How To Renovate a Baseball or Softball Field
The following steps will eliminate hard, compacted surfaces. Such surfaces are unsafe for athletes, are subject to bad ball hops and add time to maintenance each week. Poorly conditioned fields are a liability to the athletes as well as the facility. The following steps will also make the field more playable. Rainouts will be minimized, allowing games and practices to stay on schedule. Also, dusting and blow-off will be reduced. This helps protect the turf areas, as well as reducing the repurchasing of infield mix.
Recommended Equipment
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Complete Infield Renovation
Note: We recommend conditioning your field with Turface® MVP® or Pro League® Elite™. If using a different conditioner, consult the manufacturer for recommendations.
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Moisten the skinned area. Spread Turface bags evenly throughout the skinned areas to be renovated. Depending on the amount of material required, align the bags 42" to 60" apart in both directions. |
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Once bags are properly positioned, open bags and dump Turface. Remove all bags from the field. |
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With a blade, mat drag, or landscape rakes, level all of the piles and spread evenly across the surface. Moisten the entire skinned area. Do not soak. It is only important to get the material damp. The moisture helps the Turface blend with the soil. |
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Rototill into the existing infield mix to a depth of 3" to 4". Drag the infield with a mat drag to break up clumping. Level the field. Water the field again. Moisten the entire blended area. Do not soak. This moisture will help settle the loose materials and prepare the field to be rolled. Too much moisture will cause the clay to stick to the roller. Let the field dry down if this happens. |
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Roll the infield with a one ton roller or a hand roller. This helps speed up the settling process, allowing the field to firm up quickly. |
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Slowly drag the infield twice with a mat drag. This will loosen the surface to a desired consistency and level any visible low spots. After, rake or sweep all edges to remove any loose material from the turf. This will prevent any lips from forming. When completed, some conditioner should remain on the surface as well as mixed evenly throughout the top 3 to 4 inches. |
Application Rates
When using Turface follow these application rates. Note: If using a different conditioner, consult the manufacturer for recommendations.
| Turface MVP Application Rates Tilled 4" Deep Skinned Area | |||
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| 90' Baseball | Softball | 60' Baseball | |
| High Clay Content | 15 | 12 | 5 |
| High Sand Content | 10 | 9 | 3 |
| High Clay Content 1½ tons of Turface® per 1,000 sq ft | |||
| High Sand Content 1 ton of Turface® per 1,000 sq ft | |||
| *Assumes grass infield; add 50% more Turface® if completely skinned. | |||
| Other Turface Applications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Little League | |
| Pitcher's Mound | 1-2 | 1 |
| Home Plate | 1-2 | 1 |
| Base Paths | 2-3 | 1-2 |
| Numbers = amount of 50 lb bags | ||
| Rake or nail-drag into the surface of these areas. |
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