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NEWS ARTICLES

Knebworth’s plant health programme

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Knebworth’s plant health programme: An enhanced plant health programme consisting of Headland Amenity’s 20-20-30 tank-mix, Mantle® and PPT114 has been key to reducing fungicide applications at Hertfordshire’s Knebworth Golf Club.

Where, previously, it was commonplace to be putting down multiple fungicide applications each year, last year Team Leader Arran Johnson applied just one – resulting in benefits for both course condition and the budget!

Knebworth's plant health programme

Knebworth’s plant health programme

Arran has been using Headland products for the last 15 years and, since he joined Knebworth, they have been fundamental to his maintenance regime on the course’s clay push-up greens. The success of the programme has recently seen it extended to also include tees and approaches. “We have had a particularly great response from the 20-20-30 tank-mix, but the addition of Mantle® and complementary applications of PPT114 have taken results to a new level” he explains.

“20-20-30+Mantle is applied at the beginning of each month from October through to May, weather dependent, to keep disease at bay through those high-pressure periods. What we’ve found is that if there are any signs of disease, the addition of Mantle® checks it at a very early stage to suppress it and stop it turning into a bigger problem.” Mantle®’s water-soluble formulation of manganese, zinc and harpin protein elicitor stimulates the grass plant’s own natural defence mechanisms, making it more difficult for some disease pathogens to take hold.

“We also apply Headland’s PPT114, as required, a couple of weeks after the 20-20-30+Mantle® application. This has proven to increase the efficacy of the tank-mix, bringing additional plant strength and improved winter colour.” Through the summer months, Arran’s programme switches to one of moisture management – utilising both Tricure AD™ wetting agent and Terafirm™, advanced soil penetrant, when required to manage and optimise plant and profile moisture.

Keeping the team up to speed on new products and any adjustments needed to further improve the results of the feeding programme is Arran’s Regional Technical Manager Peter Blackaby. “I made a conscious decision in 2019 to actively reduce our fungicide applications. Pete’s guidance has helped us a lot with this drive and the Mantle® and PPT114 products have undoubtedly given us a huge step forward.”

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Technology for a cleaner cut

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Technology for a cleaner cut: In order to create the best quality lawn for your customers, turf health is paramount and one of the key things that can help ensure the best turf condition possible is technology in the form of an electronic fuel injection (EFI) engine from Kawasaki.

Mowing is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a good quality lawn and having the right technology can largely determine the success or failure of it, says Lee Skinner, head of sales, Kawasaki Motors Europe: “We’re so often asked what the main thing professional gardeners, landscapers and groundsmen can do to ensure the best possible condition of their turf and the simple answer is to invest in technology.”

Technology for a cleaner cut

Technology for a cleaner cut

Kawasaki now offer five EFI models in their line-up from the FS730V EFI, part of their mid-range commercial series, right up to the FX1000V EFI, the most powerful in Kawasaki’s line-up. These have earned unrivalled support from mowing professionals for their ability to maintain optimal blade tip speed regardless of lawn conditions.

An electronic fuel injection system is a key component to achieving clean-cut mowing. It works with the control system of the electronic throttle to inject fuel in a highly precise manner to maximise output and fuel efficiency. As a result, the engine’s rpm remains unchanged and good operational efficiency is maintained even if the load fluctuates.

Lee continues: “If an engine gets overloaded and blade tip rotation slows when trimming overgrown grass or working on a slope, the mower will fail to produce a sharp cut, no matter how sharp the actual blades are. If a mower’s speed and blade rotation are unaffected by changes in load ー that is, if the engine’s rpm remains stable ー the grass will be cut cleanly.

“The instant throttle response of a Kawasaki EFI engine eliminates engine speed ‘drop’ and allows constant machine operation for a more consistent cut over heavy turf, tall grass and up steep hills. Plus, blade speed holds steady giving a cleaner cut on the first pass.”

In practise how does the technology of the engine affect turf health? Lee says: “Keeping a smooth consistent pace when cutting is key, applicable to all mowing equipment, walk-behind mowers and ride-ons. Start-stop and faltering that lingers over areas is not desirable. This is where good engine governing benefits like the EFI engine, electronically governed for instant reaction to throttle input, drastically reduces engine speed slow-down and in extreme cases, stalling.”

It’s not just the EFI technology that brings a better cut from a Kawasaki engine though as Lee concludes: “The premium build quality of Kawasaki engines lends itself to a strong, robust performance in a wide range of environments. We have an engine range that covers almost every aspect of equipment needs for an operator to maintain turf to the highest level, whatever the landscape and wherever they are in Europe.”

To find out more about Kawasaki’s full engine range, including EFI visit https://www.kawasaki-engines.eu/en/

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Unrivalled lightness of cut

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Unrivalled lightness of cut: Toro’s Reelmaster 3575-D is the lightest available cylinder mower in its class, bringing an unrivalled lightness of cut to pitches, training grounds and academies.

Designed to be 20 percent lighter than traditional larger cylinder mowers, Toro’s Reelmaster 3575-D weighs just 2550lbs including the cutting units – that’s 500lbs less than comparable four-wheel mowers – to decrease turf compaction and bring a superior quality of cut even in wet conditions.

Unrivalled lightness of cut

Unrivalled lightness of cut

Not only that though, this machine has been designed with a front-to-back and side-to-side balance of weight to produce a low centre of gravity and has a large footprint, which, when combined with turf-friendly tyres, reduces turf damage.

Since its launch in 2019, football clubs like Manchester City have trusted the Reelmaster 3575-D to improve turf quality without sacrificing productivity and they’ve taken fairway cutting at golf clubs to a new level, too.

Alastair Rowell, UK sales manager for turfcare equipment at Reesink Turfcare, the sole Toro distributor in the UK for golf and sports fields equipment, explains: “This machine was designed to bring more choice to the lightweight fairway mower market – in fact, you could say it revolutionised it, and it didn’t take groundscare customers long to realise that this would bring new benefits into their mowing of stadium pitches, training grounds, and academies too.

“The three-wheel drive system helps with the tight turns at the ends of the pitch and brings impressive traction to hilly cutting areas. The 100-inch width of cut means productivity comes as standard making light work of your cutting duties.”

The Reelmaster 3575-D is available with five inch or seven inch cutting units and will be sure to make an impression on the pitch without leaving one. Call Reesink Turfcare on 01480 226800 or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk to find out more.

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Agrovista Amenity Academy continues to grow

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Agrovista Amenity Academy continues to grow: Agrovista Amenity’s online Academy has shown significant growth with over 9,000 CPD points awarded so far, and the company believes that it is just the start of something special.

The Agrovista Amenity Academy is an online learning resource with courses and lessons created on a range of areas of turf management and for all products sold by Agrovista Amenity.

Agrovista Amenity Academy continues to grow

Agrovista Amenity Academy continues to grow

“It has grown bigger than we ever expected it to,” said Karl Parry, the founder of the education platform. “The amount of CPD points we have awarded really is quite phenomenal.”

The portal consists of videos, case studies, MSDS, labels and technical specifications which have been designed so that turf managers can fully understand and get maximum benefits from the products they use. This will, in turn, lead to healthier, better performing turf.

Furthermore, the Academy website boasts a highly sophisticated weather system which helps people make better decisions for the week ahead.

Launched in 2017, the Academy was the result of a need to provide a platform which suited both the learner and the employer – according to Neil Pullen, Agrovista Amenity Business Development Manager.

“The thinking behind the Academy was to provide education that was open to everybody,” he said. “Not just for those at the top, but more a vehicle for people who were new to the industry or part qualified, to further their education with a desire to become a course manager, or a head groundsperson for example.

“It progressed from there and then two years ago we sat down with BIGGA to discuss their education programme. It was apparent that golf clubs were paying for their staff to complete BIGGA courses, but it meant that the staff would need days off to do them. There was also an issue with the employers paying for their staff to be educated only for the staff to leave once they were qualified.

“So, you had a frustrated employee wanting to further their CPD education with BIGGA but struggling to do it because nobody wanted to pay for it, and nobody wanted to give them the time off. This was where the Academy really progressed because individuals can get the CPD points they need without it having an impact on their employers. Each course can be done at home and there is no cost. Now, a lot of BIGGA members come directly through the Academy.”

The Agrovista Amenity Academy, which is free to sign-up to, provides in-depth knowledge on Agrovista Amenity’s market leading products (Product Courses), as well as a wide range of areas in turf management such as turf disease, chemical, product application, seed and turf pests (Knowledge Courses).

The Product Courses have been designed so that the individual can fully understand and get maximum benefits from the products they purchase. With Product Courses and Knowledge courses being added on a regular basis, Academy students are guaranteed to have a wide variety to choose from.

“I think that the Product and Knowledge portfolios that we can build is endless,” said Karl. “Agrovista has an incredible number of resources combined with highly knowledgeable and experienced professionals. Both sections will continue to expand and will push the amenity standard forward.”

BIGGA allocates up to 4 points for all successfully completed Knowledge and Product Courses and can vary depending on content and length. To date, the Academy has awarded 9,499 CPD points to over 3,000 individuals. While it is evident that the wider industry is indeed seeing the benefits from using the Academy, so too is Agrovista Amenity.

“Internally, having that platform to train the team has been invaluable and we have seen improved sales results,” said Neil. “We now insist that all members of staff pass the courses because it teaches them about the products – how it works, why it works, how to apply it, what rates – absolutely everything.

“At the end of the day, we feel that we have a responsibility to make sure that customers understand everything they need to know about the products – so stewardship wise it is important too.”

The Academy has inevitably seen an increase during the pandemic with more people either being furloughed or working from home, but both Karl and Neil are confident that it will continue to grow, especially with the plans that are already in place.

“I would like to see a deeper integration with BASIS and FACTS and we have already spoken about some exciting new content for best practice,” said Karl. “We are also looking forward to continuing to support BIGGA and I feel that is a partnership which will develop even further. We have so many more courses to publish and I would just like to see the Academy continue to grow.”

“Further down the line I would like to see the Academy spilt into different sections to cater for individual sports,” added Neil. “At some point we are planning on having a golf academy, a football academy, a cricket academy, and a rugby academy, for example, to make it even more specific.

“We would also like to have courses for different abilities – so a foundation, intermediate and a professional course. We’ve got so much planned and while we are not quite there yet – we certainly are not far away.”

For more information, please visit www.amenityacademy.co.uk

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Demonstrating product excellence with Toro

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Demonstrating product excellence with Toro: Toro, a global leader in turf and landscape maintenance, is going the extra mile when it comes to product demonstrations, with the launch of the new Toro® Demonstration and Support Trailer.

The support trailer is an exciting step forward and sees Toro bringing the product closer to the customer for a real-life demonstration of capability and quality.

Demonstrating product excellence with Toro

Demonstrating product excellence with Toro

When it comes to products seeing a demonstration is essential in deciding whether it is the right one for your business. The Toro Trailer aims to bridge this gap by bringing the solution direct to the customer for demonstration. And not only that, customers will get to see a whole range of Toro products on board. The support trailer offers a new, professional and completely secure way to transport and showcase Toro products.

With a secure, sleek design, the Toro Demonstration and Support Trailer is able to securely transport multiple machines and product ranges ensuring stock arrives in perfect condition. Whether products are requested for a demonstration or are being dropped off for a trial period, the Trailer can carry everything from the smallest handheld tools to the largest lawncare and construction machines.

Stamped with the distinctive red Toro branding, the Trailer is a real standout presence on site and when travelling. For trade show demonstrations, the Trailer will be invaluable at not only showcasing the full range of Toro products, but supporting the brand with this unique asset. With more people realising the joy and value of outdoor spaces in the past year, the Toro Trailer will
play an invaluable role in supporting customers to care for these spaces, while helping make the Toro brand even more present in the market.

Discussing the new Trailer and its potential, Sales Manager Matthew Coleman said: “Having the Toro Trailer means we can bring products right to customers and demonstrate what they can do on site. Customers get to see the products doing what they do best, in the environment where they would be used. I am excited to get the Trailer and Toro products out on the road in 2021, delivering demonstrations and trials to customers new and existing. It’s great to be able to visit customers again and see how Toro can support their landscaping and turf care needs face-to-face.”

For more information, visit toro.com

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