All that talk about preparation wasn't just BS. The fact is, while I paid a lot of attention to the grade and drainage of the grass areas, I neglected to pay as much attention to the infield. So afraid was I to let my rockin hybrid grass be improperly watered, I forgot all about what water can do to dirt. Moreover, what water can do to dirt that is formulated for a very specific purpose.
Anywho, the point is that because I failed so miserably in that department, I now have a few issues with erosion. There is a patch of dirt just beyond first base that has gotten washed away over time, revealing this nasty rocky earth beneath the luxurious infield dirt. Yes, I said luxurious. There's also a smaller spot just to the left of 2nd base. I've been throwing a little of the excess infield mix I had on top of them as a sort of lame patch job.
It finally got to the point where something had to give, and I decided to just go ahead and brave the heat and really fix it. First though, I needed some new dirt. I took the boys on a little trip down to Stabilizer Solutions. What a cool place. They have every kind of baseball dirt you could want. Just high quality dirt everywhere you look. A little boys dream. I chose to go with a product the call "Hilltopper". It's a ready-to-play polymer coated soil that is just awesome. I got four 50lb bags at a price so low I'm not sure they want me putting it out there. This is the stuff you see on every MLB park around the warning tracks and behind home plate. It doesn't need water, but when it gets it, drains like nobody's business. Plus it binds really well with other soils. Perfect for what I need.
Now for the fix. What I did was rake the infield out really well to start. Then I poured the hilltopper onto the areas I needed it most, then a bunch around the home plate area. I then mixed it in with the existing dirt really well. After that, I drug the field about 10 times at least. Making sure to check the slope of the problem areas. Then I wet the field down to see if the fix worked. Apparently it did. No mored nasty erosion lines. Plus the darker shade of red makes it look nicer. Well worth the little bit of money and whole lotta sweat it took to fix it right.
Anywho, the point is that because I failed so miserably in that department, I now have a few issues with erosion. There is a patch of dirt just beyond first base that has gotten washed away over time, revealing this nasty rocky earth beneath the luxurious infield dirt. Yes, I said luxurious. There's also a smaller spot just to the left of 2nd base. I've been throwing a little of the excess infield mix I had on top of them as a sort of lame patch job.
It finally got to the point where something had to give, and I decided to just go ahead and brave the heat and really fix it. First though, I needed some new dirt. I took the boys on a little trip down to Stabilizer Solutions. What a cool place. They have every kind of baseball dirt you could want. Just high quality dirt everywhere you look. A little boys dream. I chose to go with a product the call "Hilltopper". It's a ready-to-play polymer coated soil that is just awesome. I got four 50lb bags at a price so low I'm not sure they want me putting it out there. This is the stuff you see on every MLB park around the warning tracks and behind home plate. It doesn't need water, but when it gets it, drains like nobody's business. Plus it binds really well with other soils. Perfect for what I need.
Now for the fix. What I did was rake the infield out really well to start. Then I poured the hilltopper onto the areas I needed it most, then a bunch around the home plate area. I then mixed it in with the existing dirt really well. After that, I drug the field about 10 times at least. Making sure to check the slope of the problem areas. Then I wet the field down to see if the fix worked. Apparently it did. No mored nasty erosion lines. Plus the darker shade of red makes it look nicer. Well worth the little bit of money and whole lotta sweat it took to fix it right.
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