To the STMA review board

1. To the STMA review board The following presentation is geared toward providing an understanding of the basic concepts required for infield maintenance. The presentation could be presented in a minimum time of 1.5 hours or could lend itself to a longer time frame possibly included with other presentations geared toward the municipal athletic field as in a work shop I would anticipate audience participation including a Q & A time which could allow for a 2 hour time limit on this presentation. I appreciate your consideration and can say that I wish a presentation like this was available when I first started in infield maintenance In the event that this presentation is selected, I would also make myself available for other panel discussions etc. that might benefit from my view.

2. Considerations in Infield Design and Maintenance Jim Hermann, CSFM Total Control Inc.

3. The professional infield (the Thoroughbred) • Designed for the sprint • Designed to get through the 5th inning • Graded at ½% slope radiating out from a point, central to all the bases • Constructed with 2 distinct skin layers • A base layer and a topdressing layer • Covered and irrigated

4. The municipal infield (the workhorse) Single skin system Used day in and day out All day, every day Worked hard and put up wet

5. Whether maintaining a thoroughbred or a municipal workhorse, it is the responsibility of the infield manager to develop an infield that fits his or her requirements through effective design and maintenance

6. Is this your infield??

7. Discuss the interrelationship between design, and maintenance • Investigate primary design flaws as shown through a review of the “criteria for a benchmark infield” • Discuss basic infield maintenance objectives and technique

8. Water can influence an infield in 3 distinct ways • Free water • Most of the water we deal with on an infield is free water or water that is controlled by gravity • As water travels down hill over an infield, it has the potential to cause erosion and carry infield material with it • If free water stops moving on an infield, that’s another problem • Understanding and effectively dealing with free water is the most important objective in infield management. • Control of this water is key to a quality low budget “municipal” infield • Capillary water • Capillary water is the water held in the soil after all the free water has drained off • this does not mean puddles • Control of this water is the key to a quality high end “professional” infield • This is the water that most infield amendments are designed to help control • Ground Water (also free water) • High water table

9. Criteria For a Benchmark Infield • List of design guidelines intended to provide the sports field manager with a means of evaluating different infields given site specific differences and limitations • The results of this comparison can be used to help predict potential problems or diagnose existing maintenance issues • Some criteria are the product of consideration in design • Some criteria are the product of maintenance

10. Every infield should: Maintain positive surface drainage within a range of .5 to 1.5% • slopes of less than 1% require periodic laser grading unless your really really good • As you go above 1% slope you begin to experience excessive erosion, increasing the potential for lip accumulation • This problem can be magnified when using a sandy infield mix or excessive amendments such as calcined clay

11. Calculating Slope • Rise over run • Rise Run • Change in elevation divided by the distance • 1’ change in elevation over 100’ • 1’ ÷ 100’ = .01 or 1% • Distance in feet × slope × 12” = rise or fall in inches • 50’ × .01 (1%) = .5 × 12” = 6”

12. Surface drainage should evacuate water from the infield the shortest distance.

13. Conical grade

14. X Y (Single Plane) 1 axis level (Dual Plane) Neither axis level Level (both axis Level)

15. The dominant slope should never be parallel with the bases path. Dominant slope should be perpendicular to the base path

16. Every infield should provide a home plate with a minimum crown of ¾%

17. Home plate should be at the same elevation or slightly higher than 1st, 2nd, & 3rd base

18. A 2’ wall was constructed to elevate home plate

21. Every infield should exhibit a smooth transition into adjacent turf area The most neglected area of infield maintenance is the lip or interface between the skin and perimeter turf.

23. Fields are sometimes graded on a single plane (slope)

24. % The affects of wear and improper maintenance

25. Be aware of critical areas of maintenance

26. Consideration for the internal drainage characteristics of a root zone is important in infield design. The less slope you have, the more critical internal drainage or bypass drainage in the form of slit drainage becomes in providing efficient evacuation of free water.

27. Sod over with sod grownon sandy soil or fill to top and dirty up surface, seed and mulch ASTM C-33 silica sand (drainage sand) Do not use ground limestone 12” minimum 2 – 3” perforated pipe ½ % minimum slope 4”

28. Where a high water table or highly permeable root zone is identified, a subsurface drainage plan should be considered Note: Not efficient for surface drainage Note: Compatible materials do not require fabric

29. During the playing season Every infield should be free of unwanted vegetation

30. Drag your infield every week throughout the season to minimize unwanted vegetation • More than likely you will: • Negatively affect positive surface drainage • Promote erosion Alternative • In the fall • Spray with roundup • Sod cut at a shallow depth • Rake and remove debris

31. Every infield should provide crisp definition between the infield skin and turf

32. Every infield should be constructed with ease of maintenance as a paramount objective

33. Optional plan for 1st and 3rd base Not to scale

34. Every infield should be graded in a way that does not allow runoff from adjacent areas onto the infield skin. The only surface water you should have to deal with on an infield is the water that falls on the infield

35. Where the potential for surface water running onto the infield exists, a diversion should be included in the design

36. Every infield should be graded in in a way that does not allow standing water to accumulate either on the infield or in adjacent turf areas Internal drainage is non existent (inefficient at best) in infield mix “except” in colder climates where for a short period of time the skin can honeycomb from freeze thaw cycles

37. Determine the cause before you consider the cure Infield mix was added and this field was regraded with a 1% crown from the pitchers mound. A perimeter slit drain was also installed to correct the problem Skin fields are much more forgiving when it comes to grade modifications

38. Every infield should provide reasonable accuracy in mandatory dimensions • Baseline and diagonal distances • Pitching distance

40. 40 (80) (60) 30 50 (100)

41. #10 Provide reasonable accuracy in mandatory dimensions

42. Infield safety • Constructed with safety as a paramount objective • Use of warning tracks • Fencing height compatible with the age of the players • Style of bases compatible with the level of play • Safe distances to obstructions off the playing area

43. There is a direct relationship between safety, durability and playability

46. Infield Mix • Every infield should utilize an infield mix compatible with both the level of play and level of maintenance • A quality infield mix is a mix that accurately represents the product description provided • Safety and playability are not directly related to sand, silt clay ratios of an infield mix • Safety and playability are not the direct result of products used but are related to how those products are used

47. Sand, Silt, Clay • Sand • The more sand, the more your infields plays like a sandbox • 75 – 80% sand provides the integrity need for higher levels of play • If you anticipate blending calcined clay, lower the sand requirement to 70% +or- • Most of the sand should be medium sand or larger • Fine sand starts to act like silt in a mix • Blows in the wind, adds to the lip • The more sand, the less slope

48. Silt • The more silt you have, the dustier a dry mix will be • The more silt you have, the gooier a wet mix will be • Maximum of 8% • No more than .5 – 1 silt to clay ratio • I believe silt has more benefit in the moist compacted base of a professional (thoroughbred) infield

49. Clay • In combination with silt no more than 20 – 25% • Around 16% with a .5 – 1 silt to clay ratio • More if amendments such as calcined clay are considered

50. Gravel • Less than 4% gravel