Bermuda Grass Update From St Luke and Our Lady of Mt Carmel

Below are a few photos of both sites.  Both fields are ready for play.  That is pretty impressive considering both fields were sodded in late spring (St Luke - June 6 and OLMC - May 22) during the driest June in history in Indiana weather record keeping.

First, a photo from OLMC:

Next, a photo from St Luke:

Both fields are being cut every other day at a cutting height of 7/8 inch.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

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

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  

Seeded Riviera Update at DePauw and Brebeuf

Late last week, I stopped by both facilities.  Needless to say, both fields are growing in at a rapid pace.  Here are a few photos:

First, a couple of photos from Brebeuf.   Currently, the field is being cut every other day at 1 1/2 inch with a rotary mower:

Next stop, DePauw University.  This field has not been cut to date short of one rotary mowing to knock down the crabgrass.  Needless to say, both sites will be ready by Aug 1, 2012.

Finally, another photo from DePauw.  This Patriot bermudagrass field was sprigged last year.  Last week, over 30 hours of play took place on this field:

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

Play on!
--Jamie

@JamieMehringer

Werner Park - A Day with the Omaha Storm Chasers

My first stop on my trip to Omaha last week was to Werner Park, home of the Omaha Storm Chasers.  Head Groundskeeper, Mitch McClary and his crew are doing a great job maintaining the Kentucky bluegrass playing surface.  Here are a couple photos of the visit:

Next, a couple of photos of the post game mound repair:

A close up shot of the infield conditioner.  The conditioner is a blend of Diamond Pro Brown Vitrified Clay and Diamond Pro Professional Calcined Clay:

Thanks again to Mitch and his crew for hosting last week.

To learn more about the Omaha Storm Chasers, click HERE.

To learn more about Diamond Pro, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

College World Series - Rosenblatt Stadium and TD Ameritrade Park

I spent a few days late last week in Omaha, NE, home of the Men's College World Series.  I arrived to cloudy skies and temps around 90 degrees.  Seven hours later, a cold front passed and the temps were in the low 60's with a 20-25 mph wind.  Here is a photo from that night:

The games on Wednesday night were postponed due to the weather.

Thursday morning, Brad Garrison, from Diamond Pro, and I took a 6 mile roundtrip run up the hill to Rosenblatt Stadium.  Needless to say, the stadium has seen its better days.  Demolition is scheduled for later this year.  Below are photos from the main entrance and the scoreboard.  The back of the scoreboard is the only sign that this used to be the "Home of the College World Series."  I think the new park is a positive move for the CWS, but I wish the architects could have taken some of the old features of Rosenblatt along with the move downtown.

A tale of two ballparks - The 'Blatt has been pushed aside.......

Rosenblatt Stadium was hosting a US Postal Service Rodeo in the parking lot while the new TD Ameritrade Park was hosting over 75,000 fans for 3 games:

Finally, a couple of shots from later in the day on Thursday:

Thanks again to Diamond Pro and Brad Garrison for hosting.

To learn more about Diamond Pro, click HERE.

To learn more about World Series, click HERE.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Elizabethtown Sports Park - Video Link

I wanted to share a link with a progress report from Elizabethtown, KY.  The sports park is rounding third and heading for home.  Opening Day is mere weeks away.  Click HERE to see the video from WDRB-41 in Louisville, KY.  Below is a photo I took while on-site last week.

Click HERE to see a blog that is managed by James Bergdoll, Elizabethtown Sports Turf Manager.

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

Play on!
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer

Oberlin College Softball - Infield Renovation

Last week, the J&D Turf crew was at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH.  The project was as follows:

Check existing field alignment/foul poles

Edge infield and warning track

Install 25 tons of FieldSaver 50 Custom Amendment

Install 50 tons of Dura Edge Collegiate Infield Mix

Blend the materials together with a Blecavator

Roll with a 3 ton roller and laser grade

Add 3 tons of Diamond Pro Professional Calcined Clay

Install 25 tons of crushed brick to the existing outfield warning track

Here is the project in photos:

Edging the warning track and the infield:

Adding warning track and the finished product:

The infield renovation:

Watering in the finished product.  With the recent dry weather in the Midwest, the use of irrigation heads to water the infield are a nice item to have to maintain proper moisture.

Oberlin now has a softball field that is smooth with a balanced collegiate sand/silt/clay infield mix for Div 3 NCAA Softball play.  

To learn more about Oberlin Softball, click HERE.

To learn more about how to add new infield mix to an existing infield mix, click HERE.

To learn more about another FieldSaver50 installation, click HERE.

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

Play on!

--Jamie

@JamieMehringer