Attraxor astounds at the birthplace of Rugby

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Attraxor astounds at the birthplace of Rugby: The sports pitches at Rugby School in Warwickshire are benefitting from a stronger sward after Attraxor plant growth regulator was recommended and supplied by Agrovista Amenity.

In 1823, student William Webb Ellis, took a football in his arms and ran with it, originating the game of rugby. Today, innumerable tourists visit the ‘home of the game’ and rugby teams from all over the world can be seen training at Rugby School. It certainly makes Grounds Manager, James Mead a busy man.

Attraxor astounds at the birthplace of Rugby

Attraxor astounds at the birthplace of Rugby

“There can’t be any sort of downtime for the team, and I can be taken aside at any time,” he said. “There could be a TV crew, very important persons or tourists that have made a rugby pilgrimage and want to stand on the turf where the game began. We can never afford to have an off-day here.”

James admits that he is fortunate to have a close-knit team around him; one that has been together for an astonishing amount of time.

“We have a smashing team that has always been together – in fact no one has left in 18 years,” he said. “It helps enormously because we are a very focussed group. Everyone gets a say – decisions and discussions are a collective. This way the whole team gets on-board with ideas, and everyone understands why we are doing something.”

Three years ago, the team decided to incorporate Attraxor plant growth regulator into their maintenance programme. It was a decision which has proved to be considerably successful.

“We had just Koro’d off all of the cricket outfield and were starting fresh,” explained James. “Following this we needed a product that would stick and would help to thicken the sward. Mark Allen from Agrovista Amenity recommended Attraxor and we are pleased he did – it made a huge difference to the strength and playability of the grass.”

Attraxor, a BASF product, is a plant growth regulator containing the active substance, prohexadione and can be used to regulate growth of all managed amenity turf. This active substance inhibits the Giberrelic acid pathway, which results in a reduction of turf height and turf biomass. Root growth is promoted whilst turf colour and quality are maintained.

Based on its initial success, James and the team decided to further utilise Attraxor and it is now an integral product throughout the growing season.

“Attraxor was perfect for the cricket outfield and so we then used it on our two gold standard rugby pitches – which are the ones that all the visitors come to see. Again, it made a big difference.

“We do a lot of liquid spraying and Attraxor goes nicely into our tank mixes,” he continued. “What we mix it with largely depends on the time of the year, but we will start applying Attraxor in March, as soon as the plant is up taking, and we continue to put it down every month throughout the growing season.

“In terms of cutting, we no longer have clippings to contend with and if we have had bad weather and can’t cut, then it is no longer an issue.

“I have been very impressed with Attraxor. Not only has the sward improved, but growth rates across a range of grass species have been regulated equally. I’m especially pleased to see that the strength and vigour of less desirable Poa annua plants has diminished.”

As well as reporting excellent results, James is also of the opinion that his formidable team has gained an extra member.

“Mark Allen is a very hands-on, amenable person to work with – he is a friend as well as a professional colleague. We bounce ideas off one another and it is a good collaboration. He gets on well with all the other members of staff and if anyone has any questions, he is always available to answer them.”

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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Rugby pitch damaged ahead of charity match

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Rugby pitch damaged ahead of charity match: On the eve of a charity match on the Sportsground, mindless motorists took the opportunity to race around the town’s rugby pitch in the early hours of Friday April 15.

Read the full article from Monmouthshire Beacon here

Rugby pitch damaged ahead of charity match

Rugby pitch damaged ahead of charity match

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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AMS Robotics working to improve turf health

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AMS Robotics working to improve turf health: Sports facilities, large gardens and businesses across the UK have seen improved turf health with AMS’s robot technology. Clients both old and new have recognised the significant differences and improvements it has made to their outfields and maintenance methods. With the mowing capacity increased to up to 75,000m2, the sky’s now the limit for robotic turf care.

The lightweight Belrobotics mower provides frequent grass cutting, rain or shine, which minimises the impact on the turf. The tiny quick-composting clippings provide a constant source of fertilisation and moisture, resulting in beautifully dense turf. For sports facilities in particular, this improves the pitch’s overall ability to withstand a busy match schedule and hours of use.

Pictured are two examples of areas in which you can see the comparison of the areas that the AMS robots manage and the areas which they don’t. Stirling university has one of the original large models, BigMow Connected, which has a mowing capacity of up to 24,000m2. These mowers work on a random cutting pattern and will mow the total area 3-5 times per week. This picture demonstrates the quality of the turf on the right managed by robots compared to the turf on the left which is not.

Another example of where the AMS robots have enhanced the quality of the grass is in this private client’s garden. The right hand side is managed by the AMS Robots and the left is not.

This area is managed by the smaller robot, ParcMow, which has a mowing capacity of up to 14,000m2 3-5 times per week on a random mowing pattern. However, this robot is kitted with the latest GPS RTK technology which allows the robot to work on pattern and stripe mode, therefore the mowing capacity is increased up to 40,000m2 5-7 times per week – making the process smarter and more efficient.

University Of Stirling

AMS Robotics working to improve turf health

AMS Robotics working to improve turf health

Private client

AMS Robotics working to improve turf health

AMS Robotics working to improve turf health

AMS Robotics are pleased to announce their latest partnership at Highfield Rangers FC. AMS are thrilled to be supporting such a brilliant project.

For all enquiries contact AMS on 01462 676 222 or sales@amsrobotics.co.uk

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Cricket club wins Toro Greensmaster 800

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Cricket club wins Toro Greensmaster 800: Westgate-on-Sea Cricket Club is the lucky winner of a Toro Greensmaster 800 pedestrian mower after entering distributor Reesink Turfcare’s competition at SALTEX. 

Raif Kelly, who has been at the club for 35 years having worn many hats along the way from president to secretary to community manager and finally, as head groundsman, is “incredibly pleased” with the result from the prize draw and can’t wait to put the Greensmaster 800 to work.

Cricket club wins Toro Greensmaster 800

Cricket club wins Toro Greensmaster 800

Overseeing three groundskeeping teams that work diligently on the square every weekend, Raif explains: “The Greensmaster 800 will come very in handy to cut the cricket strips to the standards to which we have accustomed our members. This is our first Toro machine so we’re very excited to try it and see what it can do.

“We make sure the square is always in good condition. A lot of work goes into it over the year, starting in May and finishing in September, at which point we put it to bed during the winter. There’s only two months in the whole year where we don’t do any work so the Toro mower will be put to a lot of good use!”

The Greensmaster 800 is built upon Toro’s legendary reputation of the Greensmaster 1000, with a cutting width range of 18 inches, heavy-duty 4.3hp Subaru Industrial engine, narrow mowing swath for narrow striping and a standard 14-blade cylinder. This walk-behind mower excels on the cricket square, providing a superior precision of cut and straight-line tracking for the perfect finish.

Raif continues: “We welcome this new greensmower and the technology it brings, it’s a great opportunity to try new things and new techniques and see where that takes us.”

Reesink’s South East branch will be delivering the machine to the club and branch manager Jon Cole says of the win: “Congratulations to the team at Westgate-On-Sea Cricket Club. We hope the Toro Greensmaster will help maintain your pitch to the highest level for this season and many more to come.”

To talk to someone about Toro technology and how the Toro range would suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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