Reesink Expands In Scotland

/in /by

Reesink Expands In Scotland: Reesink Turfcare’s service branch in Livingston, Scotland is continuing to expand with the appointment of a new sales representative, Daniel Tomberry.

Daniel brings over a decade’s experience in sports turf to his sales role at Reesink’s Livingston branch, which goes from strength to strength in its second year, and working with golf clubs in Glasgow and south west Scotland.

Reesink Expands In Scotland

Daniel says of his new role: “For years, the idea of having a sales role in the industry has really appealed to me and I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity. This position at Reesink was what I was waiting for.”

Daniel has a broad range of experience in the sports turf industry: “By working my way up from apprentice greenkeeper at a prestigious Scottish golf club to head groundsman at East Dorset Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, I’ve gained a wide range of industry knowledge which I believe will serve me well in this new role.

“This practical knowledge will enable me to relate to customers, understand what they want to achieve, and know which products will best suit their needs.”

Regional manager for Scotland and north England, George MacDonald, explains why he hired Daniel: “Daniel has a great deal of experience in the industry and has worked with Toro machinery for many years. He respects the brand, is professional, articulate and enthusiastic.

“With all of this going for him, I have no doubts that Daniel is going to excel in his new position and be of great help to customers in the south west of Scotland,” George concludes.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Versatile TORO LT-F3000

/in , /by

Versatile TORO LT-F3000: Nationally respected Countrywide Grounds Maintenance serves thousands of customers from 50 regional offices and has been leading the industry for over 25 years. With the challenge of keeping a vast range of environments looking their best all year round, the organisation has invested in the versatility of a Toro LT-F3000 triple flail mower.

This is a first-time Toro purchase for Countrywide Grounds Maintenance franchise owner Andrew Gilliar. Andrew explains that it feels like the machine has been perfectly designed to match his needs: “I’ve owned and operated mowers similar to this one for over 30 years, so there’s not many models in the market I don’t know, but it’s the first time I’ve demo’d the Toro LT-F3000. During the demonstration I was amazed by the versatility of the machine, which made it stand apart from any others I’ve used.”

Versatile TORO LT-F3000

He continues: “With such a diverse client list ranging from schools and councils to commercial estates, the LT-F3000 is designed to meet our current business needs. We needed a machine versatile enough to deliver a consistently good cut to sites of all shapes and sizes, regardless of grass type, grass length or weather conditions. This is what you get from the LT-F3000.

“It can deliver a 22-25mm cut on school playing fields and sports facilities and leave a nice finish with stripes. At the same time, the height of cut can be adjusted to suit longer rough cut grass sites, like council verges, industrial estates, or nature pathways. The latter can be cut on a cycle of 16 weeks, but the LT-F3000 will still cut through this grass easily and leave a good finish.”

With the grounds of over 104 schools across Suffolk and Essex to maintain, the machines in Andrew’s fleet must be able to keep up. The LT-F3000 certainly does that: it is in operation eight hours a day, five or six days a week.

 Andrew says: “We have a team of three using the triple flail and they absolutely love it. It’s comfortable and easy to maintain thanks to accessible service points. One operator said that ever since we invested in the mower, it’s been even more of a pleasure to come to work.”

When it comes to customer experience, Andrew’s has been seamless: “We haven’t come into contact with the aftersales service team yet as we’ve had no problems. Considering how quick and easy it was to order spare parts, plus the support we’ve had from Danny Lake [Reesink sales representative], I’m sure that Reesink would be there to help us should we ever need it,” he says.

And with another LT-F3000 on order it’s safe to say Countrywide’s Toro purchase has been a first rate success, with the LT-F3000 proving itself as a versatile mower – the perfect match for a versatile company.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Kubota Top Of The Class

/in /by

Kubota Top Of The Class: Kubota UK’s partnership with Merchant Taylors’, one of the ‘Great Nine’ schools of England, is going from strength to strength after the school recently replaced 13 of its machines for 13 new machines through George Browns, who are the UK’s largest Kubota groundcare dealer.

With 285 acres of pitches, lakes and woodland to maintain, and a campus that boasts first class facilities, it is vital that Merchant Taylors’ ground maintenance team have the most reliable, hard working and best performing equipment on the market.

Kubota Top Of The Class

The responsibility of the maintenance and upkeep of this vast rural estate is led by grounds manager Richard Ayling, who has been working at the school for almost 23 years. To support the continuous maintenance of the grounds, Richard required a range of new groundcare machinery to update the schools existing Kubota inventory.

Richard said: “This school has developed an outstanding reputation as one of the best boys schools in the UK, both academically and through sporting achievements.  In order for our students to perform to the best of their ability, ensuring the sports surfaces are in perfect condition all year round is critical.

“We also host a number of top-tier sporting teams Including Middlesex County Cricket Club, Saracens rugby academy and a regional centre for England hockey. With such a vast range of pitches, this is by no means an easy task, so having the right machines that can help you do your job productively is key.

“The purchasing of the machines was straightforward after taking different factors into consideration. We need machines that can perform to the highest standards. Reliability is also important to avoid any costly downtime and the machines we use need to be comfy and simple to operate so my team can carry out their work efficiently.  That’s exactly why we chose Kubota.

“We have had a relationship with George Browns and Kubota for decades now and have never been let down.  This new machinery will significantly assist our team of ten groundcare staff, helping to increase productivity of our operations even further across a wide range of applications.”

As a testament to the reliability of Kubota machinery, the school has only just parted ways with their very first Kubota machine. The L225 had been used at the school for over 35 years, being one of the first compact tractors ever to be introduced by Kubota into the UK market by in the early 80s.

Fast forward to today, the school’s recent order includes two of Kubota’s market-leading diesel-powered RTV-X900 utility vehicles, three petrol-powered RTV-500s and two commercial mowers, the Kubota G21 ride-on and out front F3090.  Richard also purchased a number of Kubota’s popular L Series mid-sized tractors, including two L5040s and an L5740. The STW34, B2050 and M60 Series tractors completed Richard’s fleet replacement programme.

Due to the expanse and diversity of the estate at Merchant Taylors’ School, the addition of five new Kubota RTVs enables the efficient transportation of both personnel and equipment around the vast site. For example, the two RTV-X900’s are specifically used to tackle some of the more difficult terrain located outside the school site, such as the woodland and lake areas that cannot be accessed easily by foot or other vehicles.

The STW34 compact tractor is primarily used to undertake the majority of cricket renovations, ensuring pitches are kept in optimum condition. The ability to use a wide range of implements on this tractor allows for significant adaptability and flexibility across a multitude of tasks.

The powerful L5040 tractors are being used by the team to cater for heavier workloads as their extra lifting capacity of up to 1750KG makes them much more versatile. The range is an ideal choice for carrying out such tasks as scarifying, fertiliser spreading and seeding, plus verti-draining the land.

Richard continued: “It’s testament to the quality of the pitches we produce and maintain here at Merchant Taylors’ that other top sports teams use our facilities.  I am extremely proud of the work we do and the professionalism of my groundcare team.  We take real pride in making sure we can work towards and keep the school facilities to the high standard that independent schools demand. The very high standards of facilities in this sector are being set across the country by Grounds Managers and it is my responsibility to make sure Taylors’ is the same.

“There’s no doubt that partnerships like the one with have with George Browns and Kubota also play a substantial role in enabling us to carry out our work to the highest standards.  We are using high performance and quality machines from a trusted brand and have the first class back-up and support from George Browns when required.  We look forward to continuing this relationship in the future.”

For more information on Kubota and its extensive range of solutions for the groundcare sectors, or to find your local dealer, visit www.kubota.co.uk or call 01844 268000.

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters

Don’t Let Frost Stop Play This Year

/in /by

Don’t let frost stop play this year – proven frost protection + germination with Total Growth Cover…

When investing in a new frost protection system, why settle for one that only protects the surface? Designed specifically to allow the pitch to breathe, the Climate Cover Total Growth Cover (TGC) actively enhances seed germination whilst it protects from frost. 

The result – not only will you have a surface that’s ready for play in frosty conditions, but a well grown pitch that’s better able to withstand the rigours of the game and finish the season in good shape.

Developed to be easy to handle in the coldest conditions and with multi-layer configurations offering play-ready surfaces down to -6°c, TGC is in use by clients that include Premier League football grounds, Premiership Rugby Union Grounds, the IRFU (Irish Rugby Football Union), National Hunt race courses and the Lawn Tennis Association.

Orders are now being taken for various size covers from goal mouth to full pitch, with hire options also available.  Call 01604 864575, email info@total-play.co.uk or visit www.total-play.co.uk to find out more.

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Bexley’s Charter Oak Revived

/in /by

Bexley’s Charter Oak Revived: After the Great Storm in 1987, Londoners were asked to nominate the leading landmark trees in the capital. In 1988, over 40 were officially awarded “Great Tree” status, with an additional 20 in 2008. The magnificent Charter Oak of Bexley was elected one of these landmark trees.

Situated in Danson Park, originally part of the Danson House estate, the Bexley Charter Oak is around 200 years old. The oak takes its name from Bexley’s Charter to become a Municipal Borough, which was presented by Lord Cornwallis underneath the Oak in 1937. It is the most iconic tree within the borough, situated within the formal areas in one of its three flagship parks, and features on London Borough of Bexley’s coat of Arms.

Bexley’s Charter Oak Revived

Beefsteak fungus and lazy branches

In recent months, the Charter Oak was starting to cause concern. It was showing noticeably diminished vitality and a reduced leaf area index. Its huge canopy clearance was also reducing due to ‘lazy branches’, and the destructive ‘beefsteak fungus’ (Fistulina hepatica) had started to advance.
London Borough of Bexley Tree and Woodland Officer Philip Louis called on Apex Tree Surgeons and Carbon Gold to work with the Council to prolong the life of this historic tree. Apex are the only UK distributor of Vogt GeoTech equipment, which allows them to inject granular material deeper into the ground then other equipment. Carbon Gold are leading suppliers of enriched biochar, a horticultural form of charcoal used to improve soil nutrition and growing conditions.

Previous treatments with varying success

The oak had been treated with air-spading over ten years ago, however the soil around the root system was found to be compacted when Apex Tree Surgeons commenced work in autumn 2017. An amenity grade mulch had been applied every year, which was successful in suppressing weeds but had a negligible effect on nitrogen recycling and water retention. Fencing around the root area had been erected approximately fifteen years ago which had been successful in minimising compaction by footfall, and preventing climbing and vandalism.

Getting enriched biochar into the root-zone

Enriched biochar is known for its tree revitalising properties and Bexley’s arboriculture department were keen to see if it could reverse the Charter Oak’s worrying symptoms. Apex were commissioned to use the pioneering Vogt GeoTech Injector to apply Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar Tree Soil Improver directly around the root system. This unique piece of equipment is designed to inject high pressure compressed air up to a metre into the ground – reducing compaction, improving aeration and drainage, and stimulating root growth. Using the same probe, materials such as biochar can then be injected into the cavities it has created in the soil, ensuring product is applied deep into the root zone.

Philip and the team expect to see results within as little as a few months, however the treatment will continue to develop over the next year or two. Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar is proven to improve the vitality of established trees as it is enriched with Mycorrhizae and Trichoderma fungi which, in combination with wormcasts and seaweed, create a fertile, living soil around the root systems of trees. Biochar has a microscopic honeycomb-like structure which provides the perfect habitat for beneficial soil microorganisms, such as mycorrhizal fungi and actinomycetes bacteria which make nutrients more available to plants. Biochar also decompacts and aerates soils, and stabilises soil moisture, allowing veteran trees such as the iconic Charter Oak to grow strong, healthy root systems so that it can stand tall for many more generations of Londoners.

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.