SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/120370
FieldScience Advice from STMA Conference sessions on managing infield skins A maintenance for the San Diego Padres; John Turnour, head groundskeeper for the Washington Nationals; and Eric Blanton, manager for turf and grounds for the Reno Aces to conduct a panel discussion. Here are some highlights from that session: Grant McKnight stressed to the audience the importance of knowing where you are starting from with regard to improving your infield mix. How much sand, silt and clay do you have now? Use that information and knowledge of how soils components go together to get the >> LARRY DIVITO, head groundskeeper for the Minnesota desired end product. McKnight Twins, demonstrates how to add conditioner to a field during a previously held seminar. also said turf managers need to understand what is possible on their infields based on the level of play and the level of maintenance on any given field. It was McKnight and former MLB groundskeeper and now executive at Beacon Athletics, Paul Zwaska, who first came up with the "silt to clay ratio" that is quickly becoming state of the art in determining the right combination across the particle spectrum for infield mixes. McKnight said small changes in your mix can make huge differences in playability. An attendee asked, "What is the minimum depth you want to till a skin when you are adding soil?" The panel's response was if you are amending your soil, go only into the top 3 inches, but if you are trying to build more permanent structure, you can't just scratch in material. For a new construction situation, 4 inches is preferred, but the panel added that if you are S ALWAYS, the Sports Turf Managers Association's Conference Education Subcommittee makes sure there are experts presenting on maintaining infield skin areas at its Conference. This past January in Daytona Beach was no different; STMA gathered Grant McKnight of Natural Sand; Bill Deacon, director of landscape and field operations for the New York Mets; Luke Yoder, director of field and landscape using better materials you can get away with 3 inches. Another question: "How can you judge compaction?" Answer: A real scientific method—after putting good moisture on your skin, can you easily put a key into and out of your mix? If so you are good. Yoder recommended pulling a sample when you have infield sand or other material delivered and send it off for testing. "You have to be willing to send it back," he said. "The tests are cheap. Get a 2 millimeter sieve and take the sample when it's still on the truck. You can trust your supplier and still test." Deacon answered a question about what depths the materials underneath the top 3 inches should be. "We just pulled ours out at Citi Field and it was like concrete; it wasn't originally made up of materials that I had recommended. We replaced it with sand and gravel which can release water better," he said. "We first put down 4 inches of 3/8-inch gravel, then 6 inches of sand, and then 6 inches of infield mix." Yoder added that he doesn't recommend using any type of weed barrier when building an infield. "They are not necessary and it only messes with your moisture management," he said. Dr. Norm Hummel, a noted luminary in the world of soil science and president of his own soil testing company, added from the audience that if you have a good native soil base you can get away with simply adding 3 inches of a good mix on top. Adding material to your infield Yoder recommended using a Harley rake drum attachment with metal studs to incorporate material into your existing With just ½% grade you can get rainwater to run off without players even being able to tell it's graded. 26 SportsTurf | April 2013 www.sportsturfonline.com