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Crow River Revie Review www.herald-journal.com/sports/baseball/crvl Page 9 Giving back with field maintenance By Brad Johnson With many baseball fields around the league, there simply isn’t a large budget for field maintenance. The league relies on municipalities, coaches, players, and volunteers to take on the roles of maintaining the ball field during the season. Town baseball fields are being used at a high rate and although it’s great never seeing them sit empty, the proper maintenance must be obtained to create a playing surface that is safe and sustainable. As teams come together prior to the season to talk rosters and schedules, it’s also a great time to talk field maintenance. Within this article we will look at baseball infields and the few key factors that can keep your field looking great. Scheduling is one of the most important items in maintenance, but at the same time, it’s one of the most overlooked. Creating a schedule for your field can help with consistency and allow you to plan and budget. A simple schedule should include mowing dates, irrigating times, fertilizer/ pesticide applications, special tournaments, and maintenance projects. Now that a schedule is developed, let’s look at each factor a little more closely: Mowing — Infield turf, if possible, should be mowed with a push mower at a height length between 1 and 2.5 inches. The grass should never be allowed to grow so long that more than 1/3 of the leaf tissue would need to be cut to get it back to the recommended length. Letting the grass grow too long before cutting it can cause damage to the turf. This may require multiple mowings per week. Bagging is always a great option to give a nice clean cut; however, if clippings are removed, some more fertilizing may be required. Irrigation — Proper watering is crucial to maintain a healthy infield. Watering cycles should be set to water deeply and infrequently. This means that instead of running irrigation almost every night for short periods of time (10 minutes a station), the cycles should be set up for fewer days and longer watering times (30 minutes a station). This will allow the water to percolate deeper into the soil profile and allow for deeper and healthier roots. Cycles should be set to run in the early morning hours. It’s ideal that Watering and taking care of the grass is essential to having a great field to play on. Da’Boars Bar and Grill the watering wraps up around 6 a.m. This helps prevent turf diseases, as the leaf blades will dry out quicker in the morning sun instead of staying damp throughout the entire night. Fertilizer/Pesticide — A field should see at least four fertilizer applications per year (2lbs. N/1000sq ft). Fertilizer can be applied in liquid or granular form. The first application should include a pre-emergent crabgrass preventer, applied when soil temperatures have reached 60°F (May). Two more applications should take place during June through August. The final application is prior to the turf going dormant (first week in November). This will be stored by the plant, and used next year coming out of winter. Herbicide applications, if possible, should wait until the fall. This will yield better results, as weeds are storing nutrients for the winter months and the herbicide can work its way into the root system, killing the weed 100 percent. Maintenance Extras — These include spring dethatching and fall aerification. Both serve different purposes, but are key to helping to allow air to the turf and soil profile. Spring dethatching breaks up the mat that has been created by the winter’s snow pack. Getting this mat and dead material lifted will allow for quicker greenup. Aerification usually is performed after Labor Day. It’s a great time to relieve compaction that occurred from activities throughout the season. Be sure not to give up on the field once the season has ended. This is a great time to re-sod, straighten edges and work on larger projects. Baseball field maintenance is a season-long effort. With a minimal budget and some hard work you will surely see positive results and continue to put smiles on kids’ faces every time they step on a beautiful field. Brad Johnson can be reached at [email protected]. Fall aerity of the infield grass at Denis Campbell Field in Winsted. The Place for Fun in the Area Bar & Liquor Store Full Service Wide variety of spirits, wines, wine coolers, domestic beer, imports, microbrews, pop, drink Restaurant mixes, ice, etc. 10 televisions, pool, and darts. Serving everything from short orders to full dinners Banquet Rooms or Ballroom available for parties of any size, Seating up to 650, full service bar and catering Cologne, MN [phone] SUBMITTED PHOTO Blue Note off site catering is available www.bluenoteballroom.com