John Mascaro's Photo Quiz
Answers from page 17
Although weAk turf on softball fields can be caused by a variety of things, this weak
turf is a result of too much silt in the soil. This seven-field fast pitch softball facility in North
Dakota was built on a former lake bed in the famed Red River Valley and the park has dealt
with flooding for many years now. This past spring as the winter snows melted, the river crested
above flood stage, leaving about 14 feet of water on these fields and they remained underwater
for about 2 weeks. The length of time the fields remain under water is directly proportional to
the amount of silt that is left on the soil surface when the waters recede. Some years it is 1 inch
or less and can be easily broken up. In 2009, the river was on the fields for almost a month and
left 4 inches of silt behind. The parks department had to use skid steers to push the silt up and
haul it away. This year about an inch of silt was deposited by the flood waters and they were
able to break it up and re-seed into the soil with ryegrass to get a quick cover. This fall they will
be interseeding the rye with bluegrass. After the facility was cleaned up, it was re-opened on
July 8; the evening of July 9, they received 6 inches of rain and the storm drains filled this facility
again with about 3 feet of water and it was underwater again for 5 days. They re-opened again
on July 25. The city will start a levee project this fall which will protect four of the fields; the
other three will be taken out of play as they are in an area that the new levee cannot protect.
Next spring after the levee project, they are planning a major overhaul of the fields. n
Photo submitted by Rene' Smith, Athletic Field Coordinator for the Fargo Park District.
If you would like to submit a photograph for John Mascaro's Photo Quiz please send it to John Mascaro, 1471 Capital Circle NW, Ste #
13, Tallahassee, FL 32303 call (850) 580-4026 or email to john@turf-tec.com. If your photograph is selected, you will receive full credit. All
photos submitted will become property of SportsTurf magazine and the Sports Turf Managers Association.
www.stma.org
SportsTurf 33
