CS100 proves perfect

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CS100 proves perfect: Satisfying the increasing demand from domestic customers for retaining wood chip, a CS100 from GreenMech has been non-stop since its delivery, according to Max Bishop, Owner of MJB Group.

Installed by local dealers GA Groundcare in December 2022, the CS100 sits alongside a GreenMech Arborist 150P which now gives the landscape, arb and grounds team the versatility to tackle projects of all shapes and sizes.

CS100 proves perfect

CS100 proves perfect

Into their sixth year of trading, MJB Group undertake all areas of garden maintenance and tree surgery, and in addition to a large residential client base, have recently begun working on a number of commercial jobs in and around their trading area of Wiltshire and Somerset. “We’ve had a GreenMech Arborist 150P on our fleet for the last five years and it’s a fantastic piece of kit” Max says. “This is in use every day. Increasingly, on the domestic jobs, customers were asking to keep chippings to use in their flowers beds so we spoke to Ashley at GA Groundcare about a smaller, more portable unit that we could manoeuvre into back gardens, chip on the spot, and then spread the chippings where they’d like them.”

At just 760mm wide, the GreenMech CS100 is ideal for jobs in confined spaces, fitting through standard gates and doorways making it the perfect partner for work in domestic environments. The 18hp electric-start petrol engine and twin, reversible chipping blades make light work of timber, wood waste and vegetation while the adjustable discharge chute makes chip disposable convenient and simple.

“Within half an hour of the CS100 demonstration we’d decided to buy it! The build quality of it is extraordinary and, after having a look at other machines, this only confirmed that we weren’t going to get anything more robust or better suited to our needs.” He continues, “It’s been working on all-manner of jobs, from garden clearances through to large ash tree removals where we hooked it up on the back of the quadbike and towed it into position.”

“It will take material up to 4” extremely easily and produces lovely chips. Having this second machine has also saved us a considerable amount of money that we were spending on disposing chippable material when the Arborist 150P was busy.” Delighted with the performance of his CS100, Max has also been impressed with the back up support and service from GreenMech and his regional dealer GA Groundcare. “They’re a fantastic brand to work with, really easy to talk to and no question is too much to ask. With our pair of machines working so well, as we continue to grow it’s great to have a brand supporting us that can continue to support our requirements moving forwards.”

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John Deere dealer acquisition

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John Deere dealer acquisition: John Deere’s agricultural and sports turf machinery will be available through a single, larger dealer in the counties of Antrim, Derry/Londonderry, Armagh and Down after Stephen W Moore LTD announced that it is acquiring its neighbouring franchise, Johnston Gilpin & Co LTD.

Both Coleraine and Lisburn branches will continue trading from the current locations, and customers will experience a simplification of all aspects of parts and service in the region as a result of the move, which is in line with Deere’s Dealer of Tomorrow strategy.

John Deere dealer acquisition

John Deere dealer acquisition

All Johnston Gilpin & Co employees will be transferred to Stephen W Moore, and the company’s branch in Lisburn will continue to trade under the name Johnston Gilpin.

The expanded dealership will offer the full range of John Deere agricultural machinery as well as domestic and professional turf care products, supplying farms, homes, sports venues and golf courses with the same quality equipment and aftersales service they have received under the previous structure.

Dealer Principal Stephen Moore said: “This is an exciting time as we prepare to nearly double the size of our business with the next stage of our evolution.

“We have known the McConnell family and the Johnston Gilpin group for many years and the whole team has done a fantastic job serving agricultural and turf care customers in the territory. It is clear we share the same core values around delivering unrivalled customer service so I am looking forward to integrating the two businesses under the Stephen W Moore banner.

“The transition will be smooth and steady, ensuring that it’s business as usual for our customers while we are learning from each other behind the scenes.”

Stephen W Moore has been a John Deere dealer since 2008 in Coleraine. It is known for its strength in supporting farmers and contractors in the region, offering the full range of forage harvesters, combines, small, medium and large-frame tractors, sprayers, mowers and balers.

“As well as covering a larger area and the benefits that scale brings to a business like ours, we will now be able to offer the full range of professional turf care machines, parts, service and technical knowledge,” Mr Moore added. “As one franchise with access to more machines, parts and know-how, the training and advice we can offer to customers and staff will continue to improve.”

John Deere’s Division Sales Manager, Brian D’Arcy, said: “The acquisition is a great fit for our dealer network and the new, larger business – backed up by the support from John Deere – is an extremely strong proposition for our customers in Northern Ireland.

“Both companies are well established with knowledgeable staff and connected support. Looking ahead, the business will go from strength to strength and be in a position to make the future investments required in facilities, logistics and advanced precision technologies.

“Our special thanks go to Donn, Randal, Neale and all the McConnell family for their valuable and longstanding contribution to the industry after serving as a dealer in the area for John Deere for the past 54 years.”

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Agrovista Amenity launches new nutrition brochure

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Agrovista Amenity launches new nutrition brochure: Agrovista Amenity, a leading supplier of professional products and specialist advice, has launched its new nutrition brochure for 2023/24.

The comprehensive brochure will feature the extensive list of Agrovista Amenity’s nutrition product offerings, including granular, liquid, soluble, and micronutrients.

Agrovista Amenity launches new nutrition brochure

Agrovista Amenity launches new nutrition brochure

Many turf professionals have benefitted from using the likes of the Evolution granular fertiliser range, the E2Pro liquid and soluble products, and the GoGreen micro-nutrient range. All of these products, and many more, feature in the new brochure complete with advice on how to get the best results, including recommended period of use, directions for use and application rates.

The aim of the brochure is not just to provide a list of products, but also to offer support and guidance to help individuals make clear informed choices. Agrovista Amenity’s independent and global reach allows the company to source and offer products from many different supply partners, blending the best the market has to offer in a complete range.

“Over the last few seasons, we have seen global instability leading to wild fluctuations in commodity pricing and the knock-on effect of huge price increases in what was staple fertiliser choices,” said John Marland, Agrovista Amenity’s Head of Amenity. “By sourcing directly, we can provide nutritional solutions that offer the best value without sacrificing agronomic performance.

“We offer market leading testing to allow the optimum decision support to our customers’ nutritional inputs. Every Agrovista Amenity representative is qualified to BASIS and FACTS as a minimum, and will be able to provide soil, water, and leaf tissue analysis. In addition, representatives can also offer a fully independent fertiliser programme complete with weekly weather data to support input choices.”

The brochure also contains information on the Agrovista Amenity Academy, which is a free online learning resource providing in-depth Knowledge courses on subjects such as turf disease, product application, turf pests, managing moss, frost, weeds, and thatch as well as courses for products sold by Agrovista Amenity.

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

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Ranger for pitch renovations

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Ranger for pitch renovations: With the end of the season soon upon us and the all-important pitch renovations starting, Reesink Hydro-Scapes has just the ticket for uncomplicated, effective and responsible irrigation for the UK’s football pitches.

For those clubs who need a simple update and are looking for a cost-effective way to upgrade and improve their irrigation system over time without big hardware changes, a two-wire controller from SRC could be the answer.

Ranger for pitch renovations

Ranger for pitch renovations

Two-wire decoders are rising to become the industry standard. Robert Jackson, division manager for Reesink Hydro-Scapes, considers why: “Resources – water and staff – is limited; the weather’s never been hotter, there’s more to do, teams are smaller and the last thing these clubs need is a big hardware change.”

“Customers value the control and independence a quality two-wire system affords. Two-wire systems started out as a way to save money on wire, but now, through technological improvements, they are recognised and valued as an effective irrigation solution, and their stock is rising.

“Grounds staff know the areas they want irrigating back to front and are happy to key in the time manually around a pitch. They’re aware they may need to expand the system in the future and the capacity of the SRC Ranger Controller 4000 D will afford them what they need.”

So how easy is it to convert your favourite controller to a two-wire system? In most circumstances, the traditional outputs of any conventional controller can be wired into the two-wire converter.

This saves wire, labour and money. For example, the installation of a two-wire system is often up to a third less time than installing a multi-wire system.

This can allow you to connect up to 100 stations on a single converter, while also operating up to ten programmes simultaneously. Cable faults of such a system are easy to diagnose and there’s minimal fault-finding equipment needed. The diagnostics assist with fault-finding and reduce the time taken to pinpoint the problem.

Robert continues: “Some turfcare professionals just don’t want all the additional features and gizmos. They want simple irrigation that’s easy to use and highly effective. So, if your management style is that you’re prepared to monitor flow management manually by telling the system what to do with a precipitation calculation you’ve worked out yourself, the SRC Ranger controller is more than worth considering.”

So, when it comes to considering the options, the SRC Ranger Controller 4000 D from Reesink should be top of your list. It’s stocked for immediate dispatch, simply contact Reesink on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk, or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Green-tech’s urban tree system

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Green-tech’s urban tree system: The Battery Retail Park at Selley Oak is located on the former site of the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company steel factory, first established in 1798. The term battery, referring to the method of forming metal, not the manufacture of batteries as commonly thought.

Located approximately three miles from Birmingham city centre, the site has undergone a recent refurbishment, including the development of a new retail park, Sainsburys Superstore, and student accommodation, all sited around the main customer carpark.

Green-tech’s urban tree system

Green-tech’s urban tree system

A major part of the project for the contractors was the reclamation of the ground and cleaning up a very toxic site, before any development could commence.

Green-tech’s involvement:

The project comprised of nearly forty tree pits over two phases between 2018 and 2020. The first phase was contracted to Bernhards Landscapes of Warwickshire, and the second to McPhillips (Wellington) of Shropshire; both of which Green-tech has worked with for around fifteen years.

The tree pits were set into soft central reservations around the main car parking area, although to get the required rooting volume to ensure healthy establishment and future growth, the tree pits extended out under the parking bays to some extent.

Green-tech has been manufacturing its range of Green-tree soil for nearly twenty years, and over 400 tonnes of clean, manufactured ArborRaft topsoil, and subsoil was supplied for the tree pits. In order to use a nice friable, organic topsoil underneath the paving, the contractors opted for Green-tech’s ArborRaft tree pit support system, rather than a traditional, plastic-heavy, deep-pit system.

The ArborRaft acts as a sub-base replacement, supporting the paving above, pedestrian, or vehicular, whilst protecting the soft soil below from risk of compaction. It has three big advantages over traditional deep-pit crate systems. Firstly – it sits over the top of the tree pit, taking its structural support from a 500mm wide ledge cut into the surrounding formation ground, meaning there is no plastic whatsoever in the actual rooting area of the tree pit. Secondly – its shallow profile, just 150mm deep means that there is rarely any conflict with underground services, it isn’t deep enough. And third – ArborRaft uses less than a third of the plastic of traditional crate-style tree pit systems, so it’s better for the budget and the environment.

Each tree pit also contains a strap anchor to keep the trees stable during the all-important establishment phase, along with a mona irrigation rings. In this instance, to provide even more protection from the risk of vehicular damage, the trees were also stabilised with double-staking, cross-bar, and soft rubber ties.

Alasdair Innes – Green-tech Specification Advisor comments, “We were delighted to contribute to such a high-profile scheme. We recently visited the site nearly four years after the first trees were planted, and although it was autumn, the trees still look happy and healthy. It is nice to see Silver Birch being used, as the white bark helps to lift the muted colours of the ground planting.”

For any further product information or to request a CPD in person or remotely on any of our urban or rural modules please contact Green-tech on 01423 332100

green-tech.co.uk

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