Rolling Natural Grass Fields

I am getting a number of calls on rolling fields after the snow melt.  Bottom line, if the field is wet (ie - you can hear and or see water on the turf) DO NOT roll the field.  I drove by a field this morning that had standing water in the outfield and it was being rolled with a 1 1/2 ton roller.  Rolling a field when completely saturated has a great chance of causing serious compaction issues.

HERE is a great article about rolling athletic fields from Buckeye Turf notes from Ohio State.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Removing Snow from an Athletic Field - Homemade Snow Plow

As a follow up from last night's blog post, I wanted to send along another photo of a great way to remove snow from an athletic field.

Simply, take a tarp drum and strap it to a tractor bucket.  Now you have a plow that will not cause damage to the turf.  (I took this photo while visiting University of Kentucky last spring - thanks to Marcus Dean for taking time to visit)

Good luck to those groundskeepers and coaches looking to get their fields ready this week.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

Record Snow in Late March - How Do I Get My Field Ready for Play?

Currently, many portions of the Midwest are in the middle of the largest snow event to ever take place at this time of year in the history of weather record keeping.

In northwest Indianapolis as of 8:00 PM Sunday the snow amounts are already 3 1/2 inches, with the worst to come:

So, the question is, "How do we get our baseball and softball fields ready for play?"  The answer really depends on the type of infield mix and the maintenance and condition of the field before the snow.

First, DO NOT get in a hurry to play.  I understand that the season in short and the doubleheaders are mounting up, but is it really worth compromising the grade of your field to get in one game?  There are at least 2 more months of play for high school baseball in Indiana.  Remember, never compromise the grade of your field for one game!

If the decision is made to plow the field, take the necessary precautions.  HERE is an article from the Sports Turf Managers Association on removing snow from athletic fields.

Once the snow has cleared/melted, most infields should be rolled from the snow event.  To determine if the field can be rolled, simply walk across the surface, if the field settled under foot, but does not stick the bottom of you shoe, it can be rolled.

Infield ready to roll:

Infield NOT ready to roll:

If the field has not been conditioned, please take this time after rolling to condition the infield.  How much conditioner should be added?  Click HERE to see the correct depth of conditioners.

Finally, this is another time where there is tremendous benefit of using an engineered soil as your infield mix.

Once again, don't panic, it is a long season.  It won't be long until we see weather conditions like this:

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!

--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

A Different Spring than 2012 - Crabgrass Germination

You do not have to be a weather expert to know that March 2013 is much different than March 2012!  HERE is a great blog post from Dr. Aaron Patton, Turfgrass Extension Specialist at Purdue University.

Bottom line - Crabgrass germination will be much later in '13 than it was in '12.  So, if this weather trend continues, granular pre-emergent products will be effective when applied at later dates than in 2012.  Stay tuned for more information on this topic as the weather warms.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Building a Set of Base Anchors

Building a set of base anchors is a task that can be completed by a grounds manager or coach.  Here is a step by step method for building a set of base anchors.

1.  Organize the parts and the tools.  Items needed:

• Base anchors
• Duct tape
• Screws
• Drill
• Tape measure
• Circular saw
• Scrap lumber 2x4 
• Shovel
• Quikrete
• Wheelbarrow

2. Cut the scrap lumber into 8-12 inch pieces, and build a simple square form.   Keep in mind that this is not cabinet grade carpentry.  

3.  Tape the bottom of the anchors while mixing the Quikrete.  Using a scrap piece of plywood as a base, place an anchor in each form.  

4.  After the Quikrete cures (no more than 4 hours) remove the forms.  Now, you have a new set of base anchors.

Never use coffee cans. Round anchors have a better likelihood of spinning while in the ground.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

A Night at Tampa Bay Times Forum

As we are sitting through another cold day in the Midwest, I thought this would be a good time write about my visit to a Tampa Bay Lightning game last month.

The Lightning play at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.  The Forum opened in 1996 and a $40 million dollar renovation was completed in 2011.  Wow!  What a great facility in downtown Tampa.

The first thing you notice is the largest center hung arena video board in North America and Canada.  The board is 28 ft high and 50 ft long.

Here are a few photos of the facility:

Outside the arena and the concourses.  Note that some of the concourse areas are outdoors:

 

The seating bowl:

The videoboard:

The Lightning attendance average is 19,204 per contest and the average ticket price is $38.  

To see a post on Tropicana Field - Home of the Tampa Bay Rays, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

Southeastern University - Completing the Field

After sod was installed, all that was needed was to complete the finishing touches before the first practice.  The task, build bullpens and install mound and plate clay.  Here we go.

First, the bullpens were build using Turface Mound Master Clay in the high traffic areas and Dura Edge Classic in the surrounding areas.  The bullpens were compacted and topdressed with Turface Pro League Red Calcined Clay:

Next, Turface Mound Master Clay was installed in front of the pitchers rubber and in the batters and catchers box:

Play ball!

In 20 days, the site went from this:

To this:

This site will serve as the practice home to the Southeastern Fire Softball Program in 2013, and as their facility hosting practices and games in 2014.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

A New Field for Southeastern University - Sod Installation

After installing the infield mix and achieving an acceptable rough finish grade on the material, the attention returned to the rootzone and sod installation.

First the rootzone was laser graded a final time before the sod was installed:

The outfield was laser graded numerous times over the course of the project to ensure positive drainage and to eliminate settling issues.  Next step, installation of bahiagrass in the swale and Celebration bermudagrass on the playing surface:

Two things to notice.  First, the area that was not sodded.  It looks like an area that will be a warning track.  In fact, this area will become a hedge just outside the fence that will create a look similar to the area along the wall along the first base line as shown above.  Secondly, the areas where the bullpens are going to be located were also left as bare soil.

After sodding, all that was left was a few finishing touches before the first practice for the Southeastern University Fire.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

A New Field for Southeastern University - Infield Mix Installation

Back to the project at Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL.

After the outfield rootzone was laser graded, the next task was installation of 4 inches of infield mix.  For this project, Dura Edge Classic was installed at a four inch depth over a compacted subgrade:

Material was off loaded directly on the subgrade and pushed to the edges.  Careful attention was paid to not mix the subgrade and the infield mix.  Edges were boarded and infield mix and rootzone were laser graded:

While setting the edges the rest of the infield mix was installed in 2 inch lifts and rolled with a 3 don duel drum roller.  After rolling, the infield was irrigated:

The following day the infield was laser graded again and final work was completed in anticipation of sod installation.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

Indiana State University Baseball - A New Warning Track and Wall

A new wall was installed this winter at Indiana State and the new wall was moved in slightly for the 2013 edition of Indiana State Baseball.  Here are a few photos:

After removing 2 inches of existing material, new warning tack was added and the track was graded:

Opening Day was scheduled for tomorrow in Terre Haute, Indiana.  It has since been cancelled due to the snow event in the Midwest.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer