Depth of Infield Conditioners - It Depends on the Infield Mix and the Level of Play

With the extremely wet conditions across the country, I figured today would be a good day to visit and discuss conditioner depth.  As a rule of thumb, most fields across the country do not have enough conditioner/topdressing on infield surfaces.

Infield conditioners are a critical tool for effective infield maintenance.  How deep should the conditioner be on a given field?  The answer depends on the level of play as well as the base soil.  

The first photo shows an infield that has a mix with a high silt to clay ratio (SCR - 2.5).  The field also hosts high school and recreational play.  In this example, a greater amount of conditioner should be used.  Approximately 1/4 inch of conditioner is the recommended depth for the surface.

The next example shows an infield with an engineered soil with a balanced silt to clay ratio (SCR - 1.0)  The field hosts professional play.  In this example, a lesser amount of conditioner should be used.  Approximately 1/8 inch of conditioner is the recommended depth for the surface.  

Bottom line, in the instances below a greater depth of conditioner should be considered :

• Infield mixes with a high SCR
• Difficulty in keeping moisture in an infield (recreational play)
• Infield mixes with a great amount of fine and very fine sand
• Infield mixes that tend to become too firm in dry weather

The goal is to create a top 1/4 inch that is managed to allow for cleat-in and cleat-out play as illustrated in the photo below:

To learn more about conditioners, click HERE.

To learn more about silt to clay ratio, click HERE.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer