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Goodbye seeds, hello retirement

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Goodbye seeds, hello retirement: DLF have announced that one of the most well-known names in the seed industry, John Hughes, will be leaving at the end of February to embrace his well-earned retirement.

After spending most of his working life at some of the country’s leading seed providers to the golf and sports turf markets, John has made many friends and contacts who will be sure to miss his invaluable support, knowledge and advice.

Goodbye seeds, hello retirement

Goodbye seeds, hello retirement

Having obtained a BSc Hons in Applied Biology from the University of Salford, John worked at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station (Aberystwyth) in the Chemistry department, and in Plant Pathology at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB). He also spent some time teaching Biology. This love of knowledge-sharing set John up for a long and illustrious career in the professional amenity market where he enjoyed positions at Germinal Seeds and Cebeco Seeds before this was acquired by DLF in 2002. For the last 18 years, he has been a fundamental part of the sales team for DLF Seeds in his role as Regional Technical Manager for the North. His wealth of knowledge and experience saw John become a key contact for turf managers, helping to formulate seeding programmes for some of the areas biggest sporting venues.

Commenting on his retirement John said, “the last year has been challenging for the obvious reasons which has also meant that, sadly, I have not had the opportunity to say my farewells in the traditional way. I wish to thank all of my customers for their ongoing support and help over the years – many of whom I can say I now consider to be friends. When the situation allows, I look forward to using my retirement to spend more quality time with my friends and family, especially my grandchildren, and I may even find the time to get a few jobs done around the house and pick up my electric guitar which has been gathering dust for a few years!”

We join the team at DLF Seeds in wishing John all the very best for a long and fulfilling retirement.

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Pitches down to -6֯c? TGC could help

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Pitches down to -6֯c? TGC could help: With vast swathes of the country once again experiencing bitter winter temperatures, if you’re going to ‘get the game on’, you need a proven frost protection solution.

total-play’s TGC winter sports cover offers this and more – combining frost protection down to temperatures as low as –6֯c whilst actively encouraging germination of the grass plant. The result – healthy winter sports pitches that are ready for action, pretty much whatever winter throws our way.

Pitches down to -6֯c? TGC could help

Pitches down to -6֯c? TGC could help

In use by clients that include Premier League football grounds, Premiership Rugby Union grounds, the IRFU (Irish Rugby Football Union), National Hunt race courses and the Lawn Tennis Association, TGC is the result of rigorous research and development by experienced groundscare operatives in  conjunction with scientists; acting as an effective insulation blanket and retaining ground temperature while also allowing the circulation of air and water to create a proven germination and propagation environment.

And, while the covers are usually made to order, clubs looking for a quick-fix solution in the current challenging weather conditions could snap up a full pitch cover, ready for immediate dispatch, for just £9,999 + VAT & delivery*. Carrying a 5-year warranty for the fabric, this robust frost protection is suitable for manual deployment but also has optional inflation tubes to enable fast and easy deployment by a single grounds operative. MD at total-play, David Bates says:

“This is a truly rare opportunity – normally the covers would require a lead time of several weeks from point of order to deliver, but we unexpectedly have a single full pitch cover ready to go at a very keen price. This means a club could reap the benefits or TGC within a matter of days and, with the outlook looking so wintry, it could mean the difference between matches going ahead and costly cancellations.”

To find out more head to https://total-play.co.uk/products/climate-cover-pitch-protection/tgc/frost/ – alternatively, email info@total-play.co.uk or call 01604 864 575

*RRP £15,060 +del&vat. Cover only; does not include inflation tubes as per image.

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Top-Brush provides worm cast solution

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Top-Brush provides worm cast solution: Constructed on a heavy clay soil profile, the two 18-hole courses at Welwyn Garden City’s Brocket Hall Estate fell victim last year to what arguably has become one of the biggest challenges for fine turf managers – worm casts.

Without available curative chemistry, Golf Course Manager John Moorhouse turned to his local dealer for advice who recommended the Redexim Top-Brush. Three months on from taking delivery, the Top-Brush has proven itself to be a true multi-tasker – not only tackling the issue of worm casts but leaves and surface moisture too.

Top-Brush provides worm cast solution

Top-Brush provides worm cast solution

Quintessentially British in their design, but very different in terms of their challenge to golfers and greenkeepers alike, the Palmerston and Melbourne courses are overseen by a dedicated team of 10. “The combination of our heavy soil and milder, wetter autumns has seen a huge spike in the number of worm casts we’re seeing” explains John. “I spoke with David Fisher of George Browns to see if there was a way of removing the casts prior to cutting. He straight away organised a demonstration of the Top-Brush.”

The Redexim Top-Brush is a six-metre-wide poly-brush, comprised of three sections, that can quickly and effectively rid large areas, such as fairways, of worm casts, organic matter and dew. Because the brushes can rotate in or against the direction of travel, it can be used to remove lateral growth and stand the plant upright – contributing to better airflow into the canopy and a cleaner quality of cut.

“It’s really easy to hook-up via the 3-point linkage and it’s quick and straight forward to adjust the rotation direction and working depth. It has not only done exactly as we hoped in clearing surface casts, but it also played a major part in leaf clearance on the heavily tree-lined Palmerston course – using the brushes anti-clockwise to lift and move the leaves and other debris such as pine needles out of play and giving us a great, clean finish.”

When used with clockwise rotation, John has been impressed with the Top-Brush’s ability to remove dew and improve course presentation. “It has given us a quick and effective method of reducing surface moisture, especially early mornings, not only contributing to improvements in plant health but giving us a beautiful striped finish on the fairways.” He concludes, “As we head into the spring, in addition to all of its existing uses, we plan to use the Top-Brush to help with incorporation of topdressing material. The versatility demonstrated by this piece of kit means it has done exactly what we hoped for, and so much more.”

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ICL to sponsor Amenity Forum event

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ICL to sponsor Amenity Forum event: ICL has announced that it is sponsoring the Amenity Forum ‘Meeting the Challenge’ online event, taking place on 25 February 2021.

Dr Dan Jones – Managing Director of Advanced Invasives, and Barry Browne – ICL’s Landscape and Industrial National Sales Manager, will be featuring in the highly anticipated online event. Their presentation will be focussing on a new invasive weed management project that has been developed off the back of the successful Invasive Science Lite webinar series.

ICL to sponsor Amenity Forum event

ICL to sponsor Amenity Forum event

The project will cover native and non-native species and will look to address limited evidence and support within the industry for some key species beyond Japanese Knotweed. It will provide a working guide to each species on how to treat, control and will seek to answer or dispel some misunderstandings and myths surrounding vegetation management of these highly invasive weeds.

Meeting the Challenge timetable on 25th February

09.45 – Arrival and networking.

10.15 – Welcome and Introduction.

10.20 – Policy Update – including the review of The National Action Plan, enforcement and PPPs approval going forward. Adrian Dixon, CRD

10.40 – Change, Challenge and Opportunity in terms of Amenity Management – including a focus on current issues and update on how the sector needs to respond.

– Forum activity to be covered with production of guidance on integrated control and producing plans, carbon reduction and water quality challenges. Presented by John Moverley.

11.10 – Facilitated Participative Session – the group will be split into various work groups.

11.45 – BREAK

11.55 – Presentation by Dr Dan Jones and Barry Browne

12.15 – Update on The Amenity Standard.

12.30 – Conclude.

Meeting the Challenge is a completely free event but will require registration.

To register for the event, please visit www.amenityforum.co.uk/our-events/

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Covid impact on tee times

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Covid impact on tee times: The British and International Golf Greenkeepers’ Association commissioned a survey to find out the impact full tee times had on courses. The results are astonishing.

Read the full article from National Club Golfer here

Covid impact on tee times

Covid impact on tee times

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