Mansfield Sand’s MM35 is ‘pure’ brilliant

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Mansfield Sand’s MM35 is ‘pure’ brilliant: When Stuart Broom, Head Greenkeeper at Honiton Golf Club, was looking for a pure sand for top-dressing, he identified Mansfield Sand’s MM35 Golf as the ideal product.

Honiton Golf Club, in Devon, is a short 18-hole parkland course which is 850 ft above sea level and boasts some spectacular views. Stuart has been working at the Club since March 2015 and was appointed as the Head Greenkeeper in September 2019. Throughout his time at Honiton, Stuart has overseen some big changes and is now pleased with the direction the course is heading.

Mansfield Sand’s MM35 is ‘pure’ brilliant

Mansfield Sand’s MM35 is ‘pure’ brilliant

“I would say that we are work in progress, but we have come a very long way in the past few years,” he said. “The club is doing really well, we have a lot of new members, and the goal is to keep improving course conditions every year.”

Stuart and his five members of staff work hard to make improvements wherever they can, and as soon as one is identified, the team is quick to act.

“Last year it became apparent that our members didn’t like the soil aspect of the traditional 70/30 dressing we were applying,” he said. “We wanted to go down the pure sand route instead, so I did a lot of research looking at all the different pure sands which might be compatible with our old dressing. The product which was most compatible and the one that stood out by far was Mansfield Sand’s MM35 Golf. Not only did it work in terms of particle size distribution, but the pH was also what we were looking for.”

Mansfield’s MM35 Golf pure silica sand is ideal for top dressing greens because it brings a number of benefits such as improved recovery, firmness, smoothness and an improved rootzone. MM35 Golf also makes for a great bunker sand as it has fantastic playing characteristics as well as being aesthetically attractive.

Sourced directly from the company’s Two Oaks Quarry in Mansfield, the Mansil Silica products are predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces – from winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas.

“One of the main reasons for choosing MM35 was the pH level – which is 6.6,” continued Stuart. “The pH was just too high on all the other competitive products we looked at. In fact, the next nearest match was 7.3.

“MM35 is a great product to work with; we can get the dressing down early in the morning, give it an hour or so to dry, and we can then brush it in before the golfers arrive. We can tell that the MM35 has signalled an improvement because members don’t really know that we’ve done it now, whereas before there was always a bit of debris laying around.

“It is our go-to product for regular light top dressings through the season and we also use it for our renovations in September. MM35 is mainly used on greens but because it has worked so well, we have started using it on the approaches as well.”

Stuart estimates that he will apply approximately 120 tonnes of the MM35 Golf over the course of the year and claims that ordering the product could not be a smoother process.

“From start to finish it is great. Delivery is always on time and well organised and Sharon Morris (Sales Manager for Mansfield Sand) has been superb from a customer point of view.”

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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Get ready for warmer weather

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Get ready for warmer weather: As we prepare to welcome in the warmer months, it’s the perfect time to start cutting through overgrown bush and fields, and clearing meadows and hiking trails.

Billy Goat manufactures a powerful and sturdy range of brush cutters with rigid decks combined with heavy-duty spindles and strong engines. Equipped with ergonomic controls and maximum durability and safety, these brush cutters are a perfect partner in the harshest of environments. No job is too tough for these machines!

Get ready for warmer weather

Get ready for warmer weather

Every Billy Goat brush cutter has a heavy-duty blade spindle that’s reinforced in four directions while the fixed rear discharging decks provide excellent stability in deep vegetation.

A fixed deck powerhouse

The BC2601HM series commercial-duty brush cutter has a 26″/ 66 cm wide fixed deck to provide excellent stability in deep vegetation.

The mechanical transaxle, featuring three speeds forward and one reverse, is ideal for clearing meadows and fields or cutting paths and trails wherever dense brush and weeds present a clean-up challenge.

The robust blade spindle is reinforced on four sides to tackle the toughest cutting conditions, including thick brushes, grass and weeds over 180 cm tall, and saplings up to 5 cm diameter. For greater comfort and high productivity, forward and reverse controls are conveniently placed at the operator’s fingertips.

A heavy-duty pivoting deck brush cutter

The BC2601HH series provides heavy-duty power to dramatically improve productivity and profitability.

It has a 26″/ 66 cm wide pivoting deck with high top speeds for improved speed and cut quality, and can cut saplings and brushes all at a rate of just under an acre of brush per hour. Engineered to glide over uneven terrain, the pivoting brush deck hugs the ground for a better cut. This minimises scalping and improves traction by keeping the weight of the machine on its drive wheels.

This nature-taming performer comes standard with a Tuff Torq™ variable hydrostatic transmission featuring fully automatic Enhanced Traction Control (ETC), offering superior traction in wet or uneven conditions.

A hill-side wonder

The BC2601HHC series, offers all the great features of the BC Series with pivoting deck and variable Tuff Torq™ hydrostatic transmission but also has the benefit of lockable front caster wheels to help hold hillsides making it perfect for use on hilly and steep terrain. The caster, swivel wheels also allow the brush cutter more mobility when being turned.

Ergonomically-angled handles with padded grips offer comfort and protection and the conveniently located swivelling front caster wheels controls mean that the user need never take their hands off the machine to shift gears.

Brush cutting tractors for the ultimate in performance and comfort

The Billy Goat Outback® ride-on brush cutters have set the highest standard for professional brush cutting equipment on the market. The Outback® Tractors combine the comfort and driving experience of a lawn tractor with ultimate performance in high grass conditions, often found in typical applications like orchards, vineyards, private meadows, camping grounds and holiday homes.

The Tuff Torq® transaxles provide plenty of traction while the user-friendly dashboard and comfortable seat make for a great operator experience.

The Outback® ride-on brush cutters are available in two-wheel drive (BCT4322BCE) and four-wheel drive options (BCT4323BCE).

A four-wheel drive for hard-to-reach places

The BCR3628BVECE Outback® 4WD Rider has been designed with a low centre of gravity in combination with a four-wheel drive system that enables it to tackle those hard-to-reach places that wouldn’t have been accessible to traditional machines.

The spacious platform provides sufficient space and comfort for the operator. The heavy-duty 92cm mower deck is equipped with swing-back cutter blades that swing away when accidental contact is made with a solid object. These features help protect the mower deck and cutter blades from accidental damage. For those with more space to look after, these features are all also available in the BCR4328BVECE, which has a wider, 110cm cutting deck.

Billy Goat products are available nationwide through Henton & Chattell’s dealer network.

For more information and to see videos demonstrating their performance visit www.billygoat.co.uk.

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TV presenter goes Blooming Wild for Euroflor Flower Seed

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TV presenter goes Blooming Wild for Euroflor Flower Seed: Lynne Allbutt is a writer, TV presenter, speaker, and an advocate for Euroflor Flower Seed.

In her recent column ‘Green Scene’ written for the Western Mail newspaper, Lynne pays the biggest compliment. “Whenever I use or talk about wildflowers, there is only one company I recommend and that’s Rigby Taylor who are part of Origin Amenity Solutions.  They provided the seed for the memorable wildflower meadows at the Olympic Park back in 2012, and more locally, have provided a lot of seed for Monmouthshire Council, and a few years ago for some of the roundabouts in Blaenau Gwent. If you have seen any of those displays, you won’t have forgotten them.”

TV presenter goes Blooming Wild for Euroflor Flower Seed

TV presenter goes Blooming Wild for Euroflor Flower Seed

Lynne runs a garden design business and is a gardener at heart with a passion for the outdoors and is often described as a Champion for Mother Nature.

She continues, “There are numerous fabulous mixes to choose from, making sure there is something suitable for every site and situation. Euroflor offers a wide range of mixes including horticultural cultivars and/or UK native and naturalised species in varying combinations.  Mixes are available for spring or autumn sowing and there are 11 mixes to choose from in the Euroflor Project Pollin-8 range.  This project is a major initiative at reversing the decline in pollinating insects by including high yielding nectar and pollen flower mixtures.

Or you can choose from the ‘Flora Native’ range, a collection of Native UK provenance wildflower seed mixes. This seed can be sown all year round as long as the moisture and temperature is conducive to germination and growth.  Specific mixes are available for wild birds, and bees and butterflies as well as for different soils and situations, like woodland, wetland, coastal and flowering lawns.”

Lynne’s article is packed with sensible and useful advice. “If you haven’t sown your flower seed yet, get them in the ground as soon as possible.  The weather conditions can change so quickly and there is still time to have a hot, dry summer, so a good start will be helpful for them.

I’ve just sowed a lot of wildflower seed around the edge of my veg patch, on a couple of verges and on an awkward bank.  It’s not too late, and they’ll provide a welcome splash of colour and food for pollinators at the end of the summer.

It is important to remember that good wildflower seed is not ‘free seed’ or even ‘cheap seed’, but it can still be cost effective, covering much bigger areas than shrubs or herbaceous plants and is often more cost effective – and safer – than strimming difficult areas.  Interestingly it is also a cost-effective option for large, grassed areas that would normally be mown regularly.  Mowing paths through swathes of wildflowers has to be one of the most fantastic ways of utilising any green space.  Wildflower banks are particularly striking as the blooms are ‘displayed’ more effectively and using wildflower areas between boundaries and the main sections of a garden is an excellent ‘transitional trick’ – and treat.

I encourage everyone to ‘experiment’ with a patch of ‘properly-done’ wildflowers to see the benefits for yourself.  Attracting pollinators, uplifting the mood, dealing with difficult areas, including poor soil, are just some of the boxes ticked by this under-used flower power.”

Lynne concludes, “Most people who had bad experience using wildflower seeds was simply because they used inferior seed.  I am determined to change this and encourage everyone to have a patch of wildflowers in their garden, whether you go for a handful or a hectare. David Carvey at Origin Amenity Solutions is happy to advice on the best seed for your requirements and conditions and is also generous with practical advice.  You can contact him on 07774 943629.”

To find out more about Lynne or to contact her visit https://www.lynneallbutt.co.uk/

For more information on Euroflor flower seed visit https://www.rigbytaylor.com/flower-seed/

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