18SportsTurf February 2011www.sportsturfonline.com - PDF document

18SportsTurf February 2011www.sportsturfonline.com FieldScience INFIELD SKIN PACKAGE I have Gail Materials Collegiate blend infield mix. It con-sists of a 60% sand/20% clay/20% silt mixture. It was cho-content. It holds together very nicely with very little cleatmarks after games. Gail Materials has continuously tried tomake their products better no matter what outcomes theyhave. They are a company that strives to be the best and thatalso was another reason I chose their product. GEORGE MARSHALL, Here at Stetson University in Florida we use a clay field LARRY DIVITO, Minnesota TwinsOur infield mix is from Natural Sand in Slippery Rock,PA. Grant McKnight is the owner there and he is the one whoengineered this infield mix. It is somewhat similar to what the DAN DOUGLAS, Infield mixes in general have improved dramatically inthe past 25 years. Suppliers are now producing much cleanerproducts and are more conscien-tious of the makeup of their mixes.There are also a lot more choices ofamendments. Whether a mix isloose, tight, dry, sticky or just anunappealing color, there is anamendment available to correct theproblem. In most cases, I recom- JIM WIGGINS, Tomball (TX) ISDWe just recently rebuilt bothboth were in dire need of an over-haul from the bottom up. Weinches out of softball. Starting withthe new subgrade of 60/40 sandclay mixture we had blended, thecontractor, 4E Turf Services, andlaser work on the subgrade. Bothfields had Diamond Pro VitrifiedRed added as the new topdressingand then rolled and nailed multi- infield mix If there are 1 or 2 crew members, working on four ormore fields every day, the infield mix will need a largerbe maintained by the grounds crew. baselines, mound and home plate areas onwill become even more important now withthis new conditioner, but look forward tothe new challenges this may bring.During the redo portions of both fieldsand with Rain Bird’s help, we added newFalcon high speed rotors to both infields.These dirt zone sprinklers have been timesavers for us over the years. We finished offthe redo’s by adding a quarter-inch of sandtopdressing to both fields. Bring on the sea-sons which start in the middle of Januaryhere in Texas! CRAIG SCHLENDER, Ball Diamond Fine Sports TurfI would have to say my favorite infieldmix, 6 inches deep, incorporated with 6-8tons of calcined clay, on a regulation base-clay topdressing. I prefer the calcined clayamendments for good moisture holdingability on hot, dry days and the wickingability on rainy, wet days. The addition ofcalcined clay on very wet days, used as adrying agent, doesn’t change the mix orcolor in the future. The silt and clay pro-vide a high quality, solid base for spikes toAs a field manager, I like a higher clay,moisture content in the mix so it has a veryon days with rain approaching, backing offon water, so that it will wick more moistureAs a consultant, I try to prescribe a mixsuited to the manpower of the groundscrew staff. If there are 1 or 2 crew mem-bers, working on four or more fields everyday, the infield mix will need a larger sandcontent as watering and drying will not beable to be maintained by the grounds crew.The mix will stay softer when dry and willbe more playable when wet. I still like to seesand, 30% clay, silt mix works well for arecreational mix.On all fields, surface drainage and avail-able water is the most important part of agood infield. On high-use complexes whereture in the mix, I suggest the addition ofbe added at night or early morning. Thisshould a rain storm show up.Whatever the mix, if the moisture con-tent is right, the mix will play pretty well. Iprefer a darker mix to minimize the glarefor players and fans. In Wisconsin, where Iconsult on many fields with low budgets,tion due to trucking costs. Additional fac-tors include true surface drainage, ability tocalcined clay.Some fields are more than 1% slope dueto various reasons, and in these circum-vitrified clay as a topdress, as it will stay putwater. SportsTurf19www.stma.org