Eliet Speeds Up Scarifying

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Eliet Speeds Up Scarifying:Leading Belgian manufacturer Eliet have launched an innovative new machine, set to dramatically reduce the time landscapers and groundsmen spend undertaking scarifying operations and disposing of thatch and moss.

The NEW C550ZR Collector brings a new standard in turf maintenance, collecting moss and thatch into narrow rows for easier disposal, resulting in huge time savings for the operator by reducing the cleaning time by up to 50%.

Eliet Speeds Up Scarifying

As every landscaper and gardener knows, mowing the grass is only one small step in maintaining healthy turf. Dehatching is also a key element of lawn care and with the increased use of mulching and robotic mowers, the requirement is now greater than ever. The constant deposit of hard-to-break-down organic material can result in a layer of thatch accumulating within the turf structure. If left undealt with, this will seriously inhibit lawn development and can encourage both invasive species and diseases to develop. Dethatching removes this layer of material and moss from the turf, providing the space for the grass plants to grow and your lawn to flurish.

Eliet have now introduced an effective solution to this issue with the C55OZR Collector, which provides efficient scarification, moss and thatch removal with improved collection. As material is removed from the turf, it is deposited into a discharge channel with an Archimedean screw that carries it to the side of the machine. It is deposited into a narrow row, which on the next pass of the operation can be re-collected by the machine and integrated into a new row, along with the raked-up material from the second strip of turf. In this way the C550ZR can collect the moss and thatch of a 1m working width into one row, which is hugely time saving.

This new machine is self-propelled and features an above-average 55cm working width which limits the number of rows to collect, and opreates at 2.5km/hr. The scarifying blades are spaced every 15mm to provide an intensive treatment to the turf and are designed to rotate forwards; thus maximising dethatching performance. This contra-rotation results in improved removal and collection of material which is pulled out and thrown vertically onto the collecting auger, increasing the efficency of dethatching by up to 30%. In addition, the extremely fine blades have Permanently Sharp BladesTM technology to ensure minimum turf damage and extended blade life. The machine also features controls with an anti vibration damper for improved operator comfort and safety and runs on a rubber-coated roller that ensures an aesthetically pleasing striped pattern on the lawn.

Gracienne Geenens, Sales Director at Eliet says:

“We’re absolutely delighted to be bringing the C550ZR Collector to the UK market. It’s a fantastic, innovative piece of equipment which will save landscapers both time and money.”

The C550ZR will be available for demonstration during April through UK distributor PSD Groundscare. For more information please contact:

Tel: 01282 856819 or email sales@psdgroundscare.com

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Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree

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Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree: The head groundsman from Cartmel Racecourse headed to Aintree over the weekend to play a crucial role in the 2019 Grand National.

Gary Sharp, 40, has worked at the south Cumbria course since 2002, ensuring the track is in peak condition for each of its nine race days every year.

But tomorrow he will join eight fellow head groundsmen from across the country to take charge of fences in Liverpool as 40 runners and riders line up to contest ‘the most famous horse race in the world’.

While there, Gary will use his years of experience to quickly decide whether his assigned Grand National fences are safe to jump, need to be replaced or should be left out altogether on the second pass.

Gary said: “I’ve done this role at Aintree for 17 years now. It’s a big responsibility but it’s always exciting to play a part in such an important race.

“We’re stationed by the fence so we’re first on the scene.

“It’s my job to assess whether it’s safe to jump after the first lap or whether it should be bypassed if someone has fallen.

“I’m always guided by the medics on site. Safety is absolutely the priority.

“If the fence is damaged, it can also mean replacing the hurdle altogether before the horses come round again.

“You have to be quick, but there’s enough time to do it between laps,” he added.

The Grand National is run over four miles and 514 yards. It includes 30 fences, many of which are made from spruce from the Lake District.

Gary will arrive for the start of the three day festival on Thursday with three other members of Cartmel Racecourse’s grounds team; Brad Thompson, Tony Hadwin and Ceri Eccles.

Gary, who won the Groundstaff of the Year title at the Racecourse Association Showcase and Awards in 2016, said: “This is a great experience for everyone to be involved in.

“Going to the Grand National also marks a turning point in the calendar for my team because it means our first race at Cartmel is getting closer.

“A lot of work goes on here over the winter to look after the ground, build fences and prepare the course for the racing season.

“Now we’re all looking forward to seeing the horses and crowds arrive back on track on May 25.”

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STRI Scoop Double Award

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STRI Scoop Double Award: STRI Group, the world’s leading sports surface provider, has received two accolades at the prestigious Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland Awards (ALCI), which celebrate exceptional landscape projects.

STRI beat fierce competition to claim the overall winner in the Sportsground category for design and consultancy at Craven Cottage Stadium, home of Premier League side Fulham Football Club, alongside landscape contractor Clive Richardson Ltd. (CRL).

STRI Scoop Double Award From ALCI

STRI and CRL were further honoured by a Special Award for Design and Build Excellence, with STRI senior consultant James Westwood receiving particular mention from the judges for his design and project managing the build process on a challenging site.

Commenting on the award win, James said: “We are thrilled to have been recognised for our consultancy and design services during the reconstruction of Fulham’s pitch.

“Craven Cottage is a small, compact stadium with limited access to the site. However, working alongside CRL, we overcame these issues and successfully removed the existing Fibrelastic pitch and installed a state-of-the-art stitched hybrid turf reinforcement system.

“Such was the success of the pitch reconstruction; we were also able to recycle the heating pipes which usually end up at landfill. We are very proud of what has been achieved, and it is fantastic to have been honoured twice by the ALCI.”

Interested in speaking to STRI about landscaping and sports surface planning? Contact enquiries@strigroup.com or call +44 (0) 1274 565131 for information.

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Emergency Chafer Grub and Leatherjacket Summit

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Emergency Chafer Grub and Leatherjacket Summit: An emergency summit is to be held with the aim of finding industry-led solutions to the threat of Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets in the turf industry.

The Summit will take place on 9th May 2019 at Burton Albion Football, Staffordshire.

Emergency Chafer Grub and Leatherjacket Summit

Attendance at this industry summit is vital to those in the industry that want to develop a long-term preventative strategy for Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets.

Now that many of the chemicals which were routinely used to keep golf courses and sports pitches free of pests have been withdrawn, we need to find alternatives. This Summit will explore the current challenges in sustaining turf quality in a chemical-free environment.

Without proper preparation and action prior to May this year, there is a high risk of increased attack by Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets. Many grounds personnel are unaware of a problem until they see evidence – such as birds picking insect larvae by uprooting the dead grass.  However, prevention is better than a cure and scientifically-developed natural pest control solutions when applied in advance will help control the problem.

This event is supported by Bionema, Rigby Taylor, Maxstim, EcoSpray and E. Marker A/S and is held in association with the editors of BIGGA, IOG and Horticultural Week, leading industry magazines.

Dr Minshad A Ansari, Founder and CEO of Bionema, said:

“This summit is the first step in working together as an industry – pooling our knowledge and using all the tools we have in an integrated way to achieve control of these devastating pests”

This emergency Summit will include:

Welcome and Introduction Dr Minshad Ansari, CEO Bionema

Jim Croxton, CEO, BIGGA

Karen Maxwell, The Institute of Groundsmanship Sally Drury, Horticulture Week
Current pest and disease management in the UK: The push towards integrated approaches Professor John Moverley, Amenity Forum, UK
Major turf pests and diseases Dr Kate Entwistle, The Turf Disease Centre, UK
Rising threats of plant parasitic nematodes in turf Colin Fleming, Agri Food and Biosciences Institute
Biology of Chafers and Leatherjackets Dr Minshad Ansari, Bionema
The role of Biostimulants in turf management and root development Richard Salvage, Maxstim
The natural solution for pest and disease control Philip Charlton Smith, CEO, EcoSpray
Current products and their application: Do they interfere? Peter Corbett, Rigby Taylor
Natural solutions to control of Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets: How do they work? Dr Minshad Ansari, Bionema
Chafer traps: A natural device to monitor Chafer Beetle populations Peter Corbett, Rigby Taylor
Synergy between Chemical & Biological solutions Carsten Marker, E. Marker, Denmark
Case study 1: Chafer Grub control at the Grove

Phillip Chiverton, Golf Course & Estate Manager at the Grove, UK
Case study 2: Leatherjacket control at Neath golf club

Mark Tucker, Head Greenkeeper, Neath Golf Club, UK

The event will establish the true extent of the problem faced by the turf and amenity sector, offer a better understanding of the pests and the current controls available. It will culminate in an interactive debate, chaired by BIGGA, IOG, Horticultural Week editors to help plan the next steps for the industry to take to combat the pest threat. The Summit will conclude with an insight into research and development into the control of Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets in turf and amenity sector by Dr Minshad Ansari from Bionema.

Attendance is FREE, but spaces are limited so please book early
to avoid disappointment contact. Please contact Matt Rogers m.rogers@bionema.com – +44 (0) 7786991146

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Rigby Taylor To Distribute Bionema Solutions

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Rigby Taylor To Distribute Bionema Solutions: Rigby Taylor has been appointed as the exclusive distributor in the UK turf and amenity sector for Bionema’s NemaTrident nematode solutions for the control of chafer grubs and leatherjackets larvae.

NemaTrident is a tri-component solution incorporating a range of highly virulent insect-parasitic nematodes within the Heterorhabditis and Steinernema genera. The nematodes attack and destroy the larvae of the insect pests thus preventing future pests from developing.

Rigby Taylor To Distribute Bionema Solutions

The product is safe, non-toxic to users and consumers, decomposes rapidly and can be targeted at specific pests to avoid harming beneficial insects – providing 70-100% success rates in combating the pests.

Environmental consultancy ADAS recently calculated that the economic cost of chafer grubs alone is up to £85 million a year for UK golf courses from lost income and damage repair. It also highlighted that, on the 40% of racecourses affected by the pest’s damage, lost income could amount to up to £605,000 per course.

Dr Minshad Ansari, Bionema CEO, said: “In a market with significant potential, there is a clear opportunity for Rigby Taylor to continue helping greenkeepers, sports club groundsmen, racecourse managers and landscapers in the control of chafer grubs and leatherjackets larvae, when chemicals such as Chlorpyrifos (also known by the trademark Dursban, Equity) and Imidacloprid (Merit Turf) are banned across Europe.”

Rigby Taylor’s Peter Corbett added: “Our role at Rigby Taylor is to combine all the potential solutions for our customers throughout the UK. Our staff have all been briefed on the most effective way to use the NemaTrident range of nematodes as part of an integrated pest management programme.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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