New Indigrow appointment

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New Indigrow appointment: Indigrow are delighted to announce the appointment of Tom White as an area sales manager, helping us expand and enhance our areas of operation within the UK.

Tom has worked in the sports turf industry throughout his career working his way up from an Assistant to Head Greenkeeper. His most recent role was as a Deputy Head Greenkeeper at a course where Indigrow products formed a key element of the turf management programme giving Tom a head start with knowledge of our exciting product range.

New Indigrow appointment

New Indigrow appointment

Tom will be responsible for the East Midlands and Yorkshire. His knowledge and expertise from the world of sports turf and agronomy are priceless to us and invaluable to our customers. If you wish to contact Tom, his new details are as follows: Tom White 07749 583 483 twhite@indigrow.co.uk

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DLF delivers carnival of colour

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DLF delivers carnival of colour: The green, green grass of Chipping Sodbury Golf Club in Bristol is now complimented with a carnival of colours including reds, pinks and purples thanks to the introduction of wildflower seed from DLF.

The project is now into its third year and was the brainchild of Deputy Head Greenkeeper Craig Swindells who, together with support from the membership, has successfully introduced 800sq.M of outstanding visual impact together with all-important food and habitat for pollinators and wildlife.

DLF delivers carnival of colour

DLF delivers carnival of colour

Craig has been at the 18-hole parkland course, situated on the outskirts of the Cotswolds, for the last 12 years and works as part of a greens team of seven including one trainee and two member volunteers. He explains, “While the trees add great definition to the course, it means we’re very ‘green’ so I presented the idea of planting two new wildflower areas to the committee and they gave us their full support. One member in particular, Geoff McFarland, who shares my passion for ecology was generous enough to fund the project.”

The first seed went into the ground in May 2021 – a combination of Pro Flora 8, comprising of 80% grasses and 20% robust wild flowering species, and Colour Boost 1 (Carnival) for hight-impact annuals. “The weather hadn’t been kind up to that point, but we went from seed to full bloom in under two months and what a bloom we had! Bold bright colours and an abundance of bees and butterflies enjoying the rich food source it provided. We had a wealth of lovely messages and members of the public coming in to have a look.”

“At the end of the first season, we cut back and hand-picked unwanted growth as and when we saw it. Year two we left the areas alone and found we achieved great uptake with the perennials and, as you’d expect, fewer annuals though some did self-seed. It still looked good but like most plants, struggled with the ground being so dry through the summer of 2022. Now, we’re going into year three and we’re overseeding again, this time with Colour Boost’s Biodiversity mix to introduce a wide range of flowering varieties.”

Biodiversity from DLF’s Colour Boost collection blends seasonal annuals, biennials and perennials to appeal to a host of varied fauna, including pollinating insects. The composition of species is wide and ensures suitability to different growing conditions and strong colour, which changes depending on bloom, throughout the season.

“This project has brought so many benefits to the players, the wildlife and even the general public and we really couldn’t have wished for more. The support and guidance from DLF along the way has also been brilliant.” Craig adds, “Having tried other brands of wildflower, we can certainly say that Pro Flora and Colour Boost have given us the very best results, and there’s now great anticipation and excitement to see the outcome of this year’s work.”

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Dennis & SISIS conclude bowls seminar programme

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Dennis & SISIS conclude bowls seminar programme: Dennis and SISIS recently concluded their annual bowling green maintenance seminar programme, and by all accounts it was another huge success.

Committed to educating greenkeepers and raising the standards of bowling greens, Dennis and SISIS have long supported the sport of bowls. Their bowling green maintenance seminars continue to go from strength to strength with delegates praising them for helping make an improvement to their greens.

Dennis & SISIS conclude bowls seminar programme

Dennis & SISIS conclude bowls seminar programme

The 2023 programme saw renowned Turf Consultant Alan Lewis kick-start each seminar. In his presentation, which focussed on renovations and maintenance, Alan discussed best practice including tips on brushing, scarifying, spraying, verticutting, aerating and watering.

The experienced Stuart Yarwood, North West Technical Manager for DLF and Johnsons Seeds, then advised attendees on how to choose the correct grass seed and top dressing before the focus turned to mowers.

Delegates stepped on to the green to hear from Andy Walker, Field Support Manager for Dennis and SISIS, on how to get the best performance from a mower. In this popular ‘Mower School’ feature, Andy drew upon his 40 plus years of experience to provide tips on everything from operation to the maintenance of mowers.

Dennis & SISIS conclude bowls seminar programme

Dennis & SISIS conclude bowls seminar programme

After a complimentary lunch, an on-green demonstration was carried out and all delegates got to see many of the maintenance tips both Alan and Andy mentioned in their presentations performed by a range of Dennis and SISIS turf maintenance equipment.

The seminars were rounded off with the popular ‘Turf Clinic’ question and answer session, where delegates got the chance to ask some of their own questions to the experts.

It was the first ever seminar for Peter Jones from Ponciau Park Bowling Club in Wrexham, after recently taking over the maintenance from the local authority.

“We found as a club, probably due to budget constraints, that the green had been neglected so we have started to have more member involvement,” he said. “Today has been very informative, I picked up lots of tips, and I wish more of our members could have attended.”

Brian Sullivan, from Hargrave and Huxley Bowling Club in Cheshire, said: “The seminar was very detailed and there was so much information to take in. It was informative, enlightening and I learnt a lot.”

Dennis & SISIS conclude bowls seminar programme

Dennis & SISIS conclude bowls seminar programme

Echoing Brian’s thoughts was Jonathan Brown from Broughton Holdings in Stafford. “It was great from start to finish and there were so many excellent speakers. I particularly found the machinery set-up session to be beneficial and it was brilliant to see some equipment in action.”

Further information about the range of bowls maintenance products available from both manufacturers can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com

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

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More gardening power with Makita

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More gardening power with Makita: Leading power tool manufacturer Makita has expanded its impressive gardening and landscaping portfolio, with the launch of two new cordless pruning saws – the DUC101 and UC100D.

DUC101 18V Pruning Saw Brushless LXT

Designed with a 100mm bar and chain and equipped with a powerful brushless 320W motor, the new DUC101 pruning saw offers chain speeds of up to 8m/s to make garden and orchard pruning tasks a breeze. With a lightweight and compact construction, users can easily manoeuvre the tool to make quick work of pruning tree branches and thick bushes.

More gardening power with Makita

More gardening power with Makita

One of the standout features is its tool-less chain change and tension adjustment mechanism which negates the need for any additional tools. Plus, with the automatic chain lubrication and chain oil view window, users can easily keep track of the saw’s oil levels and ensure smooth and precise cutting performance.

The DUC101 features a lock-off lever accessible from both sides, a rear hand guard, and a moveable guard that gradually opens wider as the saw chain cuts deeper into the branch.

UC100D 12Vmax Pruning Saw Brushless CXT

Makita has also added the 12Vmax UC100D CXT pruning saw with 100mm chainsaw bar and chain to its outdoor line-up. With a lightweight, compact design and a soft-grip handle this tool is ideal for smaller cutting jobs. Like the DUC101, it features automatic chain lubrication and a chain oil view window, so users can ensure that the chain is always properly oiled for maximum performance.

The UC100D includes a number of safety features such as a lock-off lever accessible from both sides, a rear hand guard, a moveable guard, and an electric brake to help prevent accidents.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita UK commented: “Our cordless gardening products help our customers handle their projects with more ease, control and freedom on site. The latest pruning saws are a great addition to any tool collection thanks to their excellent design and powerful brushless motor.”

The pruning saws are part of Makita’s wider spring collection of product launches which also includes the 350mm 18V LXT DUC357 Brushless Chainsaw, which joins the 300mm DUC307 Chainsaw that was launched earlier this year.

To find out more about Makita’s latest products, visit www.makitauk.com.

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Heathland course on top form with ISEKI

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Heathland course on top form with ISEKI: Working hard to restore this beautiful heathland course back to its former glory, Ipswich Golf Club with its 9-hole and 18-hole courses just keeps getting better every year.

The driving force behind all this is Graham Brumpton, Course Manager who has dedicated his last 33 years to developing the course, gradually introducing heathland elements back and managing the woodland areas to allow the natural habitats to thrive.  With numerous industry awards for best environmental golf course and conservation greenkeeper, wildlife and environmental concerns are a high priority for the club.

Heathland course on top form with ISEKI

Heathland course on top form with ISEKI

With all these projects and constant renovation, Graham has a team of 9 staff to carefully nurture the golf course, and with that workload they require numerous pieces of machinery.  Their previous ISEKI tractor was in need of replacement after over 25 years of hard graft.  Another compact tractor with a higher horse power was required, so following demonstrations with different manufacturers the ISEKI TH5370 ticked all the boxes!

Graham explained; “What sold it for us was the versatility of the tractor, with the 1,200kg lift capacity, loader and 35hp high torque engine. We use the machine for so many jobs on the course include aerating, brushing the fairways and topdressing.  Another reason we particularly chose the TH5370 was for the width of the tractor itself, we needed a tractor to power the Pro-core and ensure there was no overlap, at 1.3m wide it was perfect for the job!

“Alongside powering the implements it is used for all greens work, towing the trailer to carry bunker sand and divot material around the course, then transporting the greens mowers to each hole. So versatilityand operator friendly with very intuitive controlswas important asthe whole team use the tractor.

“We have a long-standing relationship with our local dealer Ernest Doe Groundcare and ISEKI, however we always ensure we buy the right equipment for the course making sure we look across the marketplace, ISEKI were hands down the best option!”

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