Field maintenance

[Kat]

I need to know how you deal with the lip the seems to get bigger every year at the place that the infield meets the outfield? We are doing some field maintenance next sunday. We have ordered the clay slugs to fix the pitchers circle, the batters box and the catchers box, so now I need to move forward and see how we fix this problem. Any ideas?

[Kat]

so just putting more bags of infield stuff like turface products? Ok I read their brochure and they say you need to put like 2-3 tons each year if you are on a budget. I will call and see if our budget can stretch that far. I am just a mom helping to get the field in order, I was happy to see the coach wanted to fix the batters box, the catchers box and the mound the right way!! New coach so you never know. We did do quite a few stints in the concession stands so maybe we have more money then I thought

[slider201]

Offseason, use a Bobcat or tractor with a blade on the front to skim off the grass then discard. Use the Bobcat or blade to push the remaining berm back into the infield then mix.

Depending on the type of grass - reestablish the grass.

Active season, when dragging the field, leave a buffer zone - say 6'. Dragging too close will build up the berm by slinging dirt into the grass. Manually rake or drag the buffer zone (unless you have a really good grounds crew - see paragraph 5).

Active season, take a rake and/or broom and work around the entire edge of the grass pushing/pulling loose dirt back into the infield.

It's going to take a little extra time but you should have at least 12-15 girls itching to help.

[SoCalFP]

Kat:

The proper way to handle the outfield lip is as follows:

Use a sod cutter to cut the turf a couple of feet behind the skinned infield, to a point where the turf is level.

Roll the turf back.

Rake out the amount of soil necessary so that when the turf is rolled back, the lip is gone.

The lip is caused when infield dirt is pushed on to the outfield during dragging. To reduce the amount of dirt pushed to the outfield during dragging, which would result in the lip forming slower, water the infield before dragging and drag at a very slow speed around the the infield/outfield area.

[Cannonball]

AND THE WINNER IS:

SOCALFP

This is how we do it.


Yes, you have to replace dirt/turface/clay or whatever you have once in a while. But, the key thing to fixing your diamond is following SOCALFP's advice. BTW, there is a "cause" to that lip. You need to make sure that when maintaining that diamond, you don't drag the field so fast as to pull dirt up and over the grass. You should have you players with push brooms every once in a while push the dirt back onto the diamond if you see a lip forming. You can use a firehose (if you have the attachments) every now and again on that forming lip and blow the dirt back on the field. We often do this after a game/practice and when we know we're on the road for the next day.

[Kurt]

ALL the above suggestions will most likely work, but here is an easy and inexpensive fix:
You will need an ATV, a spikey thing, a water source with a high pressure nozzle and a dragging screen.

Get a high pressure water nozzle and from the outfield, and facing toward the infield use the high pressure water to blow the excess dirt (the lip) toward the infield, and do ALL the perimenter of the infield. This takes an hour or so depending on the size of the lip.

Next allow the excess water overnight or so to drain into the ground/infield dirt. Next, using the ATV get one of those spikey grader tools (I made one out of steel tubing and welded spikes about 2" tall on the end) and this will turn over the infield and more importantly "fluff" up the infield dirt/clay. After the infield dirt/clay is fluffed up I flipped over the spikey tool and utilized the tool as a "leveling" device. As you circle the infield, drag the excess dirt to the low spots and there will be low spots.

After the infield is as level as possible, use the screen dragger behind the ATV and groom the infield to a desirable finish.
NOTE: Make sure when using the spikey tool, to use a danger cone/delineator, bucket or something that will divert you from spiking the base pegs, home plate and of course the pitchers rubber.

All this is accomplished without buying more dirt.

Good luck!!

[Kat]

ALL the above suggestions will most likely work, but here is an easy and inexpensive fix:
You will need an ATV, a spikey thing, a water source with a high pressure nozzle and a dragging screen.

Get a high pressure water nozzle and from the outfield, and facing toward the infield use the high pressure water to blow the excess dirt (the lip) toward the infield, and do ALL the perimenter of the infield. This takes an hour or so depending on the size of the lip.

Next allow the excess water overnight or so to drain into the ground/infield dirt. Next, using the ATV get one of those spikey grader tools (I made one out of steel tubing and welded spikes about 2" tall on the end) and this will turn over the infield and more importantly "fluff" up the infield dirt/clay. After the infield dirt/clay is fluffed up I flipped over the spikey tool and utilized the tool as a "leveling" device. As you circle the infield, drag the excess dirt to the low spots and there will be low spots.

After the infield is as level as possible, use the screen dragger behind the ATV and groom the infield to a desirable finish.
NOTE: Make sure when using the spikey tool, to use a danger cone/delineator, bucket or something that will divert you from spiking the base pegs, home plate and of course the pitchers rubber.

All this is accomplished without buying more dirt.

Good luck!!

Hey this sounds like a solution!! and it wont cost money. I figure we can do this and try and see if it works if not then get out the check book. We have firehoses with a nozzle is this what you have in mind?? If not what size of hose are you using? I am not sure if there is a hydrant nearby to use the firehose but that seems like it would make short work of the lip. If not there is a 1 inch hose connection right behind the pitching rubber maybe if we cant use the firehose we could use that I am sure there is quite a bit of pressure coming out of that. Anyhow thanks for the suggestion. We are goign to be happy campers, first we just ordered our clay slugs for the circle, the batters box and catchers box and now we get rid of the lip!!

[Kurt]

""We have firehoses with a nozzle is this what you have in mind??""

No need for the firehose, just a garden hose with a small high pressure nozzle will work.

Another thing to do after hosing the lip is to get a portable lawn sprinkler and thourghly soak the infield. The more water the better. Allow the water a few hours/half a day to soak in the ground and not be so muddy on top. Use the spikey thing in a figure eight/corcles/ovals to cross cut the infield dirt. This is where the infield becomes fluffed up ( and no, this doesnt make you a fluffer). If you include this in the instructions above, you will have a sweet infield.

Good luck and let me know if it works for you.

[MTR]

Lot of good ideas, but the easiest is to not allow it to build up from the beginning.

Many maintenance folks get into a routine method of dragging a field. Probably, more so on fields in public park. In my area, they ALWAYS drag from the pitcher's plate out, so a lip always develops on the edge of the outfield and a berm builds up at the base of the backstop and side fences.

Many of the folks around here told them how to avoid that problem and they reacted like you asked for their first born, so the problem continues. That is why it is so nice to play on privately owned/maintained fields where the work actually means something to those performing it.

[Kurt]

MTR has a good point. Do your best to avoid dragging towards the outside and as another suggestion was mentioned, broom the dirt off the grass as often as possible.

Another way the lip is created is when after a rain shower, or the sprinklers being mis directed, the attempt to remove the excess water by pushing or screeding the water off the infield, and onto the grass perimeters of the infield. Whenever you push water or mud off thei nfield and onto the grass, you will have the dirt remaining when the water drys, or absorbs into the ground. Bottom line is to avoid also pushing mud or water off the infield in an attempt to get the field ready for use.

ANOTHER fix to try and avoid is to cut the lip off with a sod cutter/tractor blade or some other cutting device.
When this is done the grass doesnt have much of a chance to grow back. End results is a field we have all seen, one where the outfielder is playing on part on the infield/or in the dirt.

Trying to retain proper infield dimensions (about 60' from the back of the rubber) to the edge of the grass behind 2B really does make for a good looking softball field!