Baseball Field Log
of Weekly Maintenance Activities
What
should you be doing with your field now?
Here is the year 2007 as I took care of 7 different baseball fields from
t-ball to high school.
Take advantage of the lessons and issues that came
up.
|
Dec 29 - Have
you claimed your FREE copy of Seven Field Maintenance Secrets?
If not, then you need to do that right now, right here.
I put this together to energize your efforts. If you're like me, time
at the field is therapeutic and rewarding. So, make the most of it.
Claim
your FREE Special Report: Seven Field Maintenance Secrets to Transforming
your Baseball or Softball Field into a Winning Field. |
Dec 27 - It's been quite a year of baseball playing and baseball maintenance
activities. Why do we do this anyway? Most players
are either too young or too busy to realize what we do to even appreciate
it.
But,
I still do it for them. It's the drive to be the best on and off
the field. To provide the best service possible to you who will
in turn serve the youth of your area. May God Bless your efforts.
May they be lasting and effective. It's been a great year.
I'll start out 2008 by spreading, tilling, leveling, and rolling the dirt
I had delivered back on Dec 4. Fun, fun! Really. It
is!
best regards,
J im |
Dec 21 -
This was a shocker. Normally I wouldn't think of
planting grass seed in December, but we've had a bit of a drought and the
temperatures were still in the upper 50s most of the day. So, around
Dec 8th I put out seed on a 150 sq ft dirt area between 2B and the mound.
I covered it with a soil/compost mixture. Then it lightly rained for
three days followed by 5 days of 55 degree temperatures. Today we
have grass seedlings sprouting everywhere! This is great. But a real
surprise. Sometimes you just have to try. You might be surprised
what works. I was. |
Dec 4 - What
a week I had! We're in a near drought with temperatures
still in the upper sixties. I had 12 tons of topsoil and
compost delivered and spread most of it along the landscaping
of the school. First I mowed it short, then overseeded, fertilized,
and spread the topsoil. The rainy season will produce a great landscape
by February.
Then I had 25 yards of baseball dirt delivered for a
high school field. The infield skin was between 1 and 2 inches lower
than the infield turf and outfield turf. No lips, just a real difference
in levels of dirt. This field hadn't had dirt added since 2003. It just
seems to blow away over time.
The outfield grass
got one last shot of cool season fertilizer: 21-4-7.
The little league
field I overseeded and fertilized three weeks ago is looking very good
for December. |
November
21 - Time to do some initial planning for the spring. The
high school booster club and the local little league officials meet in early
December to plan. My contribution to the planning? Of couse,
it's the
pre-season audit checklist to help identify what is needed keep the baseball
field safe and playable. |
November 19 - Three days before Thanksgiving. It's 62 degrees in the
day and 32 at night. Here in California, this is also known as the
last day of the year you can successfully overseed your turf. If
you haven't finished your turf
maintenance process by now, then wait till February or March.
Things I did this week as maintenance time winds down for the year:
- spot seed thin
areas of turf - especially where football took its toll
- mow the infield
turf to keep it from getting too long
- spray weeds that
popped up since the last rains
- lightly fertilize
with cool season 21-4-7 fertilizer
|
November 12 - First mowing after overseeding three weeks ago.
I
had to use a rotary push mower since the ground too soggy to support a riding
mower... don't want any ruts out there! Then I lightly fertilized
with cool season fertilizer. Even though this is close to winter time,
this field is looking mighty good. So, now I just keep the weeds down
during the rainy season here. I spray with roundup. |
November
5 - The weather is warm - days are 78 degrees and nights are upper 40s.
I'm still overseeding a few fields with perrenial rye and have started putting
out cool season fertilizer on others. About
my lawn failure reported last week: we had a sudden cloudburst and the
next day there were little green seedlings sprouting all over the lawn.
Success after all. I should have believed that following
the process works. Hey, even I get anxious at times.
Oh, well.... |
October 28
- The weather has been so nice and things are going so well with fall
turf maintenance, that I am taking orders for more fertilizer and seed.
Even for lawns in the neighborhood. What's good for the
goose is good for the gander, huh? Why not have a home
lawn that is as nice looking as a premium baseball field? Mine is.
Just follow
most of the same turf maintenance steps.
P.S. I had
one overseed failure on a home lawn. The owner used roundup
to kill the existing mess. Then we mowed it as short as the mower
would go. We overseeded and fertilized. Then we watered every
day. Normally within a week you see the rye/bluegrass sprout.
A week later - nothing. Another couple days - barely anything.
I think it is a watering problem, but not seeing it day in and day out,
I don't know. We'll overseed again and I'll watch the watering.
We haven't had rain for 16 days and don't expect any for 10 more.
|
October 27
- Time to get rid of the dead weeds I killed with roundup
several weeks ago. I used a thatcher and lowed the cutting
blades about as low as they would go. Too low for use on
turf. I used it to run over the dead, dry weeds in the dirt areas
- basepaths, infield skin, and warning track. It can take as many
as 10 passes, but the weeds are either totally gone or completely uprooted.
I raked through the areas to clean up any remaining loose ones. The
infield skin is looking great. Never
used a thatcher? Check here. And
I blasted the slight lip build up with a hose on the little league
fields. The weather has been dry and will continue to be dry for
at least a week. So, soaked the edges and then blasted out the infield
dirt from about 8 inches in. I left puddles, but in a couple hours it
will be absorbed. |
October 20
- This week I went around the various fields I take care of an did some
spot
seeding and checked over the lip buildup. I'll be blasting away
some of the lip with a hose next week. |
October 13
- I'm beginning to strengthen
the turf for the spring. Yesterday I core aerated the infield
and outfield. Today I am putting out sports turf (80% rye and 20%
bluegrass) and starter fertilizer (6-20-20). The temperature has been
around 75 and is predicted to be near 80 for the next two to three weeks.
This is perfect weather for growing cool season grass. Spring baseball
will be great! |
October 6
- This week I sharpened the blade on my lawn mower. This is easy to
do and I had no pressing work to be done at this time. But, I am gearing
up for some serious thatching and overseeding in a couple weeks. I
bought my grass
seed and fertilizer
and am all set to go. |
September
24 - I'm preparing for spring as well as improving the fall baseball
experience. My work activities now include:
- Spray weeds and
grasses on high school infield skin and outfield warning track - makes
spring maintenance a lot easier!
- edge infield turf
on the little league fields
- use high pressure
hose to reduce lip buildup on turf edges on the little league fields
- rebuild little
league mounds - many are too loose from brick dust mix and they need
a lot more clay; I'm using bags of powdered mortar mix
- core areate infield
on another field, mow it short, overseed with a rye/bluegrass mix and
put out 6-20-60 starter fertilizer - this is going to be a really nice
field in the spring.
|
September
13 - Time is running out! Need motivation to get
fall baseball field maintenance in gear? Then check
out this month's baseball field ezine right here. I'm hard at
work on four different fields right now. How about you? |
September
3 - Time to get serious about fall maintenance for a super spring!
This
is one of the best times to add baseball dirt to your field:
- the ground is still
hard enough for a dump truck to get to the infield skin without leaving
ruts in the turf
- the added baseball
dirt can settle in during the fall and winter
- If you are adding
dirt in the warmer climates where winter is rain instead of freezing
snow, then you need to roll the dirt so the rains don't wash it away.
And
this is also one of the best times to strengthen your infield turf for
the spring. Of course you can do this in the spring too, but
the cold, wet ground makes this harder and take longer. For a crash
course on turf maintenance with details if needed, click on the link above.
|
August 23 -
Best Maintenance tasks now:
- Spray unwanted
weeds and vegetation with roundup: basepaths, warning track,
bullpens. Kill this stuff now for less problem in the spring.
- Fertilize the
turf with 16-8-8.
- Spray trimic plus
on your infield to kill broadleaf weeds - do this between mowings.
- Plan to
aerate and overseed with perrenial rye in October. Fertilize
again 6 weeks later and again in late February or early March.
- Adjust the timings
for this for your climate. These are recommendations for
central California which could be quite different for you.
|
August 8
- Back after healing up from a very sore foot. Anyway, we are getting
ready for 'winter' ball to start right after Labor Day. A peek at
the fields last week tells me that it's time for some serious edging and
dragging again. The mound and homeplate on every field needs to be
rebuilt. Actually, its a good time to use the Baseball
Field Maintenance Preseason Audit and Checklist to get the fields ready
to go. |
July 15 - Yikes!
I sure hope you're teaching someone else how to take care of your fields...
parents, players, coaches... anyone. What if you can't do
it? Who will? I broke a toe on my left foot so I'm
out of action for a while. Good thing I'm not the only one who knows
what to do and cares enough to do it.
|
July 14 - Summer
maintenance: adjust sprinklers where it is drying up, fertilize
your turf, fix broken sprinklers as needed, edge the infield turf.
Many fields are now open until fall ball starts. It's a chance to
get some things done that normally would interrupt play. Better
to do it in the heat than in the winter when it's cold and muddy.
|
July 8 - All Star Tournament time! Here's
what players age 11-16 said about the fields they played on (park
and rec, little league, and a college field)
good: no lips, short grass for good bounces, hits in
the gap go to the wall, the mound is sloped right and has a good landing
bad: dusty and loose infield skin, bad hops at the grass
edge, the mound is like a big bump in the field and pitchers loose their
footing and balance
I wouldn't say any game's outcome was determined by the field, but the
various fields did add some challenges to the games. The
fields need more WATER!
It always
come back to basics. Whether it's the field or it's the
players. Speaking of the basics, snag
this free baseball basics report here.
P.S.
Does this baseball field log help you? Let me know. |
June 30 -
I blew it. I admit it. I chopped off the top of two
sprinklers with a sod cutter by accident. Yikes!
I
should have followed my own advice to mark your sprinklers before edging
or aearating.
I was using a sod
cutter to get rid of a speed-bump-like lip around the perimeter of the
infield skin. But I didn't find the exact location of the outfield
sprinklers. I measured 95 feet from the pitcher's rubber, but went
just a few feet more to get rid of the lip.
Well, I hit two sprinkers. It wasn't evident until every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday the second base area was mud. So, I went to
the park at 6:15am when the sprinklers went off to mark the exact location.
Then I told the park and rec folks about my accident and they were kind
enough to replace the tops. |
June 23 - How
would you like a chance to spend an afternoon with the Turf Manager of
the Year? I did just that and bring you a record of this
conversation right here! Check this out and learn
how the pros maintain their grass, dirt, and facility.
You will learn something from this. Guaranteed. A
conversation with the Turf Manager of the Year.
|
June 16 - Better
Fields for Better Play. Most of this site concentrates
on making your field the best it can be for competitive play.
But, how about we shift gears and look at what it takes to be a championship
pitcher. You might not be able to take advantage of this, but you
should at least go
here and snag the FREE Pitching Report. You'll be glad you did.
|
June 4 - Now
senior league is in full swing. These 15 and 16 year olds will tell
you they want two things in a field: get rid of the lips and please, please
drag it smooth before practice and games. The high speed balls hitting
lumpy bumpy ground is just asking for an injury. They don't want
that. They want to make the play. Check
here for tips and hints for maintaining your infield dirt.
|
May 18 - I'm
getting a lot of questions about infield dirt problems.
Many of you have infield dirt that is too loose, spongy, or is not level.
And quite a few fields are overused, poorly watered, and have lip build
up. What do you do?
The solutions vary. Some of you need to add 30
tons of clay to the infield skin, mix it in, level it, roll it flat, water
it down, and you'll get firmer footing. Others need to soak the
infield grass, aerate it, and edge it to solve your problem. And
a few of you just need better equipment and tools to care for your field.
These are very doable and not really expensive. It just takes your
time and effort to make it happen.
I encourage you to do it! Be a hero!
Still wonder how to get started? Check
here. |
May 2 - Well,
the season has been underway here for over two months. It's
actually time to start preparing for the May Memorial Day tournaments and
the June Tournament of Champions.
Even with some great field preparations back in January and February, it's
time to aerate, edge, fertilize, and even add more baseball dirt.
And we have a few places where a lip is forming... probably from dragging
the loose brick dust over the grass edge. I'll start by using a hose
to blast the dirt out. If that doesn't help I may have to take the
sod cutter to it.
Check
out the archive of baseball field articles here. |
April 24 - Have you claimed your FREE copy of Seven Field Maintenance
Secrets? If not, then you need to do that right now, right
here.
I put this together to energize your efforts. If you're like me, time
at the field is therapeutic and rewarding. So, make the most of it.
Claim
your FREE Special Report: Seven Field Maintenance Secrets to Transforming
your Baseball or Softball Field into a Winning Field. |
April 16 - Fantastic! The first time this
has happened. All four of my sons were playing baseball games
at the same time! College, high school, little league, and T-ball.
Wow. The nice thing about being involved in sports is that it keeps
you active, moving, and in touch with others. I love it!
Baseball field maintenance lesson for today: don't spray roundup on
a windy day. A fellow, well-meaning I'm sure, sprayed roundup
all around the senior field grass line to get rid of the weeds popping up
in the base paths. But it was a bit windy. Now the grass edge is jagged
with dead patches. It will grow back, but not before the end of the
season.
|
April 8 - FEAR. That's all I can think it was.
I offered to help out a league across town. They have two little league
fields in desperate need of help. Everybody knows it. I laid
out a simple turf and dirt upgrade plan - offered to do it for free.
But, alas, the league president turned down the offer. Twice.
I figure it must be fear of doing something. Man-O-Man! Don't
let fear paralyze you. Take action. The kids are counting on
you! |
April
1 - Let's talk money for minute. No fooling. Without
at least a little bit of money or donated equipment and materials, it's
near impossible to make a real difference with your baseball field maintenance.
So, today
I encourage you to skim through the section of this site about how to fund
your baseball projects. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.
And so will your players - they're the ones we do all this for after all.
P.S.
Does this baseball field log help you? Let me know.
|
March 26 - The
senior little league field in the park complex could use some attention
now. The turf is growing strong, thick, and healthy.
So now
we turn our attention to the dirt areas. This field hasn't had
any extra baseball dirt for many years. It just seems to blow away
and disappear. As a result, the dirt area is lower than the grass
and there is a slight build up at the grass edges that is about a foot
wide. Not a real lip type bump, but a gentle rise and fall.
Here
is the infield dirt maintenance proposal I put together for the league
reps. There are variations we can go with depending on budget, time,
and the number of helpers.
|
March 19 - What a difference it makes where you live.
In the Sacramento, CA area where I am, we've been working on our baseball
fields since mid to late January. Opening day was March 17. The playing
fields were fantastic. Then a couple days later I was in Colorado
Springs, CO. They are just breaking out of winter. Most grass is still
dormant. They are probably just now starting to do the things we did
in late January or early February. What a difference in timing.
But, the process is the same. Start
with the pre season checklist to put your plans in place and
then get going on the turf maintenance checklist. |
March
12 - The magic of the
sod cutter. It was cleanup day at the park. Lots
of people doing lots of things. But the magic was the sod cutter.
With this tool I edged three baseball fields and removed lips
and lumps faster than anyone believed possible. I used
my all time favorite - the Kiss Cutter from Turfco. It's a light
weight, four wheel model. If you want to cut straight lines, then
this is the machine to do the job. The three wheel versions are
very hard to cut straight especially if you are not on perfectly level
ground. But with the 4 wheel model it's a straight cut whether going
over lumps and bumps or flat ground. |
March 5 - After a week of rain off and on, we had a nice weekend.
It was a work day at the PONY baseball field. The high school JV plays
here too. It's an all dirt infield with lots of weeds on the edges
of the field. We used a spike drag and wire mesh drag to get most
of them out and smooth out the field. The boys used hoes and shovels
to get the weeds right at the edge of the back stop and fence. This
field has bases at 70', 80', and 90'. The pegs were all covered over
and we had to dig to find them. Of course second base was in the wrong
place. Off by almost a foot. But we eventually found it. Are we going
to move it? I don't think so. At least not right now.
We
rebuilt the mound. Or should I say 'mounds?' There are
three mounds in a row each getting successively higher as they get farther
way. This is how one field works here for all these age groups.
We build a 3' x 5' table at the top of the highest one to give the
pitcher the proper area to stand. And we leveled out the
pitcher rubbers and lined them up with home plate. We also dug up
the batter boxes, added clay and a rubber mat about 3 inches under the dirt.
This will keep the batter box from getting a big hole from the batters.
|
Feb 26 - I
did some spot seeding for the high school baseball field and tried out
the reel mower I'd been working on. It cut better, but alas, about
half way through mowing the infield the clutch mechanism started slipping
so much that it only ran at half speed. It works, but this is too
slow to be mowing 8,000 square feet. It takes almost 45 minutes.
The first game was played on the high school field. The field looks
great. But I noticed when I previously mowed with the reel mower
that the infield turf area is a little bit lumpy and bumpy.
It showed with a couple bad hop grounders. We'll see how the grass grows
out, but we might need to roll the infield with a steam roller to flatten
it out. I'll give this a couple weeks and see. This one good
reason for you to keep a baseball field log. Keep track of what
is happening and what you've done.
|
Feb 19 - I
used cool
season fertilizer on the little league baseball infields and on the
grass at the dirt edges along the foul area and the outfield sections near
the infield dirt. It will rain this week and this will perk up this
grass wonderfully. We even fertilized the T-ball
area that sits way off to the side of the other four baseball fields.
This little area is often neglected so I decided to make this my pet project
for the spring. Make this area as nice as possible so the parents
and the little guys and girls have a good experience.
|
Feb 12 - This
was sad to see. Last fall a well meaning groundskeeper worked on adding
seed to a little league field that was just plain worn out. Last summer
and fall most of the grass behind homeplate and in foul ground between home
and the dugouts was worn down to dirt. So, late fall (November here)
is a good time to overseed and get it going for the spring. He put
out compost and threw seed on top. And then he let it set for the
rains to water and settle it. The seeds started to sprout in early
February. Then we had a day of very heavy rain. The rain came
down so hard it ran off the field in a stream and washed out most of the
grass seed behind homeplate and the third base dugout. It's
washed back down to the bare dirt. Maybe this would have helped save
it. Back in November, if
we had aerated the field, then put out the topdressing and seed and followed
it by dragging with a mat drag, I don't think it would have lost so much
of the seed. It would have taken root farther down and would have
been packed a bit more. But you never know with a monsoon. It
can wreck a field pretty fast.
|
Feb 5 - Work day
at the high school. I used a sod cutter to edge all around.
First I marked the sprinklers, then I measured and used white marking
spray paint to mark the lines to cut. Then I just followed the lines
and cut. Players raked up the sod scrapes and hauled them away.
This was impressive. We
edged the field to spec in one morning. The players were amazed
at how fast this went. We
used a couple thatchers to scratch all the small weeds off the dirt areas.
This worked quite well. A team also fixed up the tool shed, put in
new dugout benches, and painted most of the wood areas around the field.
Looks quite nice. The infield turf is a bit thin still on the baseball
field, but it is growing in.
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Jan 26 - The first work day of 2007 at the high school. This
is the beginning of this baseball field log for this year. We aerated
the infield turf and put out seed and fertilizer. It
was cold and and been raining several days before so it was a short morning
of work. During the fall and winter a lot of grass grew
out on the infield dirt and the base paths. It's almost like solid
turf 4-10 feet past where the real edge is supposed to be. We can fix
this a lot easier than most people expect. Next week they'll see
what I mean when I use a sod cutter on it.
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