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NEWS ARTICLES

Tackle Spring Pests With Nemaslug and Nemasys

Tackle Spring Pests With Nemaslug And Nemasys: As spring edges closer, now is the time of year dedicated to patrolling your garden to make sure no pests take over. If steps are not taken to tackle your pests now, they can become damaging to plants and vegetables as we move into the warmer months. Taking action now will ensure your time and hard effort is not lost.

But as the weather starts to warm up, which pests do I need to tackle first? Over the autumn and winter months, vine weevil larvae stay beneath the soil and feed on roots, causing plants to wilt and die, and if they survive, the grown adult weevils then eat plant leaves during spring and summer, resulting in irregular-shaped notches on the leaves. Also, slugs begin to make an appearance from March as the British climate makes the perfect breeding ground for them.

Tackle Spring Pests With Nemaslug and Nemasys

Nemasys and Nemaslug offer the perfect solutions to pest control, and the various species grown by BASF, in the only specialist nematode production facility in Britain, can protect your plants from a variety of pests.  BASF grow six different nematodes, all of which are simply mixed with water and either applied from a watering can with a coarse rose or sprayed onto the foliage and soil, depending on the variety. There is no need to keep children or pets away from treated areas and the whole programme is entirely biological so that all the Nemasys products can be used by organic gardeners.

Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer: apply from March to October

Vine weevils are beetles with a long, thin snout. It is actually the larvae of the weevil that causes the main damage to plants, as they remain in the soil and eat the roots. Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer targets the larvae while they are still in the soil and kills them before they have a chance to cause damage.

A regular regime of using Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer every four weeks throughout the growing season is the best way to control the pets.

Nemaslug: apply from March to October

With each slug laying up to 300 eggs, in up to 50 separate batches during a season – that’s a lot of slugs! It is estimated that each cubic metre of soil can contain around 200 grown slugs. The best time to target slugs is when they are newly hatched, so the period between March – October is ideal. As nematodes are able to travel through the soil, to where the newly hatched and young slugs’ dwell, they are able to attack them before they are even in sight, unlike slug pellets.

A regular regime of using Nemaslug every six weeks throughout this period, from March to October, is the most effective way to keep slugs controlled throughout the growing season which will help keep your plants safe.

Busy Show Season For EcoBunker

Busy Show Season For EcoBunker: Leading synthetic bunker edging solutions provider EcoBunker is getting ready for a busy few weeks as the winter trade show season approaches.

EcoBunker will be exhibiting at the BTME show in Harrogate, England, next week, and then, two weeks later, at the Golf Industry Show in San Diego, California. Chief executive Richard Allen and global construction specialist (and former Walker Cup golfer) Llewelyn Matthews will attend both events, along with a selection of EcoBunker’s global distribution network, and several high-profile clients.

Busy Show Season For EcoBunker

At BTME, EcoBunker was instrumental in creating a new feature for the show –an eighteen-exhibitor ‘scorecard challenge’. All attendees who interact with the eighteen participating exhibitors – and get a stamp on their ‘scorecard’ to illustrate the fact – will be entered into a draw to win £1,000. Find the EcoBunker team on stand 210. Two weeks later, at GIS in San Diego, EcoBunker can be found at booth 2762.

Richard Allen said: “Because of the proximity of the two big trade shows, this is always a busy, but exhilarating part of the year. It’s an opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Llew and I are especially looking forward to talking to prospective clients about our increasing capacity on the contracting side of the business – he spent much of last year on site at Dumbarnie Links in Scotland, our largest contracting project to date, with Llew and his team building seventy bunkers on the course.”

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The New Shelton 6 Tonne Universal Sand and Gravel Hopper

The New Shelton 6 Tonne Universal Sand and Gravel Hopper: “Back-fill drainage trenches with both sand and gravel at the flick of switch!”

“One machine multiple capabilities”

The New Shelton 6 Tonne Universal Sand and Gravel Hopper

Lincolnshire sportsturf drainage experts Shelton are launching their latest machine at the BTME: The 6 Tonne Universal Sand and Gravel Hopper has been designed to fulfil a combination of different tasks associated with backfilling and sand spreading on sportsturf after drainage has been carried out. Its unique design means that customers can choose from a number of different combinations: The Universal base unit is available as standalone unit or is available with the addition of any or all of the following options:

  • Gravel Cart (Side Discharge Unit)
  • Sand Spreader
  • 6 Tonne Fast Flow (Centre Fill Unit)

The Universal differs from other hoppers in that it contains a moving floor in the main hopper in the form of a conveyor, which can feed a centre fill to place gravel or sand into the trench after drainage pipes have been installed. The hopper is longer and lower for easier loading and the conveyor can move material forwards or backwards depending on the job required; it will move forward for either a Side Discharge Unit (Gravel Cart) or in reverse to fill a Sand Spreader. The Universal comes complete with electro hydraulic controls including hydraulic motor speed control giving the option to speed up or slow down, depending on the material which is being used.  This can all be operated from the tractor cab and the addition of a hydraulic block, rather than valves means that one operation will not affect another, giving optimum control and performance. The ability to backfill both gravel and sand at the flick of a switch gives the added advantage that the backfilling operation is much quicker and can keep up with the trencher, reducing downtime.

The New Shelton 6 Tonne Universal Sand and Gravel Hopper

Shelton Sportsturtf Drainage will be on stand 281 in the Red Zone at the BTME and The 6 Tonne Universal Sand and Gravel Hopper will be on display at the entrance to the show.

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New Regional Manager For AGS

New Regional Manager For AGS: Advance Grass Solutions is very pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Hendy as Regional Technical Sales Manager for Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset.

Joe brings a wealth of experience to the position starting his career as a seed analyst, progressing to an in-field technical manager for an established amenity business, where he has operated in the same area for fifteen years. Joe has extensive knowledge of both seed and fertiliser and is FACTS qualified.

New Regional Manager For AGS

Sam Honeyborne, MD at AGS said ‘’Joe’s appointment is the result of a comprehensive recruitment process where we had a clear strategy to identify experienced turf specialists to support our growth plan and add value to our existing team. Joe is extremely well known in this area, the heart of our original business, and will strengthen our long-term position with his diverse customer base and knowledge.’’

Advance Grass Solutions is a leading provider of agronomy services, products and customer

support throughout the UK, with loyal customers from lawncare and small bowling clubs to Ryder Cup venues and Premier League football clubs.

Joe Hendy said ‘’I have thoroughly enjoyed my career in the amenity sector and I’m now ready for a fresh challenge. I recognise the need to supply customers with their total requirements in an ever-changing market which is being driven by sustainability. The AGS portfolio is comprehensive and market leading, with a well-researched option to suit all turf regimes.’’

AGS provide a UK exclusive range of high-quality products including: Growth Products, Sustane Natural Fertilizers, Polyon controlled release technology, in addition to well-known UK based suppliers such as DLF Trifolium and Aquatrols. Their staff hold industry recognised qualifications such as BASIS and FACTS alongside honours degrees in sports turf, soil science and sustainable land management disciplines.

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idverde Brings Mixto To BTME

idverde Brings Mixto To BTME: Visitors to this year’s BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) will have the opportunity to get their feet on the Mixto hybrid turf system.

idverde, the UK’s exclusive supplier and installer of Mixto, is excited to bring the innovative sports surface to Europe’s leading exhibition for turf professionals and buyers, with a stand featuring a mini Mixto football pitch so that visitors can try it out for themselves.

idverde Brings Mixto To BTME

Mixto is a reinforced natural hybrid surface, consisting of a synthetic and a natural grass component. The added strength from the artificial turf improves the durability of the pitch, with playing time increased to around three times that of natural turf, and with no noticeable change in surface performance to players.

The Mixto hybrid turf system has recently been installed at Peterborough United FC (“The Posh”), where it has received excellent feedback from the grounds team for its quality and durability. The hybrid sports surface has also been chosen by some of the biggest and best international clubs, including Real Madrid and A.C. Milan, as well as 2018 World Cup semi-final venue, Zenit Arena in St Petersburg.

But Mixto is not just for sports fields. The system can be deployed wherever a hard-wearing grass surface is paramount. It has applications in golf, parks and public amenity areas. This year idverde has teamed up with Rigby Taylor, who will be offering the Mixto system for small areas in the form of a self-install kit. The self-install system is ideal for all areas where there is heavy footfall, giving unprecedented levels of wearability. Rigby Taylor will also be offering exclusively a Mixto kit using our longer pile carpet, specifically for areas of golf courses that are likely to wear in play. Rigby Taylor “IN PLAY” once installed, behaves just like natural grass, allowing golfers to take a divot with their shot whilst still providing all the advantages of a hybrid gras surface.

Steve Tingley, Operations Manager for idverde Sports Surfaces said:

“We’re delighted to be bringing Mixto to BTME 2019. The show offers an unmissable opportunity for pitch care professionals to come and try Mixto for themselves and see the benefits that this versatile and durable sports surface can offer.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors for a kick about at stand 288 in the Red Zone.”

BTME takes place at Harrogate Convention Centre from 22nd – 24th January 2019. Find idverde and Mixto in the Red Zone, stand 288.

For further information on Mixto and idverde’s sports surfaces installation services please visit www.idverde.co.uk/mixto

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