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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/306114
www.stma.org May 2014 | SportsTurf 39 W ith the official start of the baseball season upon us, sports field managers all across the country will be preparing their fields for the rigorous season that lies ahead. There are many tools at your disposal to assess your field conditions like the STMA Playing Conditions Index (PCI) and BTF Field Maintenance Guide. After completing either of these forms you may find one of the following conditions on your field raises a concern and needs to be addressed either before or during the season: irrigation, nutrient management, home plate and pitcher's mound repair, skinned surface maintenance, and/or edging and lip removal. These completed forms will help you get a plan in place to address these concerns and to have a successful season ahead. The STMA PCI assesses your field conditions using a scoring system. The PCI worksheet is broken down into four sections: Resources, Activities, Agronomics Performance of Turf, and Baseball/Softball Specific. Within each section you select your answer that has a corresponding number based on various condi- tions. Once the worksheet is completed, add up the numbers and place the total score in the box provided—this is your field's PCI. Having a completed PCI on a field could also be a useful tool if you are planning to apply for Field of the Year. Another useful tool is the Field Maintenance Guide form the Baseball Tomorrow Fund written with Murray Cook, a field consultant of Major League Baseball. When developing a field maintenance plan there are a series of questions to answer that will help in determining needs that will be critical to the overall success of the any field renova- tion project. The Field Maintenance Guide also provides a checklist for you to ensure you have the necessary equipment in the Suggested Maintenance Equipment section. You will also find in this guide a brief discussion on mowing practices, aeration, irrigation, and several other tasks that are performed throughout the season. While various topics are discussed in these guides, having irrigation is probably the most critical ingredient, whether for the turf or to aid in moisture management of the skinned area. If you have a system installed already, doing your pre-season start-up will provide you with water needed to get your turf ready for the spring season. Throughout the season having irrigation to supplement insufficient rainfall will also be critical for proper turf care, skinned and clay areas. If you have multiple sites at one location or throughout an entire city, the latest irrigation controllers are an excellent option that give you control through any desktop or laptop computer. If installing one is in the plans, understanding the soil type, water service and flow, and field layout will be an essential part of the design process as will understanding the different rotors and nozzles available. Proper selection will ensure all areas get coverage to avoid hot spots in the turf that will come with the summer heat. Turf concerns learned through these guides could be as simple as applying necessary amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and biostimulants to accelerate growth or it could be more complex like renovating portions of the field. When determining if a renovation project should be done on a particular field the rule of thumb noted in the guide is "if the turf has more than 50% weeds with a large amount of crabgrass or, if in the north, poa trivialis." Fall is the ideal time to do any field renovation which gives you the most amount of time until the start Baseball maintenance aided with right equipment and off-field tools By Jason Kopp