Renovation vs. Conditioning

What you will need

by Jim Gordon

The desired surface for the skinned area of your baseball and softball fields is a loose and friable ¼” surface with a firm, well draining subsurface. The desired procedure using the Pro’s Choice line of conditioners would help you achieve this.

Pro’s Choice Soilmaster Red should be mixed into the top 3 to 4 inches of your current mix (whether it is natural clay and sand mix, or any other material that you have been using). For the best result, a 25% blend of Pro’s Choice by volume is recommended. By following this one time installation, only 1 to 2 tons of Soilmaster Red will be needed annually for upkeep and maintenance. With a degradation factor of less than 3% over 20 years, this product will last the life of your field. So if budget prevents you from totally renovating your entire field with Pro’s Choice this year, slowly incorporate more in the traffic areas, and then slowly add the product each season.

Renovation

The total renovation of your baseball field would require 12 tons (480 fifty pound bags). This would insure proper coverage of the skinned infield 95” radius. Application is a very simple process as follows:

Prepare the infield by turning the soil as needed and then leveling out.

Spread the Soilmaster ¼” evenly on the infield soil.

Mix the Soilmaster into the infield soil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches.

Roll – pack the infield.

Water the infield surface evenly.

Spread the Soilmaster ¼” evenly over the entire field…screen drag evenly.

Amounts of Soilmaster Infield Conditioner needed for roto-tilling should be based on a ratio of ¼” of Soilmaster for every inch of tilling.
Total amount of material needed to completely renovate your baseball field would be:

480 bags

Infield Conditioning

Simply conditioning your infields would require only half of what is used for renovation. This would incorporate the material into the top 1” of the playing surface. To do so you would simply moisten the skinned areas and spread the material over the entire infield. Apply more to problem areas. Work the material into the top 1-inch or so of soil with a nail drag. Smooth with a drag mat, and then top-dress as above.

The benefits that will be achieved will be immediately noticeable. Because Soilmaster soil conditioner granules are heat-treated to enhance durability and reduce breakdown, they continue to work in your field year after year, substantially reducing maintenance costs and labor.

Total amount of material needed to Condition your baseball field would be:

240 bags

Because of the smaller size of softball fields the amount of material drops down by 2 ton (80 bags) for total renovation of a field, and by one ton (40 bags) for conditioning.

Total amount of material needed to renovate your softball field would be:

400 bags

Total amount of material needed to condition your softball field would be:

200 bags

Site last updated: 01/17/2008