Sunday, April 30, 2017

Tall Fescue for Athletic Fields?







The photos above are from a baseball infield that was sodded with tall fescue a couple of years ago.  The complaint is the turf is too bumpy and our guys are scared to field a ground ball.  Why is this?  Click HERE to see a link from Purdue that explains why Turf Type Tall Fescue is not typically a good choice for athletic fields in Indiana.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Always Tarp the Mound and Plate Areas

Using tarps for mounds and plates are a critical maintenance practice.  Tarps will perform two main tasks.

1. Keep moisture off the mound and plate areas - Mound and plate areas consist of special soil that contains significantly more clay, thus keeping moisture off the areas are critical for performance. 



2. Keep moisture in the mound and plate areas - As important as keeping moisture off of mound and plate areas is keeping moisture in mound and plate areas.  Proper moisture management is key to mound and plate clay performing properly.  Keep tarps on mound and plate areas at all times when not in use.

#SmartTurf Tip - Use surveyor nails to keep tarps on the ground.


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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Replacing a Homeplate Without a Surveyor


The homeplate of a baseball/softball field is the point where all other points are based.  (foul poles, bases, pitching rubber, etc)  So, when the time comes to replace a plate, take special care to ensure that the new plate is square with the foul poles and the field alignment is not compromised. 

Let’s walk through a plate replacement.  
First, string lines are pulled from behind the old plate to the foul poles.  This is done before the old plate is removed:



Next, a laser is used to take elevations around homeplate.  I always like to have the homeplate slightly higher than the highest point in the turf.  This will ensure that water will not run back onto the plate during rain events:



A string line is also pulled from behind the apex of the plate, through the middle of the pitchers rubber and the middle of the anchor of 2nd base.  This is the third string to ensure proper alignment.  Keep in mind that when the elevation of the plate in changed, the pitching rubber elevation should be checked and adjusted if necessary:



Finally, carefully install mound clay around the plate making sure that the plate does not move:



To see how to renovate a plate on a budget, click HERE:

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer