Art in Florida asks: Our high school field is in good shape with the exception of some minor lip build up on the turf edge of the infield. Can I use a power washer to blast this out? Anything else I should know to make this work for me? I want to remove lip build up without wrecking my grass.
Thanks.
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Hi Art, Yes, using water is a good way to blast out minor lip build up at the grass edge. You mention a power washer. If this is the kind of thing I'm thinking about - air compressor and hose sprayer used to wash a house off before painting - then this is probably too much pressure. It will not only clean off the dirt build up, but it will damage or disintegrate your grass at the edge. This is something to be careful with even when using a hose with normal field water pressure - the roots can only take so much with this. Hose blasting is a good way to remove lip build up - maybe a fourth to half inch at a time. More than that and you stress the grass. So, you can do this once a week for three weeks and get it down. And to help the roots at the edge you can also put down some starter fertilizer along the edge to help them recover. I use 6-20-20. If your lip build up is more substantial, instead of using water to blast the dirt out, you need to consider other measures to remove lip build up including cutting the lip out and/or using a heavy roller to flatten it. Here's how I use water to remove lip build up: 
Have a great spring season!
Yours for better play more often, J. Reiner
Jim Reiner
Publisher, Editor, & Groundskeeper
The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide | 
