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Redexim proves the solution for safe synthetic surfaces

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Redexim proves the solution for safe synthetic surfaces: A combination of the RTC plus and Verti-Top® TB from Redexim have been entrusted with protecting and preserving the lifespan of the synthetic surfaces – along with the health and safety of the students – at Emanuel School.

With the recent addition of an all-weather pitch at their Blagdon sports ground, the school opted to purchase a maintenance set-up for both this and the main site in South-West London to retain performance and keep the surfaces clear of contamination.

Redexim proves the solution for safe synthetic surfaces

Redexim proves the solution for safe synthetic surfaces

Sport plays an integral part of life for students at Emanuel School, reflected in the ongoing investment into the quality facilities available to pupils and a number of clubs and organisations in the wider community. Estates Director Chris Wright heads up a number of teams responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the grounds and sports surfaces across the three sites. “With one artificial surface at the main school, our second at the Blagdon site came online in September 2023 which really made us look at how we were going to maintain these, along with the synthetic lawns we’ve introduced into our ornamental areas” Chris explains.

“The maintenance was previously contracted out, but from a cost and practical perspective, it became logical to invest in equipment that would give us the flexibility to conduct regular brushing and a more intensive deep clean more frequently.”

After speaking to local dealers Lister Wilder, Chris and the team opted for two RTC plus brush units and two Verti-Top® TB cleaning systems from the award-winning Redexim synthetic range. Powered by a 22hp petrol engine, the RTC plus features a 2.7m wide underslung, winged brush to make routine brushing a breeze. This is then complemented by the more intensive cleaning delivered by the Verti-Top® TB which lifts and separates contaminants from all types of infill material using a combination of vacuum and sieve.

“This partnership gives us flexibility and effective cleaning for the shorter-pile, sand-dressed surfaces as well as the ornamental carpet which has a longer pile. The RTC plus is out once a week and then we can affix the Verti-Top® TB to the RTC for a thorough clean once a month.” Chris continues, “The Verti-Top® has really impressed us with the amount of detritus it collects – everything from paper clips to jewellery which are removed in a single pass.”

The purchase also means the maintenance teams have eliminated contamination risks when switching equipment between natural and synthetic turf. “We don’t want to be putting a tractor with muddy tyres onto the artificial pitches which could then go on to cause other playability or safety problems.” He adds, “We’ve been really pleased with the performance and results to date, and as we’ve come to expect from Redexim it’s a well-built, well-designed solution which will help us to present good, clean surfaces for many years to come.”

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Major brands return to SALTEX

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Major brands return to SALTEX: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) is delighted to welcome back the grounds industry’s leading global brands to SALTEX 2024, the premier event in grounds management. This year’s exhibition is set to be a landmark occasion, showcasing the latest innovations, and providing unparalleled networking opportunities. 

After a year of remarkable growth and development within the industry, SALTEX 2024 will welcome back industry giants including Kubota, Toro and Iseki, all reaffirming their support for the GMA’s vision of excellence in grounds management. These returning brands represent the pinnacle of quality and innovation, offering visitors an exclusive look at cutting-edge products and services.

Major brands return to SALTEX

Major brands return to SALTEX

Visitors can expect to see these big brands (just to name a few!) making their presence known on the show floor:

  • Reesink UK/Toro UK
  • Kubota
  • Dennis Mowers
  • EGO
  • WEIBANG
  • Hilltip
  • Milwaukee
  • Ariensco
  • Grillo
  • Husqvarna UK
  • Kioti UK
  • Cramer
  • ISEKI
  • Origin Amenity Solutions
  • SGL

This year’s show will see DeWalt exhibiting as part of Infinicut’s expanded stand for the first time, as well as McConnel’s making a much-anticipated return for 2024.

Sarah Cunningham, SALTEX Event Director added: “I’m really excited to welcome back our old industry friends and can’t wait to meet our new exhibitors this year. Having these top-tier companies here shows just how important SALTEX is for sharing knowledge, growing professionally, and pushing our industry forward. Their commitment really highlights how much they value being a part of SALTEX.” 

This year SALTEX is also set to welcome an exciting array of new exhibitors broadening the horizons of the grounds management industry. These new exhibitors are poised to introduce innovative products, cutting-edge technologies, and sustainable practices that promise to revolutionise the way we think about grounds management.

Stogger Turf Care, an internationally recognised tech innovator based in the Netherlands, said: “Stogger Turf Care is very excited to participate at SALTEX 2024. We can’t wait to present our new product line and state-of-the-art technologies to this large audience. Let’s ignite your growth potential with Stogger Turf Care.” 

Hayley Group, one of the UK’s foremost value-added suppliers of leading-brand engineering components, consumables, and related support services, are also exhibiting at SALTEX for the first time, and said: “We are delighted to be exhibiting at SALTEX for the first-time in 2024. We’ve got a strong presence in supporting grounds management professionals with their bearings and maintenance consumables, this exhibition will help us build on that. We are looking forward to showing visitors to our stand the full range of products on offer, and how we can be a single-source contact for critical components and consumables they use on a daily basis.”

Their presence signifies the ever-growing interest and investment in the sector. With a commitment to excellence and advancement, these new exhibitors will undoubtedly enrich the SALTEX experience, offering fresh perspectives and opportunities for learning, collaboration, and growth within the grounds community.

SALTEX 2024 promises to be an event brimming with educational sessions, live demonstrations, and interactive exhibits, all designed to empower grounds management professionals.

For more information on SALTEX 2024 and to register for the event, please visit https://www.saltex.org.uk/. You can see the full list of exhibitors here: https://www.saltex.org.uk/exhibitors

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Pro Flora helping to boost biodiversity

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Pro Flora helping to boost biodiversity: After witnessing good results with the Johnsons J All Bent mixture, Woolley Park Golf Club are now enjoying similar success with new eco-friendly areas created with DLF’s Pro Flora range.

The project to enhance habitats and encourage diversity of wildlife has gathered pace in recent years under the stewardship of Head Greenkeeper John Rowbottom who, with the help of DLF’s Stuart Yarwood, has not only boosted biodiversity but brought new life to previously unmanageable areas.

Pro Flora helping to boost biodiversity

Pro Flora helping to boost biodiversity

The West Yorkshire club are longstanding users of seed mixtures from DLF. “We’ve used many different mixtures over the years, and specifically J All Bent for the last five. This just seems to really suit our conditions” explains John, who has worked at Woolley Park since its inception in 1995. “We’ve got USGA spec root zone and we’ve found that the bent grass thrives here, the benefits of which are two-fold – improving the quality of the sward and helping us in the constant fight against Poa, with the Bent outcompeting fescues and other varieties.”

Oversown twice a year during spring and autumn renovations, the reliability and results of the J All Bent programme on the greens is ongoing, allowing John to turn his attention to the viability of other areas. “During the COVID lockdowns we had the time to fully appreciate the rich abundance of wildlife that returned to the site while the course was closed. This really kickstarted our trials with wildflower areas, and since then we’ve worked on another patch of land each year with the results getting better and better! It’s been great to see that, as a result of this work, much of the fauna that returned over that time has stayed.”

“For me, it is essential that whatever we do on the course is sympathetic to the environment around it” he adds. So, when a major renovation project two years ago left a large area of ‘unmanageable’ land, it was then that John consulted with his DLF Regional Technical Manager Stuart Yarwood for advice. “I didn’t want bright, bold colours, instead something more subtle and in keeping with the surroundings that would provide some cover and habitat for pheasants and ground nesting birds.”

Stuart recommended Pro Flora 13, delivering a species-rich mix of UK native origin wildflowers and fine leaved low growing grasses. “This has given us exactly what we wanted from an ecological perspective and, visually, blends in brilliantly beside our in-play areas.”

“I believe it is our responsibility as custodians of land to ensure we are doing what we can to protect the environment, and this is something both Stuart and I are keen to continue developing with our wildflower projects. We are incredibly fortunate to be able to look after 150 acres of land and seeing golfers and wildlife out there enjoying what we craft is priceless.”

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Green-tech supply materials for tree planting

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Green-tech supply materials for tree planting: Set in the vibrant town of Ipswich, Wolsey Grange is a growing community of newly built homes by Taylor Wimpey

As part of the Construction Environmental Management Plan, a sustainable surface water drainage system (SuDS) was implemented, designed to reduce rates of stormwater run-off. An Attenuation basin will control water flow from the site into the existing watercourse. These sustainable drainage features will also create a range of water habitats for wildlife. A maintenance regime has been established to ensure the future performance of sustainable drainage features.

Green-tech supply materials for tree planting

Green-tech supply materials for tree planting

Attenuation basins are a common sight on most new build sites and allow for safe and contained storage for excess rain and stormwater as it allows for its release over time into the sewer system at a controlled rate. They remove much of the potential flooding risk caused by the inability of excess water to drain safely.

Cox Landscapes is the experienced landscape contractor on this large-scale project and has vast experience in the landscaping of attenuation basins.  They were responsible for the planting area outside of the attenuation basin which involved planting potted plants and bare root trees and protecting these by staking and installing Tubex tree shelters.

Green-tech is Cox Landscapes supplier for landscaping materials and supplied circa 500 stakes and Holdfast natural tree hessian ties for securing the stakes to the trees, as well as 60cm Tubex tree shelters. In Keeping with this biodiverse and sustainable project the Natural tree ties are made entirely of natural fibres and are fully biodegradable. Unlike other tree ties, a spacer is not required when using with Natural tree tie. You can form a spacer by using the tie itself.

15 rolls of Ecomatt weed control fabric were supplied and installed before being planted and finished off with decorative bark. The Ecomatt offers a great biodegradable tree weed control option that degrades over two growing seasons. It is manufactured in the UK, exclusively for Green-tech Ltd from 100% recycled materials: and is needle punched onto a film backing, to allow both air and water to pass through the layers.

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Help shape the future of UK horticulture

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Help shape the future of UK horticulture: Perennial, the charity dedicated to supporting people in horticulture, is calling on everyone in the industry to take part in its largest ever survey. There is still time for you to complete and help share the survey, providing a vital snapshot into the wellbeing of all those working in horticulture.

Make Your Voice Heard:

Building on the success of the 2021 Health & Wellbeing Survey, Perennial is asking all those in the horticultural sectors to participate in the 2024 survey, as their feedback is crucial and will truly make a difference.

Help shape the future of UK horticulture

Help shape the future of UK horticulture

Why Your Input Matters:

Perennial wants to understand more about people’s daily lives, both at work and outside of it, to develop their services and inform the industry about key challenges. The anonymous survey is open until 30th June and will be analysed by the University of Exeter. The findings will be shared this autumn.

Past Impact:

In 2021, Perennial discovered that 85% of respondents had poor or below-average mental wellbeing. This led to the successful rollout of a Mental Health First Aid Program, training nearly 100 individuals across 11 sectors and 48 companies.

Future Goals:

By sharing the survey findings, Perennial aims to support the industry in addressing these challenges collaboratively. Julia Hayne, Perennial’s Director of Services, emphasised, “This research will allow us to create effective tools and strategies to improve wellbeing now and in the future, leading to better futures for those working in horticulture and their families. We therefore encourage you to complete the survey this week.”

Take Action Today:

If you work in horticulture, please spare 10-15 minutes to complete the survey and share it with colleagues and friends, before it closes on Sunday 30th June 2024. Your participation is vital in helping to make a positive change.

Complete the survey now: perennial.org.uk/survey

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