May 9, 2024 - Turf Matters

Floors Castle turn to Foamstream: A Foamstream L12 system is delivering effective non-herbicidal weed control and labour savings too, for the team at Floors Castle.

Tasked with keeping on top of a variety of weed species within the picturesque grounds and gardens, Head Gardener Simon McManus explains how together with significantly reducing the time spent hand-weeding, the L12 has also been utilised as a cleaning system to give the Castle a perfect photo finish.

Floors Castle turn to Foamstream

Described as ‘The Gem of the Scottish Borders’, Floors Castle is the centrepiece of the beautiful Roxburghe Estate, built in 1721 and today welcoming visitors from far and wide to explore and enjoy its scenic surroundings – including approximately four acres of ornamental grounds and gardens. “The walled garden comprises four big herbaceous borders and we also have a small vegetable garden as well as private gardens which aren’t open to the public – all needing to look good year-round” explains Simon, who has been at Floors Castle for almost twenty years.

With just a team of three, plus himself, the facility were in need of both a quicker and more environmentally-friendly weed control method to traditional treatments with chemicals and labour-intensive hand-weeding. “We took delivery of our L12 unit from Weedingtech last year after an impressive demonstration. As a new technology I have to admit there was some initial scepticism but the results of the trial spoke for themselves and since our purchase, we have only discovered more and more benefits!”

The active ingredient in Foamstream is hot water, insulated by a 100% organic, plant-based foam which keeps the water in the kill-zone for long enough to effectively eliminate a range of weeds and other unwanted vegetation. The ‘plug and play’ L12 delivery system is compact and portable, with a range of wand options making it ideal for all areas and applications.

“It’s used regularly throughout the spring and summer. We went out one day in April to treat a border thick with weeds which would have previously taken the four of us a day to clear. One two-hour treatment with Foamstream and by the next morning it’s all dead. It’s also fantastic at killing moss and algae which were becoming a problem to treat around the site with the ongoing withdrawal of chemical solutions.”

Simon continues, “Over the winter when the weeds are less of an issue, we found we could use the L12 as a pressure washer to clean the roof of the glasshouses – and it did another brilliant job! It’s clear this machine is going to become a key part of our overall maintenance programme.”

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Protect turf from the inside out: Greenkeepers across the UK are turning to strobilurin-based fungicide Insignia® to keep their turf protected this summer. With its key ingredients helping to prime the turf immune system, resist disease attacks, withstand heat and drought, and grow more efficiently, Insignia® works in a variety of ways to keep turf green, strong and healthy.

As a fungicide, Insignia® works by severely inhibiting the mitochondrial respiration inside the cells of pathogenic fungi, preventing the breakdown of carbon that is required for fungi to produce the energy they need to function. As well as stopping fungi, it also works by triggering a cascade of positive events which lead to plant health benefits. In a nutshell, it works both by stopping negative forces, and encouraging the good.

Protect turf from the inside out

At this time of year, red thread is a particular threat that Insignia® helps to banish. The fungal infection causes slow growing grass and red to coral-pink strands – not ideal on prized pieces of turf! Insignia® controls diseases like this and dollar spot – which creates pale, blighted areas of turf – ensuring continued grass health throughout the summer.

While it’s suitable for application all year round, Insignia® must be applied in temperatures between 5-25°C for best results. Unlike other fungicides, it is ‘rain-fast’ after only one hour, meaning that greenkeepers can use the product without fear that it will immediately be rained off the plant.

An active ingredient within Insignia®, Pyraclastrobin, serves as a weather-resistant reservoir, meaning that the health-giving formula is released across the surface of the grass over several weeks. Not only that but translaminar movement through the leaf builds a concentration of the active substance on both sides of the leaf – meaning continued protection for the whole plant.

With unpredictable weather in the UK becoming the norm, it’s also vital to be able to rely on the weather-resistant properties of any products used. Insignia® helps turf withstand drought and heat, while also helping grass to regulate responses during stressful events. It’s no wonder that Insignia® is proving so popular with greenkeepers interested in keeping turf green and healthy this year!

To find out more about Insignia®, visit Insignia – BASF Pest Control Solutions UK or to explore BASF’s wider turf products, visit https://www.pestcontrol.basf.co.uk/en/Products/Product-innovation/Turf/