedule.
Envying the Outfield
We went today to watch the USA softball team play their opening round game against Venezuela. It was no contest—the USA routed them in 5 innings, 11-0—so it was quite easy to be patriotic. The stadium was beautiful and the outfield was zoysiagrass. Zoysiagrass is a warm season grass, perfectly suited for this part of China, especially in the summer months. So needless to say, a grass like zoysiagrass that loves heat and humidity as long as it has water, fertilizer, and proper mowing will be pristine during the month of August in Beijing. I admit that I was a little envious of the grass in the outfield after babying along the Kentucky bluegrass all summer.
On the Green
After the softball game, it was on to look at still more grass—this time at a private golf course on the west side of Beijing. The name of the course was Fragrant Hills Golf Club. It had all cool season grasses and while to the naked eye it was green, upon close inspection it was clear that the heat and humidity was taking its toll. These grasses were definitely looking forward to fall.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 4: August 12, 2008
The field installation has been completed after about 30 hours of intensive work and the grass is looking good right now. Over the next couple of days, the crew will spend time smoothing the field through rolling. They will also repair any seams that are not up to par and mow the field, but there won’t be much watering because the environment inside the stadium won’t allow the field to dry out like it would outdoors. The wind movement is less and this will keep moisture in the soil. They will start track and field events sometime over the weekend, but the big game, the gold medal soccer game, is actually not until Sunday, August 24. After that we’ll remove a few modules in the center of the field for the closing ceremony.
Stay Tuned
By the way, it does look as though NBC Sports will do a special report on this field in the next week. I’ll let you know as soon as we find out the schedule.
Envying the Outfield
We went today to watch the USA softball team play their opening round game against Venezuela. It was no contest—the USA routed them in 5 innings, 11-0—so it was quite easy to be patriotic. The stadium was beautiful and the outfield was zoysiagrass. Zoysiagrass is a warm season grass, perfectly suited for this part of China, especially in the summer months. So needless to say, a grass like zoysiagrass that loves heat and humidity as long as it has water, fertilizer, and proper mowing will be pristine during the month of August in Beijing. I admit that I was a little envious of the grass in the outfield after babying along the Kentucky bluegrass all summer.
On the Green
After the softball game, it was on to look at still more grass—this time at a private golf course on the west side of Beijing. The name of the course was Fragrant Hills Golf Club. It had all cool season grasses and while to the naked eye it was green, upon close inspection it was clear that the heat and humidity was taking its toll. These grasses were definitely looking forward to fall.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Check in with Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers, on how the grass is growing in Beijing.
Day 3: August 11, 2008
When we arrived at the Bird’s Nest today, it was business as usual. The only thing that was different was that the big hole on the floor of the stadium was about half green with our Kentucky bluegrass turf (and getting greener by the minute). The Chinese are making excellent progress and it appears they will make the August 12 deadline with no problem. The modules are in good shape, the soil is very stable and the grass dense. This really aids in being able to place the modules tightly together, which further reduces seams between them and makes for a better playing surface.
Moving Around Beijing
As we’re traveling around Beijing, we’ve run into people from the USA who are familiar with this project. They are very encouraging, which I appreciate. Some people are under the impression that we are in charge of all the soccer fields for the Olympic Games. But our responsibility is the portable field for the Bird’s Nest. Actually, most of the preliminary soccer matches are not even being played in Beijing–they are at stadiums in other Chinese cities.
As we move about in Beijing, we see grassy areas here and there, which certainly are a welcome sight amid the endless concrete and asphalt. Of course, the grass looks tired from the relentless heat, and if you look at it closely (as I always do) you can see that it is stressed and even diseased. But to me, any green spot looks good. In most cases the grass is not the focal point. Lots of flowers and garden areas have been added along the streets just for the Olympics, and that’s what draws the tourists’ eyes. This is a good lesson in aesthetics, if you ask me.
Keep Off the Grass!
By tomorrow, the Chinese will have finished installing the modular field and will begin the process of smoothing the surface with lightweight rollers. One issue I am concerned with and warned them about is excessive foot traffic on the grass. Everyone wants to get on the field for a "look." If it is just one or two people, then it’s no big deal. When it turns into one or two thousand, you can start to see wear patterns, especially because everyone enters the field from the same place (just like when you enter your backyard from a gate). Due to the weather, it is important that they monitor the traffic. In other words, keep off the grass as much as possible, please!
The Grass in the Outfield
Tomorrow we will be going to another stadium in a different part of Beijing to watch the USA softball team. The grass there is zoysiagrass, a warm-season grass much more suited for August in Beijing. I expect victories for both the grass and the USA. I’ll let you know how both turn out.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 3: August 11, 2008
When we arrived at the Bird’s Nest today, it was business as usual. The only thing that was different was that the big hole on the floor of the stadium was about half green with our Kentucky bluegrass turf (and getting greener by the minute). The Chinese are making excellent progress and it appears they will make the August 12 deadline with no problem. The modules are in good shape, the soil is very stable and the grass dense. This really aids in being able to place the modules tightly together, which further reduces seams between them and makes for a better playing surface.
Moving Around Beijing
As we’re traveling around Beijing, we’ve run into people from the USA who are familiar with this project. They are very encouraging, which I appreciate. Some people are under the impression that we are in charge of all the soccer fields for the Olympic Games. But our responsibility is the portable field for the Bird’s Nest. Actually, most of the preliminary soccer matches are not even being played in Beijing–they are at stadiums in other Chinese cities.
As we move about in Beijing, we see grassy areas here and there, which certainly are a welcome sight amid the endless concrete and asphalt. Of course, the grass looks tired from the relentless heat, and if you look at it closely (as I always do) you can see that it is stressed and even diseased. But to me, any green spot looks good. In most cases the grass is not the focal point. Lots of flowers and garden areas have been added along the streets just for the Olympics, and that’s what draws the tourists’ eyes. This is a good lesson in aesthetics, if you ask me.
Keep Off the Grass!
By tomorrow, the Chinese will have finished installing the modular field and will begin the process of smoothing the surface with lightweight rollers. One issue I am concerned with and warned them about is excessive foot traffic on the grass. Everyone wants to get on the field for a "look." If it is just one or two people, then it’s no big deal. When it turns into one or two thousand, you can start to see wear patterns, especially because everyone enters the field from the same place (just like when you enter your backyard from a gate). Due to the weather, it is important that they monitor the traffic. In other words, keep off the grass as much as possible, please!
The Grass in the Outfield
Tomorrow we will be going to another stadium in a different part of Beijing to watch the USA softball team. The grass there is zoysiagrass, a warm-season grass much more suited for August in Beijing. I expect victories for both the grass and the USA. I’ll let you know how both turn out.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers is still in Beijing and he’s started the monumental task of moving 5,500 modules of grass. See how it’s going.
Day 2: August 10, 2008
When I got up this morning I was greeted by fog and 77 degrees F. It is still hot and humid, and it’s as close to raining without rain as you can get. We went to the construction site first thing this morning. This is the site where the modular field was originally planted and cared for as it waited to be placed in the stadium. Part of our job as consultants was to provide specifications on how to prepare a turf module and grass establishment site. We gave them ideas on asphalt surface and its slope as well as accessibility and irrigation standards. I could see the move had started, as the first row of grass modules had been removed. I was happy to see the grass looks very good. My graduate student, Alec Kowalewski, and Mr. Gao, the Chinese appointed field manager, have done a very good job, given the extremely challenging weather.
Next, we headed for the Bird’s Nest. Every other time I have been here this stadium and the surrounding area has been a dust bowl due to construction. It is good to see it finished and looking very nice. As we move close to the entrance, I can see the Chinese Army trucks lined up to enter the stadium, each with 10 turf modules. At 10 modules per truck, and 5,500 modules, that is 550 trips!
Inside the magnificent stadium the place is filled with workers moving in modules. The process is going smoothly. The grass looks good. Everyone is taking great care to place the modules correctly.
One highlight of the day was the fact that NBC Sports was on hand to do a story on the field. They took lots of pictures and interviewed a couple of us about the story behind these very important pieces of grass. I wonder if they’ll show it on air later!
The modules will continue to be placed into the stadium from August 10 through 12, and the move has to be finished by the 12th. So far, everything is on schedule, but I’ll let you know if that’s still the case tomorrow.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 2: August 10, 2008
When I got up this morning I was greeted by fog and 77 degrees F. It is still hot and humid, and it’s as close to raining without rain as you can get. We went to the construction site first thing this morning. This is the site where the modular field was originally planted and cared for as it waited to be placed in the stadium. Part of our job as consultants was to provide specifications on how to prepare a turf module and grass establishment site. We gave them ideas on asphalt surface and its slope as well as accessibility and irrigation standards. I could see the move had started, as the first row of grass modules had been removed. I was happy to see the grass looks very good. My graduate student, Alec Kowalewski, and Mr. Gao, the Chinese appointed field manager, have done a very good job, given the extremely challenging weather.
Next, we headed for the Bird’s Nest. Every other time I have been here this stadium and the surrounding area has been a dust bowl due to construction. It is good to see it finished and looking very nice. As we move close to the entrance, I can see the Chinese Army trucks lined up to enter the stadium, each with 10 turf modules. At 10 modules per truck, and 5,500 modules, that is 550 trips!
Inside the magnificent stadium the place is filled with workers moving in modules. The process is going smoothly. The grass looks good. Everyone is taking great care to place the modules correctly.
One highlight of the day was the fact that NBC Sports was on hand to do a story on the field. They took lots of pictures and interviewed a couple of us about the story behind these very important pieces of grass. I wonder if they’ll show it on air later!
The modules will continue to be placed into the stadium from August 10 through 12, and the move has to be finished by the 12th. So far, everything is on schedule, but I’ll let you know if that’s still the case tomorrow.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
I am and I’m eagerly reading Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers’ updates from Beijing. From Trey’s description, and knowing how poorly my grass does in August, I’m a little worried about the condition of the grass he’s worked so hard to grow for the Olympic Games.
Day 1: August 9, 2008
Greetings from China, home of the 2008 Summer Olympics. It’s close to midnight now, as our plane only arrived at 10 pm local time. (There is a 12 hour time difference from EDT, 12 hour earlier.) The trip took a total of 23 hours and three plane changes, not something I would recommend, but the hotel is nice.
Since this is actually my fifth trip to Beijing, the beauty of the airport and highways did not wow me as it has before, but I was impressed with the incredible heat and humidity (it was 90 degrees when the plane landed). The fog/smog everyone has heard so much about was incredibly solid and visible. This is not great weather for either athletes or grass. The prolonged heat and humidity will really do damage to cool season grasses. Our turf here is Kentucky bluegrass, and while it has been well tended with proper fertilizer and plant protectants, even these can only go so far in keeping a plant healthy. Heat and humidity are brutal for all. It will be interesting to see how the lawns and parks look after this summer.
Tomorrow we get up early and go to the Bird’s Nest stadium, home of the opening ceremonies and our modular turf project. I’ve been told that the “move in” of the turf modules will take place over three days, August 10 through 12. I am not sure when the first field events are set for this turf, but I will let you know very soon. I do know that the Gold Medal Soccer game is set for August 24.
I’ll let you know how the grass looks tomorrow.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 1: August 9, 2008
Greetings from China, home of the 2008 Summer Olympics. It’s close to midnight now, as our plane only arrived at 10 pm local time. (There is a 12 hour time difference from EDT, 12 hour earlier.) The trip took a total of 23 hours and three plane changes, not something I would recommend, but the hotel is nice.
Since this is actually my fifth trip to Beijing, the beauty of the airport and highways did not wow me as it has before, but I was impressed with the incredible heat and humidity (it was 90 degrees when the plane landed). The fog/smog everyone has heard so much about was incredibly solid and visible. This is not great weather for either athletes or grass. The prolonged heat and humidity will really do damage to cool season grasses. Our turf here is Kentucky bluegrass, and while it has been well tended with proper fertilizer and plant protectants, even these can only go so far in keeping a plant healthy. Heat and humidity are brutal for all. It will be interesting to see how the lawns and parks look after this summer.
Tomorrow we get up early and go to the Bird’s Nest stadium, home of the opening ceremonies and our modular turf project. I’ve been told that the “move in” of the turf modules will take place over three days, August 10 through 12. I am not sure when the first field events are set for this turf, but I will let you know very soon. I do know that the Gold Medal Soccer game is set for August 24.
I’ll let you know how the grass looks tomorrow.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
You think growing a healthy lawn is tough? Imagine growing Olympic playing fields in China! Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers, PhD, a leading authority on lawns and our recent lawn forum expert, was instrumental in making the grass grow in Beijing for the upcoming Games. Trey will be sharing his impressions and experiences while attending the Olympics. Read on to see how Trey overcame the challenges of growing grass in China and learn about his experiences in Beijing! And don’t forget to watch the Games to see how lush and green Trey’s grass actually grew.
Grow for the Gold
It’s show time! In just a few more days, I’ll be heading to the Olympic Games. I’m anxious to see the grass we created for the playing fields. I’ll get there the night of August 9 (there’s a 12-hour time difference), so I won’t see the grass until the morning of August 10. It’s all located at a remote site 5 miles from the National Stadium (AKA “the Bird's Nest”) and we’re going to have to pick it up, move it and actually create the fields on my first day there.
Growing grass in Beijing is a unique challenge. Take all the weather extremes from across the U.S. and you’ve got an idea of what the weather is like in Beijing. You have the dry, cold open weather of North Dakota for a few months, then the heat and humidity of Cincinnati for a few months, followed by the rain and heat of Miami in summer. Not exactly lawn heaven. In fact, due to the hot, hot weather, the Chinese lawns you do see are often riddled with disease. All that said, the playing fields we planted for the Olympics last September should look great. They've really been well cared for. They've been fertilized every 7 to 10 days and checked for watering on a daily basis, so I’m looking forward to seeing evenly green, healthy turf. I’ll keep you posted on how the grass is growing–and on my impressions of Beijing and the Games while I’m there.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Check back next week to read more about Trey at the Olympics.
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Grow for the Gold
It’s show time! In just a few more days, I’ll be heading to the Olympic Games. I’m anxious to see the grass we created for the playing fields. I’ll get there the night of August 9 (there’s a 12-hour time difference), so I won’t see the grass until the morning of August 10. It’s all located at a remote site 5 miles from the National Stadium (AKA “the Bird's Nest”) and we’re going to have to pick it up, move it and actually create the fields on my first day there.
Growing grass in Beijing is a unique challenge. Take all the weather extremes from across the U.S. and you’ve got an idea of what the weather is like in Beijing. You have the dry, cold open weather of North Dakota for a few months, then the heat and humidity of Cincinnati for a few months, followed by the rain and heat of Miami in summer. Not exactly lawn heaven. In fact, due to the hot, hot weather, the Chinese lawns you do see are often riddled with disease. All that said, the playing fields we planted for the Olympics last September should look great. They've really been well cared for. They've been fertilized every 7 to 10 days and checked for watering on a daily basis, so I’m looking forward to seeing evenly green, healthy turf. I’ll keep you posted on how the grass is growing–and on my impressions of Beijing and the Games while I’m there.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Check back next week to read more about Trey at the Olympics.
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
