Natural Grass-Black Sand Snow Melting | Sports Turf Specialties, Inc.

Black Sand Application

Troubled with all that snow on your athletic field or golf course? Wondering how nearly 2 feet of snow is going to disappear before opening day?

STS is now offering black sand application for natural grass athletic fields, golf courses, and municipalities.

Snow plows can often times scalp and rut natural grass. With black sand, the snow melts away under sunlight.

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Background.

Black sand is an environmentally friendly alternative to snow removal. Sports Turf Specialties, Inc. designed this program with the intention to allow golf courses, athletic facilities, and municipalities to open their spring seasons on schedule, promote sustainable snow removal, and encourage early spring green up and use for natural grass.

Ever notice how when the sun shines over a layer of snow, the area your standing around seems a lot brighter? Lighter colors such as white, is reflected by sunlight causing a brighter effect. Darker colors such as black, absorbs sunlight, causing a warming effect. After an even distribution of black sand over the surface of the snow, sunlight immediately is absorbed causing a warming effect. As the snow melts, the black sand moves with melting process, eliminating several feet of snow in 1-2 weeks in below freezing temperatures.

The Science.

Application.

Previously applied by hand with a shovel, our innovative team created a machine that will safely and effectively spread the sand over the surface of the snow. The black sand is applied utilizing a turf type utility spreader that glides over the surface of the snow distributing the colored material evenly. A job that once took days for one football field can now be applied in about one hour. The application machine is low ground pressure and does not cause harm to the natural grass surface.

Sustainability.

Upon complete melting of the snow, the sand enters the rootzone of the turfgrass. Given that the sand is colored 1mm topdressing sand, the product has no detrimental effect on the health of the plant, its simply light topdressing. The application does not require a heavy amount of sand. If the client is concerned with the color of the material used, a safe alternative is dark green sand.