Commonwealth Sports Turf Services has improved and maintained quality sports turf since 2003, with 31 years combined sports turf experience in Richmond, Virginia. Keith Kitchen, president, started a residential turf and landscaping company, Luxury Lawns, who were contracted by several high profile sports complexes to maintain their turf. Keith’s vision grew and his creative approach to innovative services supports the basics of turf science facilitating pristine fields for any turf environment.

1. Drainage and Irrigation For Your Sports Turf
cwsportsturf.com/blog/drainage-and-irrigation-f or-your-sports-turf /
Keith Kitchen
Drainage and Irrigation for Your Sports Turf
Commonwealth Sports Turf Services has improved and maintained quality sports turf since 2003,
with 31 years combined sports turf experience in Richmond, Virginia. Keith Kitchen, president,
started a residential turf and landscaping company, Luxury Lawns, who were contracted by
several high prof ile sports complexes to maintain their turf . Keith’s vision grew and his creative
approach to innovative services supports the basics of turf science f acilitating pristine f ields f or
any turf environment.
Turf Services in Virginia
Commonwealth Sports Turf Services include golf course greens, high school athletic f ields,
f ootball f ields, soccer and baseball f ields, rugby f ields and county parks.
CST analyzes all details of your unique sports turf situation. Your root depth, soil compaction
and heavy traf f ic areas are all relevant to the health of your sports turf . Aerating impacts your
greens but do you know to what degree is too much or not enough? Knowing what your sports
turf need are questions that have scientif ic answers. Each turf needs a dif f erent and varying
approach.
First Things First: Soil Study
Bef ore maintenance f or your sports turf can be
initiated it is important to study the soil in each
f ield area noting that each soil bed is unique in
its own level of nutrients. By studying your soil
we can comprehend nutrient composition
underlying the medium of growth and supply you
with a def iciency report. A discovery document
including a graph which represents your soil
nutrients where they are now and where they
should be in the f uture f or the most durability.
An application study is reevaluated each year f or good health. Maintenance without a soil study
may result in unnecessary treatments or costs.
Mechanical Services: Strategy Action
Af ter your soil study a personalized plan is initiated with needed granular and liquid nutrient
chemicals and recommended quantity applications action. Your sports turf may be scheduled f or
core aeration, deep core aeration, top dressing or verticutting, whichever f its your maintenance
needs.
Maintenance
Commonwealth Sports Turf uses cutting edge equipment, investigates in-depth research and
their employees, with proven abilities, make CST both prof essional and gives them the ability to
provide best maintenance practices.

2. Monthly Strategy
Communication is a key f actor to our client’s f ield progress addressing concerns and planning
project strategies. Meeting once a month helps to ensure evaluating health of sports turf
through planned usage.
Core Aeration: Improvement and Predictability
Your strategized services to maintain your turf may vary f rom removing thatch or deep tining
greens. However a main f actor f or peak perf ormance, in any sports turf , is core aeration also
ref erred to as coring, spiking, slicing or soil cultivation.
Deep Tine Aeration
Allowing maximum aeration with the least impact f or turf usability is deep tine aeration. Core
aeration lessens possible soil compaction which can result in hardening the surf ace being played.
Verticutting
Verticutting removes thatch f rom Bermuda turf ,
a necessity to plant health. Thatch is an
excessive build-up of clippings prohibiting the
penetration of oxygen, nutrients and water to
root area. Vericutting thins grass increasing
drainage allowing leaf blades theref ore
improving aesthetics f or ball roll and playability.
Core Distribution
Cores are collected using a turf sweeper then reapplied to areas needing viable roots, which can
grow immediately.
Top Dressing
Sand and compost or a combination of the two, are inserted in the soil prof ile creating a cha
decreasing soil compaction and leaving a better playing area f or oxygen and nutrients to drain
into the soil root.
Keith’s vision grew and his creative approach to innovative services supports the basics of turf
science, f acilitating pristine f ields f or any turf environment here in Virginia.
About
Latest Posts
Keith Kitchen
Owner at Commonwealth Sports Turf Services
Growing up on a working f arm that f eeds your f amily gave Keith an appreciation
f or the importance of planning f or growth. It was corn and peanuts then, now it
sports turf . Af ter graduating f rom Virginia Tech with a Bachelors of Science in
Agricultural Economics and spending 5 years with Southern States, Keith partnered into a new
business venture overseeing natural turf maintenance f or Luxury Lawns, a startup maintenance
company. Continued growth over 20 years has placed Luxury Lawns, a company Keith now owns,
in the top small businesses in the Midlothian area specializing in residential turf management,
landscape design and installation, and hardscape applications. Af ter success in the residential
turf market, Keith launched Commonwealth Sports Turf and now manages the day to day
operations of the business.

3. Latest posts by Keith Kitchen (see all)
Drainage and Irrigation For Your Sports Turf - May 12, 2014
Braves’ New Turf Under Close Scrutiny - April 8, 2014
Improve Your Turf with Core Aeration - April 8, 2014