Whether the weather is too wet or too dry, In-Flow can help manage moisture in your infield profile. In 2018 and 2019 many areas of the country were too wet with excessive rainfall. In-Flow helped field managers maintain their fields. In-Flow moved the water off the surface allowing them to be maintained. Often these fields were more playable sooner. In-Flow does not replace good maintenance practices. Continue with top dressing fields and proper maintenance. In-Flow is another tool to manage water. Feedback during rain events was that there was less “peanut butter” or tacky surfaces. Several commented there was better “cleat-in, cleat-out”. In-Flow was starting to be accepted as a practice to help manage the infields during those years. For a good video on In-Flow performance in wet periods, check out the Stevenson High School video where Randy discusses his results. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdxvVGfwvn8)
As we all are painfully aware, 2020 was a difficult year in sports turf. As games started back up and during 2021 we had drier weather than the previous years. Field managers had to keep dust down and maintain proper moisture for playability. That usually is done through irrigation and hand watering.
In-Flow is not only a soil penetrating or infiltration product, it also contains hydrating chemistry that helps maintain moisture deeper in the profile. So in dry periods, In-Flow can assist in balancing the water content and keep the fields more playable and reducing hard surfaces. We call these types of soil surfactants “blended chemistries” that both push water in and yet maintain volumetric water content in the soil. In-Flow helps move water in when applying water to your field. Often, field managers have to water between games to keep the correct amount of moisture. In-Flow helps reduce the amount of water needed to get to that level and saves time. The Jumbo Shrimp in Florida experienced that, as Christian explains in this video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oim8i-BILzA)
In-Flow is a newer tool that sports turf managers are using on their soils. It can also be applied to the turf. It will keep that same balance of moisture in the soil to help maintain healthier turf and better playability. In-Flow can even assist with germination of seed in heavy traffic areas, such as soccer goal mouths. Just apply some In-Flow when you throw the seed and establishment will be improved.
If you have more questions on In-Flow or soil surfactant chemistries, please visit our website at www.precisionlab.com/sports-turf.
Chip Houmes
District Manager
Precision Laboratories, LLC
