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.
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14 SportsTurf | March 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com Field Science sists rutting and washing out during a heavy rain event. And last but not least, it is easy to maintain, not dusty, and aesthetically pleasing. More qualities make the best possi- ble skinned area. AMENDMENTS V. CONDITIONERS Amendments are relatively new for skinned area soil applications. Recently, crushed lava, shale, clay, and brick have been introduced for amending skinned areas. After crushing is complete the amendment is screened into a uniform range of sizes of 1/8 inch or less. Sometimes sand, silt, and clay is added to the mix depending on the texture of the soil to be amended. Amendments are typically added to skinned area soil that has a textural classification of "sandy clay loam" (the most common skin soil) at a rate of 50% amendment and 50% existing skin soil. At this rate, the physical properties of the existing soil are changed. The goal is to add enough amendment for bridg- ing of the particles to create macropore space. A higher percentage of macropore space allows air and water to enter the profile then dry out quickly through surface evaporation. To take the guesswork out of the amendment process, make sure to choose a supplier who will test the physical properties of the existing skin soil and the amended soil. The amendment ratio varies from field to field depending on the texture of the soil to be amended. Conditioners, on the other hand, have been around for a long time and have become a staple in the industry. Conditioners are either calcined clay, vitrified clay, or cal- cined diatomaceous earth products. They are usually in- corporated into the existing soil at a rate of 10% by vol- ume. However, this rate is not high enough to be effective in bridging together to create macropore space and there- fore does not change the physical properties of the existing soil. Nevertheless, they are a good choice for field man- agers on lower budgets because playability is definitely im- proved when conditioners are incorporated. Before installing the amendment, prepare the skinned area by performing some simple renovation techniques. First of all, grade the infield for positive surface runoff of water with no standing water anywhere on the skin, infield grass, or foul territory. Remove all lips, mounded ridges, and hills leading from the grass to the skinned area. If there's any excess skin soil, remove it at this time to achieve the proper grade for surface runoff. Next, seed or sod the edges before installing the amend- ment. In the North, the best time to seed is between Au- gust 15 and September 30. In the South, sod would be a better choice and can be installed anytime the sod is avail- able. However, mid-August through late fall is usually the best time to sod the edges of both Northern and Southern fields because they may not being used at this time. Now the field is ready for the amendment. Spread the amendment over the skinned area at the recommended rate. For the most part, an operator with a tractor can spread the majority of the material. Some hand work will be necessary along the edges and base paths. For a 50/50 mix, rototill 1 inch of the amendment into 1 inch of the existing skin soil for a total of 2 inches of amended soil. Again, some hand work may be necessary along the edges and the base paths using a walk-behind ro- totiller. Don't be disappointed in the color of the skin after till- ing is complete. It's because the amendment got dirty dur- ing the tilling process. After the first rain, the amendment color will dominate because the rain will have washed the dust particles off the amendment. REPLACING THE SKIN SOIL In some cases, removing and replacing the skin soil is the only option. Some fields have an existing skin soil with many rocks over 3/8 inches in diameter. Other fields have a limestone skin area that's just too abrasive. The only way to improve the quality of both of these examples is to re- move and replace the existing skin. The first step is to grade the field for surface runoff of water. Perform the same renovation techniques that were described above in amending the skin soil. After renova- tion is complete, the removal process can begin. The rea- son for grading the field first is so a consistent depth of The final product looks like this after the first rain.