IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT
Photo courtesy of HNP LLC
“ the rule of six ” — water a field six , 12 or 18 hours prior to a game in order to have optimum grass health and playability for athletes . The skinned areas of baseball and softball fields may need water closer to the start of a game to keep dust down ; however , in the course of watering the skinned areas , your grounds crew should ascertain that water does not fall on the grass itself .
Irrigation should not trespass outside the field . If your system is spraying water onto bleachers , dugouts or any areas outside your fence , it ’ s not working efficiently . Water should be falling on the playing area and nowhere else . Spend time redirecting the sprinkler heads and replacing or repairing any that are broken and / or malfunctioning .
In some cases , for example , a field ’ s color change can signify a need for more fertilizer , or it can be a symptom of fatigue following a period of heavy use . If the ground is saturated from too much rain ( rather than from mechanical irrigation ), surface and subsurface drainage options can help move water off the field and into areas such as water retention ponds . SFM
Mary Helen Sprecher wrote this article on behalf of the American Sports Builders Association ( ASBA ). For additional information , see Sports Fields : Construction and Maintenance Manual ( available at sportsbuilders . org ).
Photo courtesy of Clark companies
32 SportsField Management | July 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com