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ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

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ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City: ICL’s ProSelect grass seed supported by a monthly nutritional programme has resulted in Bradford City’s pitch being in the best condition ever – according to Head Groundsman Mick Doyle.

If anyone knows the pitch at Bradford City’s Utilita Energy Stadium – it is Mick. He has been working at the club for an incredible fourteen years and in that time, it is safe to say that he has single-handedly kept the pitch in excellent condition.

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

However, he claims that the bar has now been raised and that it all started with ICL’s ProSelect grass seed.

“The bottom line is that I needed a new seed,” he said. “The seed I used previously just didn’t work for me – it was patchy and did not germinate. Therefore, when it came round to pitch renovations last year, I used ICL’s ProSelect 1 Premium Pitch which I had first heard about at an ICL educational day and after speaking to other groundsmen.”

Combining four top-ranked perennial ryegrasses, ProSelect 1 Premium Pitch, provides a fast-recovering, dense, hard-wearing surface. Furthermore, Mick decided that he would like to explore a full ICL nutritional programme because in his words, it would be a “one-stop shop which could deliver on all fronts.”

Prior to sowing the ProSelect seed, Craig Lalley, Technical Sales Manager for ICL visited Mick at the stadium and took some soil samples. Craig then proceeded to devise a plan tailored to Mick’s environment – taking into consideration his stadium, his machinery, his staffing levels, his time restraints and he ultimately put a programme together based on what Mick was trying to achieve.

“My biggest concern was that I could never get any root down but Craig assured me that I would with his programme,” said Mick. “True to his word – he was absolutely right.”

The key was getting the pitch off to the best possible start. After sowing the ProSelect grass seed, Mick immediately followed with 10 litres of H2Pro TriSmart, in a bid to absorb more moisture around the seed and aid germination.

It turned out to be a winning combination: “The seed was coming up beautifully in just six days,” said Mick.

On that sixth day after seeding, and based on Craig’s advice, Mick went one step further by applying Sierrablen Plus Renovator 20-20-8 at a rate of 35g/m², the mini-granules ensuring even distribution for young seedlings while its high phosphate levels encourage strong root growth.

Since then, the nutritional programme has been based on providing the right nutrient at the right time, according to Craig.

“A lot of the programme has been designed to really focus on root establishment to assist with pitch playability. Therefore, Mick has been using Vitalnova SeaMax (seaweed extracts) and Vitalnova Blade along with Primo Maxx II growth regulator.

“Mick has produced a great surface this season and that has carried through the challenging winter months. To work alongside his good cultural methods over this testing period, Mick incorporated H2Pro FlowSmart into his monthly ITM programme. This is a superb penetrant to help with water percolation through the profile.”

Mick was also in agreement:

“I’ve had fourteen seasons here and I can honestly say that this is the best condition the pitch has ever been at this time of year. I put that down to the products.

“The pitch is holding up incredibly well and you can hardly tell that players have been on the pitch after a game. In years gone by where we have had shallow rooting a lot of remedial work was needed following fixtures. This is no longer required so we are saving time and benefitting from good plant health.

“It’s just been consistently good all year.

“The programme is very straight forward to follow – it’s all on my wall planner in my office and reminds me of what’s going on at all times. I can also call Craig and get advice which is a real benefit.

“Overall, I’m incredibly pleased that I decided to go down the ICL route because it really has made such a difference to the pitch – not just aesthetically and from a playability point of view, but also from what is going on below the surface.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

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Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead: Spring is traditionally seen as a time for renewal, growth, and new life, with warmer days urging us outdoors to enjoy nature. This year we have even more to look forward to, with reunions on the horizon and things returning to a semblance of normality.

With these brighter days and positive thoughts of the year ahead, now is a great time to get outside and scatter some wildflower seeds to ensure that 2021 and beyond is full of life and colour.

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

Wildflower specialist, Seedball, has developed a unique way in which to protect scattered seeds until they are ready to look after themselves, creating a mini ecosystem and giving them nutrition as they germinate and grow. The balls are made from a combination of British wildflower seeds, clay to protect from predators such as birds and ants, peat-free compost to provide nutrition, and a little bit of chilli powder to deter slugs and snails. Simply throw the balls onto soil or compost in a garden bed or planter in Spring or Autumn and wait. The seed ball has everything it needs to grow and, once the ball becomes moist and the temperature is right, the seeds will germinate! What could be easier?

While Seedball is famed for its compact tins of seeds that are ideal for gifting, the company also produces larger grab bags, each containing 100 seed balls, make it easy for everyone to create a wildflower patch in their own garden, and what could be a greater symbol of positivity and optimism than that? The range includes bags of curated seed collections, such as the Bee Mix and the Shade Mix, to help people create wildflower havens with ease.

New for 2021 is a collection of Single Flower Grab Bags, each of which contain 50 seed balls of a single variety, allowing even more flexibility for people to design their own outdoor spaces according to individual preferences. The 24 varieties include quintessentially British species such as cowslips, cornflowers, yarrow and camomile.

People will even be able to create their own delicate, blue carpet of bluebells with the Bluebell Grab Bag – provided they are willing to wait for them to flower, which can take up to five years after germination. These native flowers are more than worth the wait, though, and are one of Britain’s most precious and iconic plants. The variety available in the grab bags is the Hyacinthoides non-scripta, with a distinctive scent that is highly attractive to bees.

A simple scattering of seed balls today will result in a brighter, wilder tomorrow!

To find out more about Seedball visit https://seedball.co.uk/

You can also find Seedball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

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Indigrow signs on as BIGGA Partners

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Indigrow signs on as BIGGA Partners: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has welcomed specialist fertiliser manufacturer Indigrow as the association’s latest Partner.

BIGGA Partners offer the highest level of support available to members of BIGGA, with the funding the association receives going a long way to underpin the Continuing Professional Development programme and all educational activity.

Indigrow signs on as BIGGA Partners

Indigrow signs on as BIGGA Partners

Indigrow is a specialist manufacturer of fertilisers and nutrients for the sportsturf market with over 75 years’ experience of operating around the world. Covering five continents and over 40 countries, Indigrow employs over 35 staff with qualifications covering all the aspects of agronomy required to promote healthy growth.

Bradley Foster, Indigrow, said: “Indigrow has long been a firm supporter of the activities of BIGGA and its members as the principles of highly-educated and qualified professionals are ones we appreciate and encourage across our own team. The desire to expand upon our own knowledge and innovate with new products and new methods of working is key if we are to overcome the challenges of the coming decade and I’m delighted that BIGGA and Indigrow will be working closer together to support the needs of the UK’s greenkeeping community.”

BIGGA Business Development Manager Lauren Frazer said: “Indigrow is a company that BIGGA has enjoyed a close relationship with over many years as the team was previously an education supporter. Their continuous product development helps create innovative, efficient and cost-effective products to suite the demands of the modern greenkeeper and so I am delighted the Indigrow team has made the decision to step up to Partner status. We are hugely proud of our relationships with all our Partners and we’re grateful for the incredible support they provide our membership, so I’m thrilled to welcome Indigrow to the line-up.”

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Clive Betts MP joins Fields in Trust Board of Trustees

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Clive Betts MP joins Fields in Trust Board of Trustees: Senior Parliamentarian, Clive Betts MP, has joined green space charity Fields in Trust as a new Trustee and will take on the volunteer role with immediate effect.

Clive Betts MP has served his home-town of Sheffield as an elected representative since 1976, first as a City Councillor and, since 1993, as a Member of Parliament.  His longstanding Chairmanship of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, in particular the oversight of the 2016 Parliamentary Inquiry into public parks, puts him in a unique position to advance the work of Fields in Trust, protecting parks and green spaces for future generations. Clive Betts MP was one of the first MPs to sign up to Fields in Trust’s Parks Protector Pledge during the 2019 election campaign.

Clive Betts MP joins Fields in Trust Board of Trustees

Clive Betts MP joins Fields in Trust Board of Trustees

Following the landmark decision of Liverpool City Council to legally protect their whole portfolio of parks and green space with Fields in Trust, Clive Betts will support the charity’s work to encourage other local authorities across the country to replicate Liverpool’s civic leadership, ensuring the benefits of green space access can be extended to more communities.

Fields in Trust Chair of Trustees Jo Barnett says “Parks were one of the unsung heroes of the pandemic and they should be an important part of the green recovery plans. We believe this is a pivotal moment for the UK’s parks and green spaces and Clive Betts joining the team will help us achieve a better outcome for our communities, now and for generations to come “.

As he joins as a Trustee, Clive Betts MP said:” I’m really looking forward to working with Fields in Trust. Over the past year our parks have been valued more than ever, particularly by those people without access to private gardens, and yet the future funding and long-term access to these spaces is at risk. I look forward to working with Fields in Trust to champion, support and protect green spaces and secure the health and wellbeing benefits they provide.”

Over many years Clive has made use of public parks and green spaces personally as a keen cricketer, a former captain of the Parliamentary Football Team and training runs for his participation in the Sheffield Marathon.

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David Timms joins the Reesink team

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David Timms joins the Reesink team: David Timms is delighted to be working with Toro again after 18 years as the new regional business manager for Reesink Turfcare in the Southwest and Midlands.

Having started his career in the turfcare industry as an area sales representative in Sussex working with Toro and Hayter machinery in 2003, David went on to become sales manager within the distribution company of JSM in 2007 before relocating to Somerset with Textron in 2011. Now he has come full circle as he returns to working with Toro machinery.

David Timms joins the Reesink team

David Timms joins the Reesink team

“It’s great to be back working with Toro and Reesink,” says David. “I’ve had a love for the brand since working with them 18 years ago and for some time now, I’ve had the desire to again work with and promote the leading brand, so when the opportunity arose it was a really easy decision. The build quality, innovation and range that Toro provides is above and beyond competitors, so I feel very fortunate to be in a role where I can confidently sell the best machinery in the market. With over 100 years trading as a stand alone mower company, it really speaks volumes about Toro and its future.”

In addition to bringing near two-decades of experience with him, David also starts the role with a philosophy to work according to the fundamentals of selling machinery, something he feels will help him in his role and benefit customers.

“In my time in the industry I’ve learned what is really fundamental when it comes to selling turfcare machinery,” says David. “First and foremost is building strong relationships with customers, dealers and colleagues. People don’t buy from people they don’t know. Secondly, backing both the product and customer through the machine’s life is very important, and simple aspects which are all too easily overlooked. All customers are asking is for you to go out and do a good honest job.”

David is already enjoying the work and is excited for what’s to come: “The most exciting part of the job is definitely the opportunity it provides to build on existing and new relationships with customers in the industry, made even better by the fact I have the confidence that customers now genuinely want to buy the brand, with it already at the forefront of most customers wish lists.”

With the industry starting to move forward from a time of uncertainty, David is optimistic about the future of golf, and Reesink and Toro’s part in that.

“I would hope that over the next 12 months we see a resurgence in golf, particularly as people appreciate the chance to get outside more than ever,” David concludes. “With Reesink and Toro having the most comprehensive and reliable offering of machinery, servicing, parts support and warranties in the market, and customers more concerned with whole life costs and longevity of equipment, we are well placed to meet customer needs.”

David can be contacted via Reesink on 01480 226800.

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