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
mix. "At the high school level, for example, put your new material on top and then use the Harley rake for about an hour to till it in," he said. "If you are just adding material, you can even naildrag it in. "Tilling and grading is the ideal situation," Yoder said, "but if you till it in then you really should follow up with a laser-grading." Question from the audience: "Should you add sand via injection on your skin?" Answer, from McKnight: "No, you have to incorporate sand into the mix. Adding straight sand is not recommended because eventually it just floats back up to the top." McKnight continued: "A good infield absorbs water; it doesn't drain water. It should hold moisture and a good profile will hold water longer. If your infield is draining, it will eventually fall apart." Yoder: "At the high school level, a hard and firm surface is better than having whatever material is on top blowing off. If possible, you should soak your infield for 30 minutes after a game, then nail drag it the next morning followed by using a drag mat." McKnight: "At lower levels of competition, in the heat of summer, you are going to have more compaction so it is best to open up the infield skin after it rains but when the top ½ inch gets dry. Then drag it for a more consistent surface. At these levels you need to use calcined or vitrified clay for sliding purposes." Rolling Blanton: "I never roll my infield though we do use a hand roller on the edges. We let nature take its course. We roll after edging because we want to pack it down; it's more about playability than aesthetics." Yoder: "We roll (1 ½-ton) before homestands, just one or two decent rolls to tighten things up." Turnour: "The day before a homestand we roll once to tighten it up, unless it is too dry; it's a fine line in determining when to roll. We roll our edges, with the roller half on the dirt, half on the grass." McKnight: "If you use a roller, you must then use a nail board. And if you find you are using a roller once a week or so, you need to amend your infield mix; something's not right." A question on using vitrified clay elicited these responses: Deacon: "I have used it for sliding surfaces or to add color." Yoder: "I don't use it; I think of it more as a warning track material." Turnour: "I don't have much experience with vitrified and I'm comfortable with straight calcined." Paul Zwaska, another expert in attendance, added that he thought that in a region like Washington, DC, vitrified clay might help moisture management. McKnight: "If you are incorporating a conditioner into your soil structure, and you have better soil, you can use a product for its color or added durability or as a topdressing for extra absorbency." McKnight answered another question on infields with high sand contents: "No, adding a pallet of calcined clay conditioner will not improve that mix." n www.stma.org SportsTurf 27