Don’t lockdown your turf management

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Don’t lockdown your turf management: While golf courses are facing unprecedented times, greenkeepers are being urged to keep on top of maintenance to ensure courses are in good condition for when golfers return.

Colin Mumford, technical manager at Bayer, says that seasonal conditions, such as plummeting temperatures and excess rainfall, combined with the challenges posed by Covid19, have affected many courses.

Don’t lockdown your turf management

Don’t lockdown your turf management

“Previous lockdowns prevented planned work from going ahead, and once the courses were open, golfers returned in their masses making the management and maintenance of courses very challenging,” says Colin.

He adds that the cold and wet conditions we’ve experienced this winter could also contribute to long-term turf damage. “Despite being in another lockdown, it’s vital that greenkeepers do all they can to start the year with ‘stress free’ turf, as a healthy course will be less susceptible to weeds, pests and diseases,” says Colin.

Unlike previous lockdowns, at the moment, greenkeepers can undertake maintenance work, which should allow them to catch up from last year, weather permitting.

“Preventative disease methods should be undertaken now to reduce the risk of disease appearing later in the year,” says Colin.

“Keeping surfaces dry by switching or brushing dew off the playing surface should be done daily to help reduce disease outbreaks and ensure a cleaner cut when mowing. And if plant health is a concern, the height of cut (HOC) can be raised slightly, but be mindful that courses may open at short notice, and may require a rapid return to the original HOC which isn’t ideal,” says Colin.

“If it isn’t too wet, aeration or verti-draining can help remove below ground compaction allowing water to move more effectively through the rootzone, preventing waterlogging and surface damage to the course.

“Another job that can be done, is cutting back overgrown trees on the course to minimise shaded, damp environments in these areas,” he adds.

Colin warns that golf courses have been one of the first venues to open following a lockdown and therefore temporary courses may need preparing if the weather is still poor. “Letting players onto frozen courses that are beginning to thaw can result in roots breaking due to surface movement, leading to long-term course damage.

“It’s also worth considering re-routing player traffic flow around the key areas of the course and roping off any high traffic areas to avoid turf getting churned up,” adds Colin.

“Turf stress at this time of year can put the plants under pressure, leaving them more susceptible to problems later in the year, and therefore it’s important to try and keep courses as healthy as possible from the outset,” he says.

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Quality sand = healthy sports pitches

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Quality sand = healthy sports pitches: A high-quality sand is vital to the overall health and performance of a sports pitch and Gary Cunningham, Football & Golf Sales Representative for Mansfield Sand, explains why.

Mansfield Sand has pioneered the development and production of premium silica sand-based products for over 170 years. The company provides a wide range of innovative products for sports, landscaping, and equestrian uses. These include stadium and training ground facilities; championship golf courses and world class show jumping arenas.

Quality sand = healthy sports pitches

Quality sand = healthy sports pitches

With a wide range of sand-based products available, it can sometimes be difficult to know which one will be most suitable. So, what should we be looking for in a good sports pitch dressing?

“Ideally a good quality silica sand dressing, aerated into the surface is all winter sports pitches require,” said Gary. “However, it is important to select the right industry grade of sand which is suitable for sports dressing application.

“A quality washed sports grade silica sand will be graded between 30 and 45 and each grade will be proceeded by two letters which designate the quarry they are supplied from. The lower the number, the coarser the sand is and vice versa – the higher the number, the finer the sand.

“There are also some sands that are unsuitable for winter sports pitches,” continued Gary. “Generally, you need to stay away from fine and coarse/grit sands. Finer/building sand will in effect seal up the surface while coarser products can destabilise the surface over time. Any reputable supplier of sports sand products will be able to provide you with a product grading and technical sheet.

“At Mansfield Sand, we predominately provide two grades of silica sand to the sports market, MM35 and MM40 – which are sourced directly from the company’s Two Oaks quarry in Mansfield.”

Gary spends most of his days travelling up and down the country visiting a variety of sports clubs from world class stadia through to grass roots. The most popular choices are 29 tone and 20 tonne loose tipped deliveries for full pitch dressings and 1 tonne bulk bags for when a little is required for touch up’s and divots.

Gary further explained best practice when it comes to divoting and touch up’s – particularly in goal mouth areas.

“Post-match divoting is best done with a fork by teasing the surface back together with a light dusting of sand to aid surface levels. For bigger deeper scars, a small amount of sandy rootzone mixed with a little seed can be used to add a little body to prevent it being kicked out. As only a small amount/hand full of rootzone are being used, it is possible to ensure it is stone free.

“Goal mouth areas are one such area needing extra attention – no amount of aeration and dressing will stop the grass thinning out on a sand soil surface. In severe situations if wanting to level the surface you can dig out the compacted rootzone and replace with a depth of fresh rootzone or even a reinforced product. If the area is just experiencing general wear, then a normal renovation sand dressing can be OK with an overseed.”

Gary also claimed that there can sometimes be some confusion between a rootzone and a pitch dressing.

“I quite often get asked for a sand soil dressing or a rootzone product to be spread over a pitch, but this always sets off alarm bells as this is not what rootzones are designed for,” he said.

“Rootzones are manufactured products of differing sand soil blends to be used in pitch construction as the growing medium for the grass. Rootzones all contain small stones which when spread over the surface can damage mowing machinery or cause player injury.

Mansfield Sand sieve down to 6mm for rootzone products.”

Gary recommends somewhere between 60-90 tonnes of sand for an end of season renovation on a full-sized playing area but stressed the importance of applying it properly.

“It will be important not to spread to much sand so as not to smother the grass plant or have a lot of sand laying over bare areas. It is good practice is to aerate during the sand dressing process, working the material into the upper rootzone profile.”

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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Dew diligence

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Dew diligence: Water management is an essential element of every turf maintenance programme. We work hard to keep the soil moisture content at the right level to maintain good turf health and to optimise surface playing qualities. We aerate, top dress, install drainage and try to keep soil organic matter content under control to create a soil profile with the required water retention and drainage properties. We also have irrigation systems to supplement soil moisture deficits and we guide their careful use with the help of accurate moisture probes.

Surfactant technologies are also used to help optimise the penetration, spread and retention of water within the soil profile. Moisture management is of huge importance and it is at the heart of all our modern turf maintenance programmes.

Dew diligence

Dew diligence

But it is not only the soil water content that needs managing. Moisture at the turf surface and within the sward canopy also needs to be controlled. Damp autumn/winter conditions can lead to the deposition of a significant amount of moisture at the turf surface in the form of dew. This condensation of atmospheric water can adversely affect playing qualities, it can reduce the effectiveness of maintenance operations and it can encourage the rapid development of fungal disease activity.

These are the reasons that we commonly employ switching, brushing, blowing and surfactant-based dew dispersants to remove the moisture from the surface and alleviate the potentially significant negative impacts.

We know the main problem with the physical methods of dew dispersal (switching, brushing, blowing etc.) is that they can be temporary and the dew can continue to form afterwards. This is where the surfactant-based dew dispersants come into their own, because during the time of their activity they continue to work 24 hours a day.

A close look at turf successfully treated with a surfactant-based dew dispersant will reveal an amazing reduction in moisture being held within the leaf canopy. The significant reduction in canopy moisture provided by H2Pro DewSmart has been repeatedly shown in independent trials to slow down the rate of development of Microdochium patch disease and can credibly be included as an important element within autumn ITM disease control programmes.

The problem with surfactant-based dew dispersants, however, is getting them to work consistently for more than a couple of weeks. This is because to work effectively, we generally need to stick them to a dry leaf and a truly dry leaf can be a rare commodity during the autumn and winter period. Of course, any late autumn growth and subsequent mowing will also remove the surfactant from the treated leaf blade, shortening the longevity of dew dispersion.

You will find that some “penetrant” surfactant based formulations will also suppress dew for a short period, but again reasonable longevity is the problem. In our trials we have found that the most effective results in terms of effectively contributing to an autumn disease reduction programme is to alternate between treatments of H2Pro DewSmart and H2Pro FlowSmart penetrant surfactant every fortnight during late autumn and early winter because it brings together the benefits of taking both approaches.

Moisture management is always an important part of turf maintenance and leaf moisture management during the autumn and winter is no different. There are several approaches that you can take, ranging from switching the surface through to spraying a dew dispersant surfactant and because all of them have their limitations then you should probably be employing them all to some degree at different times. We know that dew dispersants can be really effective and can play an important part in a progressive ITM programme but they need to be applied correctly. Rest assured that a new generation of dew dispersants could soon become available where the surface conditions are not so critical to achieving successful results. In the meantime, a diligent approach is needed with different techniques being employed when conditions allow to help maintain turf health and playing qualities throughout this most difficult time of the year.

Control your climate with CAB CLIMA

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Control your climate with CAB CLIMA: The Corvus Terrain range of 4×4 utility vehicles was introduced in the UK in 2019.  Since then the Terrain has gone from strength to strength to create a UTV that adapts to the user and their work environment.

Corvus, Europe’s first manufacturer of 4×4 Side by Side vehicles, offers an efficient Yanmar Diesel engine, market-leading onboard storage capacity and a well-designed full cab option.  Now they have increased the Terrain’s comfort levels with the new CAB CLIMA package. Starting from the current integrated system of doors, air conditioning and heating found on the Terrain DX4, CAB CLIMA improves the vehicle’s working conditions and comfort with a central console to control heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Now you can carry out any task safely protected and isolated from the weather outside, all-year-round. The air conditioning system with electronic control is simply operated through the central console with airflow control in three positions. There are front windscreen and anti-fogging diffusers to keep your forward vision clear and safe. With a total of eight diffusers, four of them are able to rotate through 360º.

Control your climate with CAB CLIMA

Control your climate with CAB CLIMA

CAB CLIMA joins the other Terrain high specification levels of full instrumentation, 3-cylinder 993cc Yanmar Diesel engine, which is Euro 6 compliant and gives excellent fuel efficiency and range, and homologation Type EU T1b. Other standard equipment includes two adjustable seats, skid plate, 4×4/4×2 system, 2-point safety belt, adjustable suspension and 244-litre onboard storage with 450kg cargo box. Pro and cab packages are available together with a range of original manufacturer accessories. The Corvus Terrain models come with a 2-year warranty.

For more information about the Corvus Terrain range, you can call 01597 810188, E-mail: sales@bossorv.co.uk or visit www.bossorv.co.uk

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ECHO tools up with accessories

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ECHO tools up with accessories: ECHO Tools UK has introduced a new catalogue of its comprehensive accessory and PPE ranges. Safety is always paramount when using power equipment and a good place to start is with protective clothing.

Professional safety gear is essential for protection and comfort whilst working and ECHO offers two series: Performance Series and Pro-Tech Series. Both have been designed for the professional market and as such are also suitable for domestic users. Performance offers two styles of chainsaw trouser, both featuring six layers of blocking material for protection against accidental chainsaw contact. The chainsaw flex trousers have Polyamide and elastane for high flexibility and comfort, with Pezaflex aqua waterproof reinforcement for weather protection. High visibility with reflective elements is common to the chainsaw and brushcutter trousers in the Pro-Tech Series while being lightweight yet highly protective in extreme weather conditions. Heavy-duty gloves, chainsaw gloves, a multi-purpose helmet, protective sleeves and braces complete the PPE line-up.

ECHO tools up with accessories

ECHO tools up with accessories

The ECHO range of accessories and consumables include oils and grease, batteries and chargers, harnesses, trimmer line, hedge trimmer tip guards, the Rotary Scissor Head and YOUCAN kits. ECHO batteries are specifically designed for ECHO electric power tools. Including both 2Ah and 4Ah variants, they fit the 50V or 58V Lithium-ion ranges and are interchangeable between selected tools in the range.  The chargers and rapid chargers ensure batteries are topped up for maximum productivity. The Rotary Scissor Head is a brushcutter attachment which features two contra-rotating blades for safer, more precise cutting. ECHO trimmer lines are made for high durability and performance, being manufactured with copolymer resins and outstanding extrusion techniques. There are four ranges to suit all professional and consumer needs. There is also a range of versatile metal blades.

Among the ECHO consumables are own-brand chain oils, two-stroke oils and grease for optimum lubrication and long-lasting protection. A sharp chain makes all the difference in cutting speed, productivity, comfort and safety. ECHO chainsaw files are high quality and help reduce servicing costs by maintaining a well-sharpened saw. There is also a complete range of guide bars and chains.

By staying on top of recommended maintenance schedules, users not only prolong the life of their ECHO equipment, they also save time and money by reducing the possibility of large-scale repairs. YOUCAN is ECHO’s maintenance kit for tuning up a selection of chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmers and power blowers. It comprises air filter, fuel filter and spark plug to keep tools ship-shape, with genuine ECHO replacement parts. ECHO batteries have a 2-year warranty, the Rotary Scissor Head has a 1-year domestic guarantee and 180-day professional warranty and ECHO clothing comes with a manufacturer’s guarantee. You can find out more from your local authorised ECHO dealer. You can also visit https://www.echo-tools.co.uk/product-category/accessories/ or call 01844 278800 for more information.

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