February 10, 2023 - Turf Matters

Ranger for pitch renovations: With the end of the season soon upon us and the all-important pitch renovations starting, Reesink Hydro-Scapes has just the ticket for uncomplicated, effective and responsible irrigation for the UK’s football pitches.

For those clubs who need a simple update and are looking for a cost-effective way to upgrade and improve their irrigation system over time without big hardware changes, a two-wire controller from SRC could be the answer.

Ranger for pitch renovations

Two-wire decoders are rising to become the industry standard. Robert Jackson, division manager for Reesink Hydro-Scapes, considers why: “Resources – water and staff – is limited; the weather’s never been hotter, there’s more to do, teams are smaller and the last thing these clubs need is a big hardware change.”

“Customers value the control and independence a quality two-wire system affords. Two-wire systems started out as a way to save money on wire, but now, through technological improvements, they are recognised and valued as an effective irrigation solution, and their stock is rising.

“Grounds staff know the areas they want irrigating back to front and are happy to key in the time manually around a pitch. They’re aware they may need to expand the system in the future and the capacity of the SRC Ranger Controller 4000 D will afford them what they need.”

So how easy is it to convert your favourite controller to a two-wire system? In most circumstances, the traditional outputs of any conventional controller can be wired into the two-wire converter.

This saves wire, labour and money. For example, the installation of a two-wire system is often up to a third less time than installing a multi-wire system.

This can allow you to connect up to 100 stations on a single converter, while also operating up to ten programmes simultaneously. Cable faults of such a system are easy to diagnose and there’s minimal fault-finding equipment needed. The diagnostics assist with fault-finding and reduce the time taken to pinpoint the problem.

Robert continues: “Some turfcare professionals just don’t want all the additional features and gizmos. They want simple irrigation that’s easy to use and highly effective. So, if your management style is that you’re prepared to monitor flow management manually by telling the system what to do with a precipitation calculation you’ve worked out yourself, the SRC Ranger controller is more than worth considering.”

So, when it comes to considering the options, the SRC Ranger Controller 4000 D from Reesink should be top of your list. It’s stocked for immediate dispatch, simply contact Reesink on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk, or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Green-tech’s urban tree system: The Battery Retail Park at Selley Oak is located on the former site of the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company steel factory, first established in 1798. The term battery, referring to the method of forming metal, not the manufacture of batteries as commonly thought.

Located approximately three miles from Birmingham city centre, the site has undergone a recent refurbishment, including the development of a new retail park, Sainsburys Superstore, and student accommodation, all sited around the main customer carpark.

Green-tech’s urban tree system

A major part of the project for the contractors was the reclamation of the ground and cleaning up a very toxic site, before any development could commence.

Green-tech’s involvement:

The project comprised of nearly forty tree pits over two phases between 2018 and 2020. The first phase was contracted to Bernhards Landscapes of Warwickshire, and the second to McPhillips (Wellington) of Shropshire; both of which Green-tech has worked with for around fifteen years.

The tree pits were set into soft central reservations around the main car parking area, although to get the required rooting volume to ensure healthy establishment and future growth, the tree pits extended out under the parking bays to some extent.

Green-tech has been manufacturing its range of Green-tree soil for nearly twenty years, and over 400 tonnes of clean, manufactured ArborRaft topsoil, and subsoil was supplied for the tree pits. In order to use a nice friable, organic topsoil underneath the paving, the contractors opted for Green-tech’s ArborRaft tree pit support system, rather than a traditional, plastic-heavy, deep-pit system.

The ArborRaft acts as a sub-base replacement, supporting the paving above, pedestrian, or vehicular, whilst protecting the soft soil below from risk of compaction. It has three big advantages over traditional deep-pit crate systems. Firstly – it sits over the top of the tree pit, taking its structural support from a 500mm wide ledge cut into the surrounding formation ground, meaning there is no plastic whatsoever in the actual rooting area of the tree pit. Secondly – its shallow profile, just 150mm deep means that there is rarely any conflict with underground services, it isn’t deep enough. And third – ArborRaft uses less than a third of the plastic of traditional crate-style tree pit systems, so it’s better for the budget and the environment.

Each tree pit also contains a strap anchor to keep the trees stable during the all-important establishment phase, along with a mona irrigation rings. In this instance, to provide even more protection from the risk of vehicular damage, the trees were also stabilised with double-staking, cross-bar, and soft rubber ties.

Alasdair Innes – Green-tech Specification Advisor comments, “We were delighted to contribute to such a high-profile scheme. We recently visited the site nearly four years after the first trees were planted, and although it was autumn, the trees still look happy and healthy. It is nice to see Silver Birch being used, as the white bark helps to lift the muted colours of the ground planting.”

For any further product information or to request a CPD in person or remotely on any of our urban or rural modules please contact Green-tech on 01423 332100

green-tech.co.uk