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Stronger sward for Gloucester Rugby

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Stronger sward for Gloucester Rugby: Gloucester Rugby Head Groundsman, Stuart Lambert, believes that the use of Attraxor® plant growth regulator (PGR), has helped him to achieve a stronger sward while simultaneously reducing the amount of Poa annua.

Stuart started at Gloucester Rugby in August 2018 and admits to learning and adapting to the way the pitch plays every single day. This means that he must be flexible in his maintenance strategy and be open to new products which could make a difference to the pitch at the Kingsholm Stadium.

Stronger sward for Gloucester Rugby

Stronger sward for Gloucester Rugby

He came across such a product at BTME 2020 in the form of Attraxor® plant growth regulator (PGR). In further researching the product, he found that it came highly recommended by Mark Allen from Agrovista Amenity and Adam King, Head Groundsman at Oxford United Football Club.

“Attraxor® appealed to me because PGR’s are a significant part of my overall maintenance strategy to improve the turf and control Poa annua,” said Stuart. “2020 was a particularly challenging year for Poa so I was keen to see what the product could offer. Speaking to Mark and Adam gave me the confidence to try it and the results have been far better than expected.”

Stuart claims that a lack of sunlight to the pitch led to an increase in Poa: “In the winter months almost the whole pitch is in shade because the stand is so high,” he said. “This has been a big factor for the care programme I have chosen to adopt. Maintaining grass coverage is a constant concern in the lower light months and the thinning grass often gives way to Poa annua in the spring which takes hold. It’s a tricky combination to contend with.

The lack of light, winter thinning and then the Poa means the turf is high maintenance. Couple this with the winter months being in heavy use and it means we are regularly out with pitch lights to encourage growth in match torn areas.”

After carrying out a mini renovation in June last year, Stuart applied 1.1 kg/ha of Attraxor® with 20kg of 46-0-0 nitrogen fertiliser. Attraxor® contains prohexadione-calcium, a new active ingredient that regulates growth and also limits the spread of Poa annua by reducing seed-head production.

“It visibly weakened the Poa,” said Stuart. “It looked stressed but the rye around it looked good. It turned the seed heads brown.”

Following the first application Stuart is now confident that Attraxor® will form an important part of his overall maintenance plan. “It is good to have a product that strengthens the sward and improves density whilst weakening the Poa. I definitely intend on applying it again,” he concluded.

For more information about Agrovista Amenity, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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Bury Council’s environmentally friendly weed control

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Bury Council’s environmentally friendly weed control: A new ’green’ way of killing weeds with hot water rather than glyphosate has been ordered by Bury Council.

The Multevo Hot Water Weed System uses boiling water rather than traditional herbicides to tackle weeds and can also be used for chemical-free high-pressure cleaning to remove grime, gum, graffiti and general sanitation of street furniture.

Bury Council's environmentally friendly weed control

Bury Council’s environmentally friendly weed control

Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment, said: “Many people have expressed concerns about the council using chemicals to tackle weeds, especially around schools and play areas, and want to see chemical-free alternatives used instead.

“I share their concerns, and have therefore ordered this new vehicle as part of our review into the use of herbicides and pesticides. It will enable us to keep the borough tidier in a much greener way.

“The machine can also be used to remove chewing gum and mosses and algae from surfaces so can also keep our town centres looking nicer.

“This is another part of Bury’s climate change commitment, alongside decarbonising council vehicles as much as possible and reducing energy use.”

Multevo are the sole UK supplier of Waterkracht’s range of hot water weed control equipment who have been manufacturing this type of equipment since the early 1990’s.

The equipment requires absolutely no additives to kill weeds and works by delivering an efficient low-pressure treatment accurately at 98°C to kill the cellular structure of the root using Waterkracht’s Boiling Hot water Technique®.

“We’re really pleased to see yet another council opt for our environmentally friendly weed control solution and wish them every success. We understand the pressures some councils are facing when it comes to chemicals and are confident that we can provide them with a cost effective and sustainable solution which will still provide productive outputs.” – Josh Sweeney, Director of Marketing & Growth.

Having recently hosted a successful live virtual demonstration of the equipment, Multevo are inviting those organisations looking to minimise the use of chemicals to get in touch to discuss trial hire or demo opportunities.

info@multevo.co.uk | 01254 703 212 | www.multevo.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/multevoltd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/multevo

Twitter: @Multevo

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Combination ticks all the boxes for Eastleigh

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Combination ticks all the boxes for Eastleigh: Managing a high wear pitch, on a relatively tight budget is probably a story with which most non and lower league club grounds managers can relate.

For Eastleigh FC Head Groundsman Dan Barnes, the task is made slightly easier by getting the right seed in the ground first and foremost – and for this, he turns to Johnsons J Premier Pitch. Along with delivering superior wear tolerance, its resistance to disease has meant Dan has only applied fungicide once in the last four years.

Combination ticks all the boxes for Eastleigh

Combination ticks all the boxes for Eastleigh

Eastleigh FC moved to their home at the Silverlake Stadium in the 1950’s and limited investment since then has resulted in a pitch that struggles with drainage and requires thoughtful management – a challenge Dan picked up four years ago, despite having no previous Groundsmanship experience! “In those first few months I spent a lot of time undertaking qualifications and networking with other groundsmen as I sought to build a bank of suppliers” explains Dan, who is assisted only by a team of volunteers. “When it came to seed, after I tried Johnsons J Premier Pitch mixture, I’ve never wanted to use anything else.”

“Despite our challenging ground conditions, this mixture delivers on all of the key performance characteristics – it’s hard-wearing, gives us fantastic visual merit and has demonstrated fantastic tolerance to disease. In four years, we’ve had just one Fusarium outbreak which we could attribute to the use of pitch covers.” Due to budget constraints, Dan has to be creative when it comes to seeding, usually applying 50g per m2 during summer renovations and then overseeding at 25-30g per m2 in the autumn and again in the spring to see them through to the end of the season.

Last winter, Dan supplemented Premier Pitch with Johnsons J 4Turf to benefit from the lower temperature germination of DLF’s tetraploid ryegrass. “This gave the pitch a real boost through the winter and undoubtedly helped us get through a fixture pile-up we had in February 2021 where we hosted five games in a 19-day period. The increased root length we get with the J 4Turf mixture provides great additional strength and, along with J Premier Pitch, recovers brilliantly.”

“There is nothing more satisfying than being proud of the surface you present” Dan concludes. “This combination of Johnsons mixtures gives us a pitch that is always fit and ready for play which, in turn, satisfies the following of fans we are really fortunate to have here at the club.”

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PSD announce new sales appointment

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PSD announce new sales appointment: PSD Groundscare, the exclusive UK distributor for AS Motor, Eliet, Koppl and TS Industrie professional groundscare machinery, are pleased to announce the recent appointment of Karl Savill as Business Development Manager covering the South East and East Midlands.

The appointment supports recent growth and ensures that customer’s expectations continue to be exceeded.

PSD announce new sales appointment

PSD announce new sales appointment

Stuart Mercer, Sales Director of PSD Groundscare said:

“Karl brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience including over 12 years working in the agricultural and groundscare industry along with a great amount of enthusiasm and is a fantastic addition to our team. His experience not only covers sales but also parts and service which I’m sure will see him thrive in his new role.”

Karl says of his new role, “I am delighted to have been appointed as the South East & East Midlands Business Development Manager for PSD Groundscare and to be working with a range of high quality brands. My passion has always been groundscare machinery, and I’m really excited and looking forward to working with dealers and getting out and meeting customers and demonstrating the fantastic capabilities and benefits of our machinery”.

Karl can be contacted on:

Mob: 07973 454002    Email: karl@psdgroundscare.com

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GrassMaster unveils new GEN-S machines

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GrassMaster unveils new GEN-S machines: GrassMaster solutions, the worlds most proven provider of hybrid grass systems, is pleased to introduce the latest addition to our machine feet, the GrassMaster Gen-S. The addition of the new machinery will allow GrassMaster to increase capacity and upgrade the provision of services to clients.

“We are excited about this latest addition which helps keep us at the forefront within the hybrid grass sector. The Gen-S is electrically powered and allows our experienced installation
teams to stitch a GrassMaster pitch more quickly,” said Benjamin Huneau, General Manager GrassMaster Solutions. “The new lighter weight machine allows for lower down-pressures on the surface, thus reducing the machine’s impact when working on young grass.”

GrassMaster unveils new GEN-S machines

GrassMaster unveils new GEN-S machines

BENJAMIN HUNEAU, GENERAL MANAGER

The acquisition of the Gen-S Machines showcases GrassMaster’s contnued investment in people, technology and equipment. Equipped with this technology, GrassMaster gives clients the confidence of x100’s of proven installations allied with excellent stitching quality, fibre resilience and speed of installation.

KEY MACHINE CHARACTERISTICS

• 1760mm stitching width
• 8T fully loaded weight (including fibre)
• Powered by electric (diesel generated or mains)
• Robust hydraulic stitching unit
• 7days to complete a standard pitch (7500m2)
• Accurate + variable stitch spacing & depth

BENEFITS OF GRASSMASTER

IMPROVED PLAYER WELFARE
Fibre reinforces the sand based root-zone, ensuring a fat surface with optimal levels of traction, firmness and energy restitution to reduce player injuries

INCREASED RETURN ON INVESTMENT

The injection of GrassMaster fibre helps to reduce damage to the grass by protecting the crown of the plant from vertical and lateral forces exerted by players to increase the hours of play available on the pitch

GrassMaster unveils new GEN-S machines

GrassMaster unveils new GEN-S machines

MAXIMUM LIFETIME VALUE

GrassMaster is the only stitched system with a proven lifespan of 10 years, with the oldest GrassMaster pitches still performing well at 15+ offering incredible value for money over the lifetime of the pitch

BESPOKE ENGINEERED YARN

The GrassMaster fibre is produced by fellow Tarket Company Morton extrusions in Germany. Employing some of the world’s leading materials scientists the in house expertise and R&D capabilities are leveraged in order to continually improve our fibre characteristics across all of our product lines

GRASSMASTER SOLUTIONS BY TARKETT SPORTS

GrassMaster Solutons is the hybrid grass division of Tarket Sports, which is a worldwide manufacturer and installer of innovative and durable sports surfaces. GrassMaster Solutions covers two hybrid grass technologies: GrassMaster, a hybrid grass system with a proven lifespan of 15 years and more, and PlayMaster, a flexible solution that ensures a quick installation and an instant playability. GrassMaster is currently installed at renowned venues like the Puskás Aréna, FMG Stadium Waikato, Wembley Stadium and countless others.

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