As Facilities, Operations and Management begins spraying the Green with their vibrantly-colored hydroseed in the coming days, students can rest assured that all ingredients remain safe, although access to the grass will be restricted by the usual yellow ropes. The glowing-green substance that FO&M sprays on the ground each year to re-grow the grass is no more than a combination of mulch, water and fertilizer.
FO&M applies hydroseeding every spring to help the grass seeds take root and grow. The mulch causes the deep green-blue color.
According to Turf Manager George Brothers, FO&M uses the fertilizers in hyrdoseeding and refrains from using pesticides.
"The only fertilizer in it is within the hydroseeder. Basically it's a soluble starter fertilizer. It is a little higher in phosphorous and that's to develop the roots and to develop the plant," Brothers said, "Without phosphorous, the plant cannot develop."
Although fertilizers with high phosphorous counts can be linked to ground and water pollution when fertilizer is misused, Brothers was assured no problems exist with this particular process.
"Nothing alarming," he noted about the campus's literal grass-roots effort.
New grass will be welcomed to campus after this year's mud season produced some rather strong and unwelcome odors near the Green.
"Sometimes we do fertilize the Green and fertilizer is bacteria. We have to produce bacteria for the turf to live. You might be smelling that," Brothers said, also noting significant dead material and humus can breakdown to create disturbing smells.
But for Brothers, it's business as usual. "With the right conditions, it will give you a moldy smell or something like that."
