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crussell's Baseball Field Improvements

39K views 206 replies 44 participants last post by  g-man 
#1 ·
A while ago I posted about an opportunity to volunteer my time and efforts towards the local HS Varsity Baseball Field. Well everything has checked out, and this weekend I got the green light.

The field is approximately 6,000 SF of infield, plus another 5,000 SF of "curtains" which is the foul territory along the baselines.

Earlier this year I helped organize a fundraising event for the Baseball team, which brought in about $7,500 for the team. The coach is willing to allocate up to $1,000 towards the field. Basically any significant purchases, for example top dressing sand, they will cover. I'm happy to donate the more incidental items, including some chemicals, ferts, etc out of my own supply.

Last year they installed irrigation and re-leveled the infield, before throwing down what sounded like a Northern Seed Mix of some kind (kbg/prg/tttf). Anyways, a year later and the weeds have taken over. In addition, the grass looks stressed, the ground is hard and lumpy, and really never got much TLC.

My plan? Well it's almost October, so not much time left to do anything. Not to mention, Baseball season starts up in March so any thoughts of a reno, or any other destructive option is not feasible. Here is the approach I'm taking:

1.)Reel Mow - I have a spare McLane 20" Reel Mower I'm willing to leave at the field and use to mow. I mowed yesterday, took me 2 hours! I have been spoiled by my GM1000 at home, and forgot how SLOW this McLane mows...

2.)Weed Control - There is a salad bar of weeds. You name it, it's there. I turned to Tenacity at the 5 oz / Acre Rate. I chose tenacity as it will accommodate my over seeding, and it's pre and post emergent properties. Along with this blanked app, I added a few other items to the cocktail (FAS & Kelp)

3.)Verticut - Going to run my Slit Seeder through it to open up the ground.

4.)Over Seed - I have about 25# of PRG (Champion GQ) that I will spread in after Verticutting.

5.)Top Dress - Bringing in about 10 CY of sand. I'm fortunate they have a lawn tractor and drag mats, I haven't had that luxury at home.

6.)Fertilize - Want to hit it with some Nitrogen. Probably two apps before winter.

PHOTO NARRATIVE:

Just a relative sample of the current condition, and weed problems.




First reel mow - This was taken on my way back from dumping the clippings. I opted to catch yesterday, because of the amount of weeds I was mowing.


View from the Club House.




12 Gallons ready to spray over 11,000 SF - Tenacity, FAS, Kelp4Less Extreme Blend, Surfactant & Dye. When I built this sprayer, I never though I'd have to fill it past the 4 gallons to do my home lawn. Now filling to 12 gallons, I had some reason for concern on how it would handle, but to my surprise the Spyker setup handled the full 12 gallons awesome!




 
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#2 ·
Sounds like a solid plan!

Would be worth it to do a SureGuard or SpecticleFlo app on the infield skin as a Pre-M for winter annuals that will pop up. Makes it a lot easier and quicker to get things game-ready.

Maybe an overseeding plan with bluegrass next fall.

Looking forward to following along. Best of luck!
 
#3 ·
@osuturfman Are those not both Warm Season herbicides? The only concern I have with the Pre-M is that my overseed would be unsuccessful.

I was very close to ordering a bag of KBG, but decided it is getting too late in the year and time is running out. I have the PRG on hand, and it should establish quickly if I get it down in the next day or two. We have a good week of mixed sun/clouds and temps in the mid-high 60's forecasted.
 
#4 ·
Negative, they are used in all climates. The area I was suggesting they be used on is the infield dirt, aka "skin", not at all on the grass surfaces. I should have been more clear about that, sorry. Usually, you'll see winter annual grasses and weeds pop up in those areas, especially in a fairly moderate climate like yours. Again, this helps in that there shouldn't be very many weeds/grass to remove from the dirt prior to the season.

Sounds like good weather to get the PR to establish before it gets cold. Seed down and tucked in with the topdressing will have the team on a top-notch surface in no time.

Are you responsible for doing anything with the dirt or just grass for now?
 
#5 ·
@osuturfman Ohhhhh ok that makes a lot more sense. I have to say I would be interested in doing these Pre-Ms to the "skin", but holy smokes I just looked up the price.. Any Warm Season guys want to sell me an ounce or two??

I don't mind spending money on these things, but I literally would have no use for these at home, and would only need one app for about 10k Square Feet.
 
#6 ·
Yesterday after work - My buddies (who are HS coaches) and I hit the field.

We did two passes of the verticutter in separate directions, and then chased behind it with a rotary to bag the thatch and debris. All in all, not a lot of thatchy material was produced. The ground is so firm, that the blades really did slice down in most areas without disturbing the existing grass too much.

One Pass:



Put down about 25# of Champion GQ PRG over the 11k SF. Put the spreader on a lighter setting, and made about 3 passes over the entire space until it was spent. Super happy with the Spyker spreader, great spread pattern. We hand sanded a few high traffic area, such as in front of dugouts and at the base of the pitchers mound.



Sun was getting low but we hit it with about 20 minutes of water to settle and moisten the seed. This week should be cloudy and mid-60's, will keep up with daily watering just to keep the seed moist.



Next comes top dressing - Have 10 CY of topdressing sand on order for tomorrow and Thursday. Figuring over two evenings we will get it spread and drug in.

Will hit it with some fert. I have some 16-16-16 and some Milo. Hoping to help promote faster growth through the sand, and the milo should be slow enough to help when the seed germinates.
 
#8 ·
We put in some work the last two nights.

Yesterday first thing after work, spread some Milo and 16-16-16 down before topdressing.

Then piled and spread 10 CY of topdressing sand. We used a combination of a riding mower, wheel barrows, gorilla cart, rakes, drag mats, and brooms.

It's amazing how fast sand can disappear into turf. Our piles broke down to some pretty thick areas, but by the time we finished dragging and brooming, it's as if we never top dressed at all.

It has already made a very noticeable improvement, which is evident just from walking on it or driving the riding mower.

Planning to mow Saturday morning.

Can already tell from my application of FAS on Saturday, the grass is much greener compared to the outfield.









 
#10 ·
Looks like you've got a great project! What are your plans for the clay on the infield? Consistent hops of the balls are always nice, just like having a great playing surface. That triplex you're looking at would be a great addition for maintaining the field. Concerning Specticle Flo, you can get a small bottle (18 oz) that would last you a season or two of great PreM coverage, and the price would offset the cost for your PostM sprays along with the time to spray said materials. All too often, we don't value our time as much as the chemicals we apply to the turf.
 
#11 ·
Progress update:

2 weeks after my initial spray app, and the Tenacity is doing its job. Lots of pale/bleached weeds including a lot of clover. I decided to do another app yesterday with FAS, Humic, and a lighter dose of Tenacity.

But first, I christened the field with it's first mow using this John Deere 220B. I double cut the infield, and single cut the curtains. This mower was just loaned to me, and I didn't waste a lot of time checking it's setup. I just cranked up the HOC to about .75" or so. Now that it's in my garage I'm going to replace the bedknife, backlap, and dial in the height of cut.

Did my spray app in the afternoon following the mow.

This morning (next day) I put down 1 lb. Nitrogen per K using 46-0-0 Urea and ran the sprinklers for a few minutes. It has since started to rain, so it should get watered in nice. The weather forecast shows highs of 55-60f with lows down in the 40's. I'm hopefull that I will still see a little growth over the next few weeks and get a few more mows in. Will do one more app of Urea towards the end of October. Fingers crossed, I'm hoping this leaves the turf in a good state for playing ball in the spring.



After the mow, but before the Spray Ap.


This morning while watering in the Urea.


@Colonel K0rn I do plan to give some attention to the clay skin. While the weeds and some grass have established, I've been told that it takes very little effort to remove these before the season. With how rock hard the clay is, I don't think they get rooted very well. I plan on cleaning up the edges before the season, and we'll drag and add synthetic "turface" I think it's called.

The Triplex would be awesome for the out field. That being said, I don't have the time or resources to give the outfield the same TLC as the infield areas. Would strictly just reel cut that area and call it good. That is a lot of square footage for chemicals and fertilizer.
 
#14 ·
With regards to the infield skin, assuming the base is clay, the most important factor is water. You will want to make sure the skin is properly irrigated. Too much water and you'll have a soft surface. Too little and you'll have concrete.

Turface is a company that makes infield conditioners. You spread the Turface on top of the clay. It functions to manage moisture, improve drainage, and keep skinned surfaces safe and playable. Its porous, calcined clay construction absorbs more water and helps resist compaction. Simply put, its your actual playing surface.

The easiest way to measure the proper amount of moisture is the key test. Take any key (house key for example). Stick the key into the clay and pull it out. If the clay has the right moisture content, the key will pull out cleanly with nothing sticking to it. Too much moisture and clay will stick to the key. Too little and the clay will crumble.

Love the work you have done so far on the grass. Looks very professional.
 
#15 ·
ksturfguy said:
Good progress so far. Love seeing pictures of well maintained baseball/football fields. Nothing beats a nice looking grass field. So many fields switching to artificial turf.
There is a bond going to vote in November to renovate the High School - I heard it would include synthetic turf fields for Baseball and Football... I get why, artificial turf can be played year round and used for more than just the sports season, but like you I love the natural grass turf.
 
#16 ·
Harts said:
With regards to the infield skin, assuming the base is clay, the most important factor is water. You will want to make sure the skin is properly irrigated. Too much water and you'll have a soft surface. Too little and you'll have concrete.

Turface is a company that makes infield conditioners. You spread the Turface on top of the clay. It functions to manage moisture, improve drainage, and keep skinned surfaces safe and playable. Its porous, calcined clay construction absorbs more water and helps resist compaction. Simply put, its your actual playing surface.

The easiest way to measure the proper amount of moisture is the key test. Take any key (house key for example). Stick the key into the clay and pull it out. If the clay has the right moisture content, the key will pull out cleanly with nothing sticking to it. Too much moisture and clay will stick to the key. Too little and the clay will crumble.

Love the work you have done so far on the grass. Looks very professional.
I'll be honest - I came aboard to handle the grass turf, I know nothing about the other playing surfaces. With that being said, I'm learning a lot more about the skinned surfaces, and will lend a hand come spring in any way I can. I do know that they have a separate irrigation zone for the skin, so there is some control in that regard.
 
#21 ·
This is my exact same vision for our school. I drive past our field every day and am saddened by how it looks. Granted it is green. But it is overgrown with weeds. Our school has a nice Ventrac, but they mow with the same old old zero turn that they mow the rest of the property with. And a majority of that turf is disastrous. So I can easily see why it looks the way it does. When they do mow it looks like they are driving through a chisel plowed field. They do try and aerate and take care off it the best they can. And money is not an issue. We have an artificial football field. They are actually rebuilding the dugouts as we speak. Both the softball fields and the baseball field are nice facilities. But the turf looks like garbage. I just think its a lack of knowledge or they just don't care enough. I think in a couple of years when I have time, I am going to approach the athletic director and super independent to try and do the same thing you are doing if it's not in better shape. But I am very jealous of your post. Thanks for sharing and taking the time to help.
 
#22 ·
Mowed today. Double cut the infield at 0.70" HOC

This JD 220B needs some love. I have a new bedknife for it and the backlapper ready to go but I keep telling myself I'll buy an 8 blade reel and do it all as winter maintenance. Lots of stragglers left after double cutting.

Otherwise the grass keeps growing, and the tenacity is still doing it's thing almost 2 weeks since last app.



 
#23 ·
This would definitely be my dream retirement job. Have always thought about starting a lawn care business to give me something to do after i retire but maintaining athletic fields would be the ideal job. Just not sure much of a demand for it. Most schools do their own work.
 
#25 ·
Mowed today - 1 Week since last mow.

Grass has taken on a nice dark green color and was looking flush. Can't believe the weather we have had for almost being November. Had a few nights of rain this last week, but temps still ranging in the 50's.

Mowed at .70 HOC followed by the last nitrogen application of the year. 46-0-0 Urea at 1# per K.

Here it is pre-mow, and then after:





 
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