Top dressing soil is an important part of field maintenance for any kind of softball or baseball field. While it is most important when you are working with a skinned infield, it can also be useful for turf infields. The top dressing used can make a big difference in game play and can also affect field maintenance. So, if you are new to field maintenance or are upgrading a baseball field, understanding the different aspects of top dressing soil is centrally important.
A good place to start is by figuring out what kind of infield mix has been used — what the ratio of sand to silt to clay is — and whether any other additives or conditioners have been included in your mix. From there, you can select the right top dressing soil for longevity, feel and even color. SportsFields4u is happy to help. As experts in field maintenance equipment, we can help whether with your next athletic field renovation or just improving your maintenance routine, just give us a call at 636-235-3000.
What is Top Dressing Soil
In short, top dressing soil is any soil or conditioner added on top of a playing field to improve the surface. In some applications, sand alone is used, but for skinned infields calcined clay or vitrified clay can be used. This material is spread over the field in a shallow layer of about ¼-⅛“ which helps to even the playing surface and prevent stickiness.
Another benefit of using top dressing soil is that it allows aeration without leaving large gaps in the surface of the turf. This means less rain delays and allows field to drain more easily and when used on turf, that the roots and sub-layers of soil get plenty of air, water, and nutrients. Well maintenanced roots are important on an athletic field. With tons of wear and tear, that extra structure is important and will help you maintain a great looking field for a long time to come.
Our Top Dressing Soil Products
At SportsFields4u, we have a few different top dressing soil products to choose from. In particular, we offer calcined clay and vitrified clay conditioners, which has added benefits like maintaining the moisture level in your field and preventing rain outs. Particularly in humid environments, adding calcined clay to your infield can make moisture management much less of a headache. This material absorbs moisture and releases it slowly, which means no pooling water or sticky dirt, but if you use it on turf, the water does get re-released to the roots.
Our calcined clay top dressing products include:
- Turface MVP
- Turface Pro League
- Turface Quick Dry
- Diamond Pro Calcined Clay Professional
- Diamond Pro Calcined Clay Top Dressing
- Diamond Pro Calcined Clay Drying Agent
If you are familiar with athletic field equipment (Link to Home) and maintenance, you will recognize these top brands. We strive to stock top of the line products, and we are sure you will be happy with the top dressing soils we offer at SportsFields4u.
Learn More About Top Dressing Soils from SportsFields4u
For athletic fields throughout Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and other surrounding states, you can fill all your athletic field maintenance needs with just one call to SportsFields4u. We offer a wide variety of field maintenance equipment, and all it takes to get started working with our professional and friendly team is to contact us online or by phone at 636-235-3000.
