How much time and how often do you water the infield?
Best ways to get rid of lips?
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I am a novice at field conditioning, but at the high school level, the best maintained fields incorporated a lot of the soil conditioners(I'll find out the name later) allowing for less watering than may be available at colleges or pro levels. Our high school coach allows the sprinkler heads to hit the infield dirt as well as the grass during irrigation, and i think it comes on every day for 40 minutes. I have read where some MLB maintenance guys really soak the infield about 8 hours before a game so that the soil is conditioned properly. Just remember that I am not a pro, but someone who is getting started to help the local coach who has about 30 years experience.
How bad are the lips?
On the subject of infield lips, one approach that I have used is to get a high pressure hose nozzle. Stand on the outfield grass (assuming the lip is on the outfield side of the infield dirt) and blast the grass about a foot or so from the dirt, squirting at about a 45 degree angle to the ground. If the lip is not too bad, this will push the extra dirt out from the grass, causing the grass to lie flat again. BTW Once you get rid of the lip, if you spray like this, without the high pressure hose nozzle, after each time you drag, the lip won't build up again.
That is a good idea about the pressure washer and I have never seen it used. Another way to get rid of the lips (and requires much more work) is to rake it out in the offseason. Just grab some field rakes and rough it up and then use lawn rakes to pull back. I would much rather use the pressure washer.
Sometimes the way your field drainage / crown is set up will cause lips. For example the field I have played on for the past 10 years is elevated at the IF and slopes to the OF and foul sides. Because of this when water runs off the dirt goes with it towards the OF. So my lips were at the IF grass.
One thing we did was every so often (no real time table) was really tear up the dirt and take field rakes and flip them over so the flat side was touching the ground. Then push the dirt forward towards the IF grass. Basically you are taking the settled dirt in the back and moving it back where it used to be.
Another solution is to just bring in more dirt and level the areas.
To help lips form you can use brooms after each game and sweep the edge of the grass towards the dirt. This will move any loose dirt out of the grass and back onto the dirt.
Also when you drag don't take the drag up next to the grass. You want to stay about 10 inches to a foot away from the grass. You can rake or take the brooms to smooth that part out.
Sometimes the way your field drainage / crown is set up will cause lips. For example the field I have played on for the past 10 years is elevated at the IF and slopes to the OF and foul sides. Because of this when water runs off the dirt goes with it towards the OF. So my lips were at the IF grass.
One thing we did was every so often (no real time table) was really tear up the dirt and take field rakes and flip them over so the flat side was touching the ground. Then push the dirt forward towards the IF grass. Basically you are taking the settled dirt in the back and moving it back where it used to be.
Another solution is to just bring in more dirt and level the areas.
To help lips form you can use brooms after each game and sweep the edge of the grass towards the dirt. This will move any loose dirt out of the grass and back onto the dirt.
Also when you drag don't take the drag up next to the grass. You want to stay about 10 inches to a foot away from the grass. You can rake or take the brooms to smooth that part out.
I was reading about the hose idea earlier on the Turface website. May try playing with that a little bit in the next few weeks. Our coach has to raise home plate, eliminate the lip, and he's going to be putting sod down later this fall.
We use leaf rakes on the grass to try cutting back on the lip. Bring that loose dirt back before it can settle in. Another thing to maybe consider is to cut out a little more grass on the infield side that way dirt from the baserunners doesn't end up in the grass to begin with.
We use leaf rakes on the grass to try cutting back on the lip. Bring that loose dirt back before it can settle in. Another thing to maybe consider is to cut out a little more grass on the infield side that way dirt from the baserunners doesn't end up in the grass to begin with.
Note that it does not take a pressure washer - I simply use a hose at full blast with an old fashioned brass fireman style nozzle (sort of cone shaped). See here for what I mean:
http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-Solid-Brass-Nozzle-528/dp...0WCP60HC74K94MW5Q07M
http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-Solid-Brass-Nozzle-528/dp...0WCP60HC74K94MW5Q07M
The coach that I am helping also uses a water hose. He has said that if his source didn't have suitable pressure, that he would use a pressure washer.
Personally, I’ve used the hose and pressure nozzle since I saw the technique demonstrated by Emil Bossard in a newsreel back in the 60’s. It’s a great technique, but there’s a lot more to it than blasting the soil mix out of the grass. You have to be very careful not to blast the soil from the roots. If you do, you should top dress them with a little sand to keep them from drying out in the sun.
By far and above, the best way to keep getting LIPS to a minimum, is to never allow the drag within 6” of the grass if its dragged by hand, and never within a foot if its dragged by something motorized.
No matter what you do, minute particles of soil will kick up when the drag is pulled, and the faster you pull, they farther they’ll fly. Having the soil damp will reduce the amount of soil that “flies”, but that also makes the drag much harder to pull. Couple that with someone not paying close attention and actually allowing the drag to touch or get up on the grass, and its easy to see why the biggest lips are usually on the corners.
By far and above, the best way to keep getting LIPS to a minimum, is to never allow the drag within 6” of the grass if its dragged by hand, and never within a foot if its dragged by something motorized.
No matter what you do, minute particles of soil will kick up when the drag is pulled, and the faster you pull, they farther they’ll fly. Having the soil damp will reduce the amount of soil that “flies”, but that also makes the drag much harder to pull. Couple that with someone not paying close attention and actually allowing the drag to touch or get up on the grass, and its easy to see why the biggest lips are usually on the corners.
If you have dirt build up lips they can get pretty high and if you run the mower over the lips you will simply skim them down to dirt such as I have observed here in Springfield where in particular one field had been unused or badly maintained for two or three years. what I like to do is where it is windy and in the off season in particular is to install a short wind barrier in front of the outfield grass that keeps any blown dirt from getting to the grass at 12 to 18 inches in front of the grass maybe closer on the infield side around the infield and elsewhere where needed,and as was mentioned, to stay away from the dirt and grass with the drag, we have people who rake and broom back and forth in front of mounds to home plate and do so towards and into the grass and back and forth down the base lines.
It takes a little more time but if and when necessary I like to wet the lips down just enough to soften up the dirt underneath the grass and then slice the dirt under the grass and without destroying any grass you can settle the lips down fairly easy by tamping etc. or whichever is the best way each of you have.
Don Ervin.
kom_ervin@yahoo.com
It takes a little more time but if and when necessary I like to wet the lips down just enough to soften up the dirt underneath the grass and then slice the dirt under the grass and without destroying any grass you can settle the lips down fairly easy by tamping etc. or whichever is the best way each of you have.
Don Ervin.
kom_ervin@yahoo.com