Less than desirable weather and cold, can lead to bad field conditions. What maintenance procedures, do schools have for their field. Some fields, have high winds, others very little sun. Some are elevated and some, have rain runoff. Some are clay, others sandy mixture. Some are synthetic and others natural grass.

 

When to fertilize, over-seed, aerate, tarp/no tarp, infield mix, edging, soil sampling for proper additives, grass maintenance....Let's offer suggestions and help make all the fields ideal.

Nice idea for a thread. Sorry I can't add much input to it.

I recommend to anyone, to have a soils test done and a composition analysis of the soil type. They can recommend the proper additives, to maintain a healthy natural grass growth.

 

Keep in mind, the dry clay and sand will blow, often settling in the infield grass. Over time, this will harden and not allow, proper grass growth.

I will say this, it is money well spent to provide a field with the proper grass and dirt/clay so the field can withstand the punishment the season will dish out. The more time that can be spent on the field during a season will make a BIG difference on how deep that team goes come postseason.

I will say this, it is money well spent to provide a field with the proper grass and dirt/clay so the field can withstand the punishment the season will dish out. The more time that can be spent on the field during a season will make a BIG difference on how deep that team goes come postseason.

I agree and many types of clay variations, that can sustain high traffic and play.

 

Turface

Diamond Pro

Marmix

Beam Clay

 

Some are vitrified and others, are calcined. Conditioners and top dressing, are added for appearance and to minimize hardness.

I have learned that that Turface stuff is pretty nice, I like it.

Always important to work on the infield lips. Oftentimes will require using a sod cutter to pull them up, remove necessary dirt, and relay (or replace) the sod. To keep them from re-forming, dirt that has moved into the grass should be regularly swept or blown (with gas blower) back onto the infield. Occasionally a hose should be used to wash the dirt back into the infield. High lips can ruin an infield and cause some pretty nasty hops.

Always important to work on the infield lips. Oftentimes will require using a sod cutter to pull them up, remove necessary dirt, and relay (or replace) the sod. To keep them from re-forming, dirt that has moved into the grass should be regularly swept or blown (with gas blower) back onto the infield. Occasionally a hose should be used to wash the dirt back into the infield. High lips can ruin an infield and cause some pretty nasty hops.

Often see lips, broomed in the wrong direction. Some like to push the infield material, toward the grass and that will create lips, like you mentioned.

 

Broom or rake toward the infield or foul territory. Stand in the edge of the grass and push the material away, instead of pulling toward.

Does anyone know if Letcher Central's new field will ready for the season? I hear it's going to be a nice one. Knowing Coach Dean and how he has groomed every field in every place he has ever coached, it will certainly be given tender loving care.

I recommend to anyone, to have a soils test done and a composition analysis of the soil type. They can recommend the proper additives, to maintain a healthy natural grass growth.

 

Keep in mind, the dry clay and sand will blow, often settling in the infield grass. Over time, this will harden and not allow, proper grass growth.

 

Soils test is great suggestion. It will keep you from doing some unnecessary work and help to understand what your field needs in order to look the way you idealize it.

Mason Co. mows their grass... They got it aerated once last year and threw some seed down, but other than that, they don't give a hoot what happens to that field. They would rather spend the money on the football field. Everytime you look up they are doing something to it and won't help out the baseball field any. We have to water it with the rain and wet it down with a dinky water hose that takes about an hour before being dragged. Hope it changes and they do some work to the field (dug-outs and backstop) before they host the region in 2009.

To level out the grass playing surface, put down sand in the low areas and you can even go over the grass with a screen drag to even out the sand a bit. Keep doing this on a regular basis and eventually you'll get a level surface. If you have a low area in the outfield, Turface (and I think one or two other companies now) makes a conditioner that is dyed green than you can throw down in the area to help dry it up and the green color helps it blend in with the grass (assuming you have green grass, of course!).

Anyone knows how Dixie's new baseball field is coming along? Didn't use it last year because the grass didn't get sodded/seeded in time, so just wondering how it's doing. I assume the infield was sodded and outfield seeded?

First off If mason is hosting a regional tourney in 2009 they dont just have a whole lot of work to do on the field, they have to re-do almost everything which is a whole BOAT LOAD of work to get done. I am suprised they aerated it at all, they do a nice job of growing the prettiest dandylions though.

 

As for Dixie's field, I have not been on it yet, but this past fall they were watering it whenever I drove past and honestly looks like there is some great potential there for a nice field. I think it should be ready to play on this year, as in the fall it looked as if it was in playing shape already.

I go by regularly by Dixie's field and it looks good to me. Only need some dry weather to work on it to get it in playing shape. I am sure they plan to use it this year. I hope I don't care much for Turkeyfoots field. JD