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New Hydroponic Turf System

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New Hydroponic Turf System: Capillary Concrete, best known as the supplier of golf’s most scientifically advanced bunker liner product, has launched a revolution in golf turfgrass management. 

Capillary Concrete, best known as the supplier of golf’s most scientifically advanced bunker liner product, has launched a revolution in golf turfgrass management. The Hydroponic Turf System offers course managers the opportunity to make huge reductions in the amount of water needed to maintain high quality turfgrass, while at the same time promising major increases in turf health.

New Hydroponic Turf System

The system uses the capillary properties of Capillary Concrete to enable both drainage and irrigation from below and to precisely regulate the moisture content of the turf’s rootzone. 

Martin Sternberg, Capillary Concrete inventor and CEO, said: “The system divides the turf into two areas of equal size. A control basin automatically oxygenates and pumps or drains water between the two areas on a regular schedule. The system is powered by a small solar panel and the water levels in the turf profile can easily be adjusted.” 

The Hydroponic Turf System enables massive increases in gas exchange below the top four inches of the rootzone – the area which conventional aeration methods do not adequately service. Because carbon dioxide molecules are heavier than those of oxygen, the system pushes out the heavier molecules and sucks oxygen into the turf profile by raising and lowering the water table. It also delivers optimal levels of nutrients directly to the rootzone. 

Sternberg said: “We have been researching this application of our technology for five years, and the results are remarkable. Irrigating from below virtually eliminates evaporation, and our tests show up to 85 per cent savings in total water used under our Hydroponic Turf System. Irrigation costs can be lowered by up to to 30 per cent, and the level of gas exchange in the rootzone can be increased by an almost unbelievable 6,000 per cent. Using hydroponics in this way will increase the lifespan of tees and greens, it will help superintendents deliver superior turf from dryer surfaces with lower maintenance costs and a much smaller environmental footprint.” 

Capillary Concrete is currently looking for golf clubs to participate in a pilot programme to adapt the patented Hydroponics Turf System to local conditions and climates. Pilot partners will receive the new system, and also comprehensive support services enabling them to install, test and evaluate the benefits of the system for tees and greens.

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Rigby Taylor Agree BIGGA Deal

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Rigby Taylor Agree BIGGA Deal: Rigby Taylor has announced a major sponsorship with BIGGA to tee off the company’s 100th anniversary campaign this year – a two-year sponsorship deal.

The agreement includes BIGGA’s three annual golf tournaments: 

  • The National Championship  
  • The Golf Management Trophy and  
  • The Greenkeepers Benevolent Fund Golf Day. 

Rigby Taylor Agree BIGGA Deal

Rigby Taylor will also be involved in all qualifying matches for each tournament and offering further support through the involvement of its key suppliers.

In addition, where the opportunity exists, the company will provide technical advice on tournament preparation and product support. 

Commenting on the announcement, Richard Fry, Rigby Taylor’s Marketing Director, said: “Rigby Taylor has a long history of supporting those who work in the golf industry and, as a founding member of BIGGA’s Golden Key Education initiative (as was), has always had a close relationship with the association.  

Rigby Taylor has announced a major sponsorship with the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) to tee off the company’s 100th anniversary campaign this year – a two-year sponsorship deal as BIGGA’s Golf Partner. The agreement includes BIGGA’s three annual golf tournaments: 

  • The National Championship  
  • The Golf Management Trophy and  
  • The Greenkeepers Benevolent Fund Golf Day. 

“Our sponsorship of the BIGGA golf tournaments is the company’s expression of confidence in the industry and a vehicle for gaining closer ties not only with golf course managers and greenkeepers but also their greens committees and other key decision-makers.” 

Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO, added: “I’m thrilled that Rigby Taylor is supporting BIGGA in its golf activities for the next two years. The events are an opportunity to not only have some fun, but competitions such as the Golf Management Trophy also bring together all levels of the golf club structure, helping to build stronger relationships within teams and across barriers. And that’s incredibly important to us as an association.” 

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Toro Lead The Way At Celtic Manor

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Toro Lead The Way At Celtic Manor: The latest Toro fleet, which includes greens, tees, fairways and rough mowers as well as utility vehicles, for Celtic Manor marks a relationship spanning a quarter of a century.

And the reason why is because Toro is “head and shoulders above the competition”, says director of golf courses and estates management, Jim McKenzie MBE.

Toro Lead The Way At Celtic Manor

“We originally chose Toro in 1993 because it was the only machinery manufacturer that could deliver us a full fleet of machines, or the closest to it anyway. That sums Toro up, it has always led the way and been market innovators, and that’s why the relationship has lasted.”

Machinery was replaced as and when, but in the main every three years from 1993 to 2008 when Jim decided it was time to agree to a five-year partnership agreement: “Toro and Lely, as Reesink was then, were our preferred suppliers for many years. And the timing was right to formalize the deal in 2008 with us hosting the Ryder Cup in 2010, to have the back up and support that being in such an agreement brings as we took on one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

“Our Toro fleet is as complete as it’s possible to be. We have literally hundreds of bits of kit. And the reason for that is because Toro holds its value and ages well. Toro is part of our image. They look good for many years, and as a result we tend not to sell on the older machines as we replace them. They continue working on estate developments and with the gardening team.”

And at Celtic Manor there’s always something over and above the usual to be getting on with! Whether that’s the redevelopment of all the courses, preparation for The Open and the Ryder Cup, or coming up soon assisting in the planting of thousands of trees around the £4.5 million International Convention Centre Wales which is currently under construction. As Jim says: “We had pretty much every bit of machinery involved in the redevelopment of the courses and the events, and the Workman in particular will be stepping up to the plate when it comes to the woodland management for the ICC. They’re so dinky and can get to all the places a tractor can’t.”

With so many machines at his disposal and his experience of using them over the years, is it possible to pick a favourite? Jim, who was awarded his MBE for ensuring the conclusion – with a helping hand from Toro! – of the 2010 Ryder Cup despite half of the average monthly rainfall landing on the Twenty Ten Course in just two days, says yes.

Step forward the ProCore 648 aerator. Favoured by Jim for its versatility across the three world-class Championship courses, the golf academy and the 9-hole municipal course Caerleon Golf Club: “The ProCore is excellent for all fine turf aeration applications. The club is built on old farmland and is well drained, and hollow coring with the ProCore helps ensure the ultimate condition of the turf.”

But it’s not just the machinery that counts, Jim says the partnership with Reesink and local dealer Ted Hopkins, is just as important: “There’s always been a really good synergy between us, Ted Hopkins, Reesink/Lely. It just works and has done so for 25 years!”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Wildflower Provide ‘Living Green Roof’ To Leeds Skelton Lake Services

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Wildflower Provide ‘Living Green Roof’ To Leeds Skelton Lake Services: The UK’s most prominent wildflower experts, Wildflower Turf Ltd, will be helping to enhance the biodiversity of the £60M Leeds Skelton Lake Services when the ‘new concept’ Motorway Service Area (MSA) opens on the M1 later this year.

Leeds Skelton Lake Services will include a 100-bedroom Hotel and a Food Court Building providing a wide range of Food & Beverage and ancillary retail outlets, a Wildlife Centre and a dedicated Business Centre.

Wildflower Provide ‘Living Green Roof’ To Leeds Skelton Lake Services

With the new MSA occupying a lakeside environment, the integration of the Hotel and Food Court Building in a way that is sympathetic to its surroundings has been of the utmost importance. Wildflower Turf Ltd are working closely with the Landscape Architect, Smeeden Foreman, and Wetherby-based Brambledown Landscapes Ltd to deliver an enhanced landscape that fits seamlessly into the local environment.

The innovative design of the main building showcases a unique and eye-catching undulating roof that will utilise wildflowers, supplied by the team at Wildflower Turf Ltd and installed by ABG Ltd.

The ‘Living Roof’ will be soil-less and consist of up to 41 native UK wildflower species that will provide a haven for bees and other invertebrates while delivering significant aesthetic appeal and ensuring that the building blends into its lakeside location.

Managing Director of Wildflower Turf Ltd, James Hewetson-Brown, said, “We are delighted that one of our wildflower roofs will be showcased at Leeds Skelton Lake Services. As awareness of the importance of biodiverse habitats increase, this new concept in MSA shows that the built environment can exist harmoniously with, and indeed give back to, the natural landscape.”

Andrew Long, CEO of Extra MSA said: “Throughout the detailed planning phase of Leeds Skelton Lake Services, we were acutely aware of our responsibility to the site’s natural surroundings. This new MSA will be a truly revolutionary design in the UK, providing critical safety infrastructure for this part of the motorway network, in a sustainable and visually appealing way.”

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Germinal Launch Organic Based Fertiliser

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Germinal Launch Organic Based Fertiliser: Germinal has launched an organic based phased-release fertiliser which provides up to five months’ worth of nutrients and trace elements from a single application at a budget-friendly price point.

GSR Tri-Phase is an 18-3.5-8 NPK fertiliser which also supplies one unit of MgO plus trace elements including copper, zinc, boron, manganese and molybdenum. *

Germinal Launch Organic Based Fertiliser

Recommended for use on all fine grass swards including golf greens, tees and fairways, sports pitches and all amenity areas, GSR Tri-Phase’s mini-granular (1-2mm) formulation delivers a cost-effective and consistent supply of nitrogen and potash over a period of 16-20 weeks.

Richard Brown, Germinal Amenity Sales Manager explains: “We recognise that, for many landscapers, local authorities and golf, rugby and football clubs, grass and groundcare budgets can be very tight.  We have therefore developed our own phased-release fertiliser which is as good as anything else on the market but at a more affordable price.  It can be used either as a base feed as part of a wider fertiliser programme, or, where budgets are severely restricted, as a standalone, single application product.”

GSR Tri-Phase contains three forms of nitrogen to provide three phases of nutrient release into the rootzone: an initial hit of quick release nitrogen gives way to methylene urea which is subsequently followed by a final release of organic based nitrogen.  In addition, potash is also released slowly throughout the growing season to regulate water uptake and to ensure nutrients and trace elements remain mobile and available for uptake.

“This not only reduces plant stress throughout the growing season, but also enhances the sward’s ability to withstand drought conditions,” Mr Brown adds.  “A single application of 25-35g/m2 in the spring – typically in late March or early April – will instigate good early season growth and recovery and provide the necessary nutrients required by high performance grass swards for the majority of the growing season and certainly through until August or September.  During this time GSR Tri-Phase will release a slow and steady supply of available nitrogen ensuring a consistent rate of grass growth with no intense bursts of activity.”

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