Attraxor® is King of the Castle

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Attraxor® is King of the Castle: After Poa annua was disrupting play on the greens at Bothwell Castle Golf Club, the Head Greenkeeper found a solution in BASF’s Attraxor®, which was recommended and supplied by Agrovista Amenity.

Alan Boyd is the Head Greenkeeper at Bothwell Castle Golf Club in Lanarkshire – a flat 18-hole parkland course located in the woodland area surrounding the 13th century Bothwell Castle.

Attraxor® is King of the Castle

Attraxor® is King of the Castle

Alan explained how he first started using Attraxor®.

“Our greens are predominantly a Poa – bent mix. When the Poa is coming into bloom it starts causing issues with the ball swaying and the greens don’t run true. Ramsay MacGregor (Amenity Specialist for Agrovista Amenity) told me that Attraxor® reduces seedhead production in Poa and I was keen to give it a try.”

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

Furthermore, using an innovative formulation for fast leaf absorption, the product provides almost instant results, as it is activated once diluted in water. Contrary to other plant growth regulators that need to be activated by the plant enzymes, Attraxor® can be used earlier or later in the season during cooler weather.

Alan initially applied Attraxor® at a rate of 375 g/ha before increasing it to 800 g/ha and hasn’t looked back.

“You can build it up to that application rate or bring it back down – whatever you think is needed,” he said. “The results speak for themselves. Finer grasses have started coming through because the Poa is not overtaking. It is easy to use, easy to measure out and the granules easily disperse in the water. As a greenkeeper, our priority is to keep golfers happy and since using Attraxor®, the feedback on the surfaces over the past three seasons has been exceptional. They now have a consistent ball speed, and the ball isn’t swerving all over the Poa.”

Attraxor® is King of the Castle

Attraxor® is King of the Castle

In addition to supressing the Poa annua seed heads, Alan has reported some other positive findings.

“We spoke to some people from BASF and they shared with us the results from a golf club in another part of Europe with similar weather to us. They sprayed Attraxor® consistently throughout the year and noticed a reduction of disease. I was really interested in this because we do get hit with disease, but it has been getting better since we have been applying Attraxor®. BASF explained that as the regular use of Attraxor causes the thickening of plant cell walls and epidermis, it can lead to a reduced susceptibility to diseases such as Microdochium patch by mechanical means rather than by directly affecting the pathogen itself.

“If I carry on seeing a reduction in disease it will be a game changer because we are then not having to put down fungicides,” continued Alan. “We know the bad press fungicides are getting and you are saving money by not using them, so the money you are saving on the fungicide can be put into something else.

“In my opinion the future is bright.”

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

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The science-backed solution to sustainable weed control

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The science-backed solution to sustainable weed control: The decision to reduce or eradicate the use of herbicides may be taken for many reasons, but with a wide range of alternatives available, how can facilities be assured that a non-chemical option is going to provide a viable solution?

To provide confidence, Foamstream has been the subject of numerous independently controlled studies conducted by the University of Pisa, University of Athens and Cornell University, together with The US Department of Natural Resources and the Austrian Institute of Technology – all of which highlight the comparable or superior performance of Foamstream when compared to glyphosate.

The science-backed solution to sustainable weed control

The science-backed solution to sustainable weed control

An ever-increasing body of evidence indicates the substantial negative impact on nature, human beings and the environment caused by the existing level of herbicide use. Factor in that the amount of herbicide-resistant weeds is also on the rise, and green space managers are potentially having to increase the number of spray operations they conduct in any given period. It is therefore not surprising that facilities from all corners of grounds and public space management are seeking safer and more sustainable solutions that can deliver effective weed and vegetation control without detriment to the operator and the environment.

The patented Foamstream process combines hot water and an organically-derived biodegradable foam, delivered through one of Weedingtech’s range of machines. The active ingredient is the hot water, with the foam acting as an ‘insulation blanket’, preventing the heat from escaping and keeping the water in the ‘kill zone’ (temperatures of 57o and above) for longer. The heat penetrates the waxy outer layer of the leaf, travels down the stem and into the roots – killing or severely damaging the plant and causing it to die. In addition to eradicating the plant, Foamstream also sterilises surrounding seeds and spores that haven’t yet germinated, helping to reduce future weed growth.

Since its launch in 2011, numerous high profile individual academic trials have been published citing the efficacy of Foamstream – one of the most recent, in 2022, being the University of Athens study which found that Foamstream reduced weed biomass by a rate between 81% and 96% compared to mulching, mowing, pelargonic acid and the untreated control, and, in-line with glyphosate, resulted in the lowest Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and weed biomass.

Leo de Montaignac, CEO of Weedingtech commented, “We understand that any investment in technology requires credible third-party evidence that shows organisations that they are making the right choice. That’s why we’ve always been keen for independent third parties to trial Foamstream in proper controlled environments. We’re delighted that the team at the Agricultural University of Athens took the time to comprehensively put Foamstream to the test against other methods of weed control and recognised its value. We’d welcome further research by any other interested universities and organisations to carry out further testing of our eco-friendly weed control technology in other settings.”

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BIGGA appoints dedicated project manager

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BIGGA appoints dedicated project manager: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has appointed an experienced project manager to oversee the implementation of the innovative First Green initiative and to create an online resource centre that will showcase careers in greenkeeping to a wide audience.

Jennifer Bledge has spent over a decade working in information governance roles within education. She is a former parent governor of Sandwich Infant School and is a qualified teacher. Jennifer also has experience of developing relationships with various stakeholders across education, which will prove vital as BIGGA seeks to engage with other organisations to successfully implement its outreach programme.

BIGGA appoints dedicated project manager

BIGGA appoints dedicated project manager

At BTME 2023 in January, BIGGA announced it would be adopting the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America’s (GCSAA) successful First Green initiative. First Green transforms golf courses into STEM classrooms and Jennifer will oversee the development of a UK-specific toolkit that will aid in the roll out of this scheme.

She will also lead in the development of a digital careers in greenkeeping resource centre that is aimed at school leavers, graduates, second careers and golfers. Supporting this, she will liaise with ex-military and public services careers services, the National Careers Service, various charities and universities with related degree courses.

Jennifer has an existing understanding of the greenkeeping industry as her husband James Bledge is Royal Liverpool Golf Club’s course manager and is preparing to host The Open in July this year.

BIGGA Chief Executive Officer Jim Croxton said: “The appointment of a workforce recruitment project manager for BIGGA stands to be one of the most important strategic decisions the association has made in some time. It represents a fundamental shift in how we approach the challenges our industry faces and I hope gives confidence to our members that we are aware of the various issues relating to staff welfare, recruitment and retention and are addressing these head on.

“Jennifer was the outstanding candidate for this role and given her decades of experience working within education, I am thrilled she has joined the team. I look forward to sharing updates about the various projects she will be working on in the coming years with our members and the wider golfing public. There is a long way to go, but with the appointment of a talented project manager in Jennifer, I am confident we have taken a vital first step.”

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SISIS signals results for Worcestershire FA

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SISIS signals results for Worcestershire FA: Two SISIS machines have led to impressive pitch improvements at Worcestershire FA’s headquarters at Claines Lane, Worcester.

Worcestershire FA’s new state-of-the-art headquarters has been designed to provide a positive football hub for the community for years to come. The impressive facilities includes both a full-size natural pitch and a 3G pitch, as well as floodlights, a covered seating area, modern changing rooms, community areas, office areas, and training facilities.

SISIS signals results for Worcestershire FA

SISIS signals results for Worcestershire FA

Paul Loader, Site Co-ordinator for Worcestershire FA, is the man responsible for maintaining the site and it’s not a job he takes lightly. “This pitch is my life – it’s my little baby,” he said. “My main role is to make sure that the 3G pitch is maintained correctly and that the grass pitch is in the best condition it possibly can be for games.”

Paul’s job was made that little easier after Worcestershire FA received funding which enabled them to invest in some new turf maintenance equipment. Included within the new fleet of machinery was a tractor, a SISIS Quadraplay and SISIS Multitiner.

The multi-functional SISIS Quadraplay single pass maintenance system is perfect for busy groundspersons as it incorporates a mounted frame for up to four implements such as grooming rakes, spikers, slitters, rollers and brushes. The implements can be fitted to the mainframe in any order and can be independently adjusted to achieve the desired effect.

Compact, robust, versatile and with the ability to carry out up to four operations simultaneously – the Quadraplay makes life a lot easier for many groundspersons.

For further aeration requirements Paul relies on the SISIS Multitiner 1.8m – a tractor mounted drum-type aerator. It has three drums with independent rotation and its interchangeable tines with a maximum depth of 100mm ensure excellent turf care when the time comes to aerate.

“Since we’ve invested in new kit, the pitch has improved massively,” said Paul. The SISIS Multitiner and the Quadraplay work brilliantly together.

“On the Quadraplay I mainly use the slitter and the brush which is great for matchday presentation. The brush leaves a lovely stripe and is particularly helpful if I haven’t been able to cut the pitch for a few days. I’ll also be using the rake to bring some of the debris out of the pitch.

“At least once or twice a month between cuts I will use the Multitiner to get some holes on to the surface of the pitch – it is excellent at getting air in to the ground.

“The pitch used to be quite uneven, but these machines have helped to level it all off. We’ve noticed a big difference in this respect and when I go over the pitch, I can no longer feel any bumps.

“Both of these SISIS machines have been fantastic and I can easily understand why they are being recommended to FA counties across the whole of the UK.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter or Instagram @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

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England skipper wants fast pitches

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England skipper wants fast pitches: England captain Ben Stokes has warned Australia that he has asked for “fast, flat wickets” to take the attack to the Ashes holders later this year.

Read the full article from Barron’s here

England skipper wants fast pitches

England skipper wants fast pitches

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