New Capillary Bunkers for Lehigh

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New Capillary Bunkers for Lehigh: Lehigh Country Club in Pennsylvania is coming to the end of a bunker renovation with architect Ron Forse. And the club is installing the Capillary Bunkers liner as part of the process.

Lehigh was built by architect William Flynn in 1926. And, says director of grounds John Chassard, the course is mostly unchanged from what Flynn created. “Back in the late 1980s, the club decided it needed a consulting architect to oversee the course,” he says. “Until then, there was no strategic planning – a grounds chairman could take office and do what he wanted. Fortunately most of ours had basically left the course alone, but still, it was a potential problem.”

New Capillary Bunkers for Lehigh

New Capillary Bunkers for Lehigh

The club hired architect Ron Forse at that time, and, working with Forse, regrassed the greens, rebuilt the bunkers and reset fairway lines. “That was our first masterplan,” says Chassard. “Up till that time, the bunkers had not been touched – except for day to day maintenance – since the club’s foundation.”

In 2008, the bunkers were slightly reworked again; sand was replaced and a small amount of drainage was added to problem areas to improve performance. “We put geotextile liners in about ten per cent of our worst-performing bunkers,” says Chassard. “But they didn’t survive winters too well. The pins holding the liners down would push out, burrowing animals would damage the liners, and bunker rakes would catch them every now and again. So, two or three years ago, we started talking about redoing the bunkers again and adding a better liner.”

Lehigh trialled several of the liner products on the market, including Capillary Bunkers and a number of its principal rivals. “But as time went on and we started to try to lock down contractors for the work, the choice became quite obvious,” says Chassard. “Ron has a lot of experience with Capillary Bunkers, as does the contractor we chose. Plus, the issues with rival products really came into focus: timing, the specific conditions needed for installation, and the need for a certified installer. Capillary Bunkers can be installed in any weather, and it’s very easy to source, which made us able to schedule the work better, and get bunkers installed when we were ready, not when the installer was. Once we started doing the first few bunkers, it became clear to me that that was something I could install with my own crew – which could be important as we didn’t do all the bunkers at one go. We are in the middle of the project, and everything has been very positive so far – we expect to finish by the end of April and be ready for the season to get going!”

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Nemaslug harnesses nature

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Nemaslug harnesses nature: Leading pest control solutions manufacturer, BASF, has reduced the plastic packaging of its popular Nemaslug product by one third, thanks to the introduction of a new slug control nematode species. This is in line with company’s sustainability goals and its aims to provide a greener option for slug control.

Nematodes occur naturally in the soil and seek out and kill specific target pests. They attack the pest by entering its body and releasing a bacterium which quickly and effectively kills it. The nematodes then reproduce inside the dying pest and release a new generation of hungry nematodes, which disperse and search for further prey, protecting the area for up to five weeks.

Nemaslug harnesses nature

Nemaslug harnesses nature

By tapping into the benefits of this naturally occurring friend of the gardener, soil can remain healthy, while ensuring slugs are conquered and plants protected.

The company is dedicated to investing in research and development to ensure that it is able to provide the highest quality nematodes to gardeners, and is keen to create a product that will appeal to those looking for a greener option for slug control. It is this dedication to research and development that has enabled the discovery of a new species of nematode to use in its Nemaslug product.

The new species, the Phasmarhabditis californica, will provide the same high efficacy rates as the original species, and will be applied in exactly the same way, but has additional benefits, too.

This species of nematode can be packed at much higher concentrations, which has allowed for the significant reduction of pack sizes. More efficient storage as well as fewer containers being needed to transport the product, further reduces the carbon footprint. On top of this, improvements made to production has led to a reduction of over 20 ton of Co2 emissions in each run, while the UK based facility negates the need for carbon-heavy international shipping.

This small but powerful box of fresh nematodes can be delivered directly to gardeners’ doors throughout the growing season to ensure that slugs can be controlled effectively by harnessing the power of nature.

To find out more about how nematodes work, take a look at this short video – https://youtu.be/JHNG1KSluh0

For further information please visit https://www.nemasysinfo.co.uk/ and follow basf_nemasys_uk on Instagram.

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Imperative MM impresses the Imps

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Imperative MM impresses the Imps: Lincoln City FC, also known as the Imps, boasts a pitch consisting of MM60 grass seed and Head Groundsman Craig Housley could not be more impressed.

MM60 is the UK’s leading winter sports renovation mixture and can be attributed with playing a key role in many of the finest sporting venues you see today. The 100% Ryegrass formula, which is perfect for divot repair, is renowned for its extremely fast germination and its high wear tolerance. It produces fantastic aesthetic qualities, and its high disease resistance provides ultimate protection.

Imperative MM impresses the Imps

Imperative MM impresses the Imps

Craig, currently in his second season as the Head Groundsman at Lincoln City FC, is no stranger to the market leading grass seed. “I knew just how good the seed was because I had used it in my previous role at Scunthorpe Untied FC. I would highly recommend it and will carry on using it in the future,” he said.

The decision to apply MM60 at Lincoln City FC’s LNER Stadium coincided with the construction of a brand new Fibresand pitch which took place at the end of the 2020/21 season. In fact, the process began the very next day after the Imps’ last game of the season.

A month later and MM60 was ready to be used. Craig applied the seed in four passes at a rate of 35g per square metre. This, in theory, would have provided enough time for the pitch to be completely ready in time for the first game of the season, but based on Craig’s experience of using MM60, he knew that this would never be in doubt.

“I’ve never known grass to come through so quickly which I believe is due to the HEADSTART® GOLD treatment,” he said.

As Craig says, MM60 is treated with HEADSTART® GOLD, which has been developed using the latest scientific findings and field experience. It is a natural revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination and is perfect for enhancing performance on sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf.

Imperative MM impresses the Imps

Imperative MM impresses the Imps

“There are so many benefits from using MM60,” continued Craig. “The colour you get from it is really good, as is the recovery, and the speed of germination is fantastic. I’ve never had any issues and it keeps the pitch free from disease.

“It’s a hard-wearing seed and we have managed to maintain really good grass coverage. Football is a difficult sport to maintain grass, especially now with the rigorous warm-ups before a game; even the cool-downs are like full training sessions. We don’t struggle for grass coverage anywhere on the pitch, even in the tight areas, and I believe that is down to the MM60.”

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s new website www.mm-seeds.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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