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Happy New Year start for Yanmar and BOSS

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Happy New Year start for Yanmar and BOSS: BOSS Off-Road Vehicles have kicked off the New Year with a great start, announcing their appointment as UK and Irelans distributors for Yanmar Agribusiness.

The contract was finalised at the recent EIMA exhibition in Bologna in November 2024 and they have been completing the final details since then. YANMAR was founded more than 100 years ago and states the corporation has been driven by a pioneering spirit for world-leading technology. Their key aim is realising a sustainable future through technological development; an ideal fit with BOSS’s own development as distributors of practical yet ecologically sustainable machinery for groundscare, agricultural, and amenity businesses. BOSS will use Yanmar Turkey Marine A.S. to manage sales and distribution of the Yanmar Agricultural equipment. They will focus initially on the compact range of tractors from 22hp to 60hp for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Happy New Year start for Yanmar and BOSS

Happy New Year start for Yanmar and BOSS

“We will be establishing a dealer network over the next few months,” says BOSS ORV Managing Director, Phil Everett, “so I will be pleased if interested dealers contact me directly for more information. Alternatively, visit us at the upcoming LAMMA Show exhibition at the NEC on the 15th to 16th of January, where we have our main stand No. 6.830 Hall 6 or the Yanmar Agri stand No.12.130 Hall 12, where there will be a BOSS representative on the stand. We are exceptionally happy to become the UK and Irelans Yanmar Agri distributors and share the same philosophies of striving to exceed customer expectations and deliver exceptional value while maintaining sustainable prosperity.”

BOSS has also announced the appointment of the first two dealers for Yanmar Agri, Neil Peachey and Used4Turf Ltd. In East Anglia and Phil Davey at Machine Serve in the South West of England.

For more information on BOSS products you can call 01785 561046 E-mail: sales@bossorv.co.uk Web: www.bossorv.co.uk

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GKB Deep Tine Aerator receives glowing review

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GKB Deep Tine Aerator receives glowing review: Ask Nigel Willis of N&E Grounds Maintenance what he thinks of their Deep Tine Aerator (DTA) from GKB Machines and he may well tell you it’s the best machine he’s ever purchased!

It’s certainly been put through its paces since its delivery in May 2024 as the company ramps up aeration work on a variety of fine turf and winter sports surfaces. In those few months, the DTA 210 has cemented its status as one of the strongest, quickest and most reliable maintenance machines on his fleet.

GKB Deep Tine Aerator receives glowing review

GKB Deep Tine Aerator receives glowing review

Located on the outskirts of Belfast, N&E Grounds Maintenance have been conducting the full range of nutritional and mechanical maintenance services for customers spanning both natural and artificial turf for the last 22 years. It was on his annual trip to SALTEX in 2023 that the DTA first caught Nigel’s eye. “My aerator at the time was giving me a lot of bother so I was on the look out for alternatives. I was immediately impressed with the robustness of the GKB DTA and Tom Shinkins put me in touch with their dealer for Northern Ireland, Laird Grass Machinery.”

“I didn’t even feel the need to have a demonstration of it, I just asked them to order me one and the rest is history!” he exclaims.

The GKB Deep Tine Aerator does exactly as the name suggests, tackling compaction down to depths of 400mm (16”). Available in working widths from 1.2m up to 2.6m, there’s a model in the range to suit all types of natural turf surface.

“We opted for the 2.1m model which suits the variety of facilities we visit, and it’s already been well utilised on football and rugby pitches as well as work on several golf courses.” Nigel continues, “It does a fantastic job and is much faster and smoother than our previous machine. It’s easy to hook up to the tractor, simple to use and the daily checks are quick with very few grease points. The hydraulic depth control is another feature I really like giving us easy and accurate control over the job at hand.”

“As we move through the winter months, the DTA will be out near enough every other day as demand for aeration work continues to increase to cope with the increased rainfall.” He adds, “I’ve been so impressed with the machine I felt compelled at SALTEX 2024 to go back to the GKB stand just to tell Tom and the team that it’s honestly been one of the best purchases I’ve ever made!”

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Hanley Castle property flood relief

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Hanley Castle property flood relief: Worcestershire Homeowner Allan Bradford’s cottage is in the picturesque village of Hanley Castle, situated between the towns of Malvern and Upton upon Severn and near the River Severn.

The garden of his property was subject to flooding after heavy rain, with standing water remaining for as long as two or three weeks. The cause was not the river flooding as you might expect, but the grounds being situated at the end of a slope with a substrate of heavy clay soil. Grassed areas either side and close to the gates and the drive were the worst affected areas. Allan did have a pit dug and gravelled on one side and that copes to a degree, but he says it was an expensive solution. Drains outside the property were also cleared but to no avail.

Hanley Castle property flood relief

Hanley Castle property flood relief

“Then I saw the work done by Terrain Aeration on the Clarkson’s Farm programme,” says Allan, “so I decided to get a quote from them. I am in the building trade and friends who are developers couldn’t be more skeptical, saying what the clay needed was tanks installing. That would have been three times the cost of Terrain Aeration. We went ahead with them.”

The Terrain Aeration Terralift system uses a JCB road hammer and probe to bore down a metre in depth. A release of compressed air fractures the compacted soil, creating fissures. The process is repeated in intervals on a grid so the fissures are interlinked. Dried seaweed is injected as the probe withdraws and this swells with the rain to keep the fractured areas open and allow drainage.

“We had the work done,” says Allan, “and then there was no rain. We went on holiday and during this time my father stayed in the house to be woken one night by horrendous rain storms. He called me and because we have cameras on the property covering the area, we were able to watch from Thailand on our phones as the flood developed.”

Following the storms, the deluge had filled everywhere, with a nearby stream and ditches flooded and yet, in the area at the bottom of the slope injected by Terrain Aeration’s Terralift, the water had all but gone. “The two lads who came from Terrain Aeration were great,” says Allan, “and I am so pleased with the work and result I would recommend them to anyone.”

Terrain Aeration www.terrainaeration.co.uk  01449 673783

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Edgmond Bowling Club Wins Best Kept Green in Shropshire

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Edgmond Bowling Club Wins Best Kept Green in Shropshire: Edgmond Bowling Club has been awarded the title of Best Kept Green in Shropshire 2024, a competition sponsored by leading turf maintenance brands Dennis and SISIS.

The accolade marks a milestone for the club, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and highlights the dedication and skill of its greenkeeper, Peter Leath.

Edgmond Bowling Club Wins Best Kept Green in Shropshire

Edgmond Bowling Club Wins Best Kept Green in Shropshire

The Best Kept Green competition was launched in 2021, in response to the remarkable efforts of bowling clubs and their greenkeepers during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative, supported by Dennis and SISIS, aims to improve the standard of greens across the county, recognising the hard work of greens teams and providing them with valuable feedback to enhance their maintenance programmes. Each year, the competition grows in popularity, with a record number of clubs entering in 2024—a testament to the ongoing improvements in bowling greens throughout Shropshire.

Peter, a greenkeeper with 47 years of experience, joined Edgmond Bowling Club just before the pandemic and quickly found himself responsible for the care of the green, which was in need of attention. Reflecting on those early days, he recalls, “The green was in quite a bad condition. During Covid, I spent a lot of time managing to feed it and improve its health.”

Drawing on his greenkeeping background, Peter implemented a rigorous maintenance routine, including verticutting and aerating the green, to encourage healthy growth. He also invested in a SISIS Supaturfman, using it up to 16 times a year. His efforts have paid off, with Edgmond’s green now widely praised for its smoothness and playability. “There have been a lot of really positive comments about the green,” Peter said.

Edgmond Bowling Club’s win this year, tied on points with Cleobury Mortimer but edging ahead thanks to a perfect 10/10 score for the roll of the woods, is a fitting tribute to its 50th anniversary.

Peter’s attention to detail is key to the green’s success. He spends around 240 hours a year maintaining it, mowing three times a week in the summer and continuing regular care even through the winter months. His advice to other greenkeepers? “Make sure your mower is adjusted correctly, and cut the grass consistently. It makes all the difference.”

Phil Scott, Chairman of the Shropshire Crown Green Bowling Association, praised Peter’s work and spoke about the growing success of the Best Kept Green competition. “We started these awards to recognise the often-overlooked work of greenkeepers in our county. Since the competition began, the standard of greens in Shropshire has improved dramatically.”

DLF’s Stuart Yarwood, a well-known expert in the industry and a key supporter of the Dennis/SISIS educational seminars, was part of the judging panel. He visited the top ten greens and provided invaluable advice to clubs on how to further improve their playing surfaces.

Looking to the future, the Shropshire Crown Green Bowling Association, in collaboration with Dennis and SISIS, plans to continue supporting greenkeepers with initiatives such as forums, educational days, and factory tours. “We’ve set up new initiatives to keep the momentum going. We’re already planning to take all the greenkeepers who entered this year to the Dennis and SISIS factory for a tour, and we’re looking at adding new categories like ‘Most Improved Green’ or ‘Best Newcomer’ for next year,” Phil explained.

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

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on X @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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TGA bans use of plastic netting in turfgrass production

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TGA bans use of plastic netting in turfgrass production: Following extensive member engagement and feedback, the Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA), the leading body representing the UK turfgrass industry, has announced a bold and progressive step towards environmental sustainability by banning the use of plastic netting in turf production by its members. This decision, supported overwhelmingly by members in a recent vote, will take effect from 31st October 2026.

The decision to ban plastic netting reflects the TGA’s commitment to sustainable practices. From 31st October 2026, grower members must cease using plastic netting to grow turf, in order to retain their membership of the association during the 2026/27 subscription year and beyond.

TGA bans use of plastic netting in turfgrass production

TGA bans use of plastic netting in turfgrass production

Richard Owens, Chair of the TGA, commented: “This is a defining moment, and the decision reflects the growing consensus among our members and the wider industry about the urgent need to prioritise sustainability. By committing to eliminate plastic netting, the TGA is leading the way towards a more environmentally responsible future for turf production in the UK.”

Despite industry efforts to develop alternatives, there are currently no proven, cost-effective bio-degradable netting solutions widely available that meet the practical and economic requirements of turf production. While some options, such as degradable or biobased netting, have shown promise, challenges remain regarding durability, affordability, and large-scale adoption. This underscores the importance of continued research and innovation to find viable, sustainable solutions.

The vote saw overwhelming support from TGA members, with 17 voting in favour of the ban and just 1 against. The TGA is committed to supporting its members during the transition period by providing guidance, resources, and collaborative opportunities to explore and implement alternative practices.

This initiative represents a significant milestone for the turfgrass industry, aligning with broader environmental goals across the agricultural and horticultural sectors. The TGA’s decision sets an important precedent for adopting sustainable practices in industries that impact the environment.

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