| Choices
and Decisions Sand
should be part of the topdressing used to topdress your field after aerating
and before overseeding. However, this section on sand is for a different
use of sand.
Sanding the baseball
field turf, especially the infield, is a good practice. It helps level
the infield turf, helps it drain, and keeps it healthy.
What you are going
to do is similar to the sanding practice at a golf course. How would you
like an infield as smooth as a golf course? It's possible.
Sources
and Suppliers
Suppliers I've used
and am satisfied with:
topdressing
quality sand - Granite Construction
reclaimed sand - Livingston Concrete
Types of sand:
topdressing
sand: ask for G8 topdressing sand (golf course quality for sanding
your infield turf)
filling in
holes around the fence areas or general fill needs: reclaimed
sand from a cement plant. They wash out the cement trucks and often give
away 10 tons of the stuff. It has small pebbles. Definitely not something
for topdressing turf, but great stuff for filling in holes or getting
rid of puddles outside the playing field.
Tips & Hints to Sand Your Infield
- Sand after rolling
the infield turf, not before.
- Sand after mowing
the turf, not before.
- You don't need
to aerate before sanding.
- Put sand on so
it is about 1/4 inch thick. You should see 75%-85% of the grass sticking
up after sanding. Spread it with the back of a field rake or with a
hand drag.
- Water the turf
after applying sand. You can immediately play on it. No need to wait.
- After the first
sand application has gone away and can no longer be seen, then you can
do a 2nd sanding if needed.
- You need about
8 yards of sand to cover a high school size infield.
- Dry or barely moist
sand spreads better and is easier to work with than damp or wet sand.
- You can do this
on the outfield as well, but it is generally done on the infield.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not put this
kind of sand on the infield skin.
|
roll the
infield turf, then
apply and spread the
topdressing sand
dry sand
on the left is
preferred rather than
wet, clumpy sand as
on the right
reclaimed
sand can be used to fill in puddle
areas outside the playing field
sand is
heavy; if you move much very far, use heavy equipment to get the job done |
