Headland Amenity at AFC Telford Utd

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Headland Amenity at AFC Telford Utd: Blaukorn has been praised by the Head Groundsman at AFC Telford United for delivering a fast, but long-lasting, colour boost to their stadium pitch.

A single application of the quick release fertiliser from Headland Amenity was put down in February and, in conjunction with Greentec, should deliver the nutrients required to see the pitch safely through to the end of the season.

Headland Amenity at AFC Telford Utd

Headland Amenity at AFC Telford Utd

The maintenance at the New Bucks Head Stadium is very much a family affair – with current Head Groundsman George Conway taking over the role following his father’s retirement in January 2022, with additional support and match-day help from George’s brother, Andrew. Shortly after his appointment, George had a visit from Headland’s Regional Technical Manager for Sports Turf, Jack Hawkes, and the pair constructed a feeding programme for the remainder of the season and beyond.

“We’d applied a fertiliser around New Year, but needed something to give the pitch a bit of a kick” explains George. “Jack suggested Blaukorn 15-3-20, applied at 30g/m2 which went down middle of February and within four days the pitch was presenting beautifully, with a really enhanced and vivid colour! We’re now four weeks on and the results are still visible.”

Blaukorn 15-3-20 is a homogenous granule with no carrier and a highly water-soluble phosphorous content that breaks down quickly when in contact with moisture. Containing ammonium and nitrate, Blaukorn provides a fast response even at low temperatures – something that impressed George. “The temperatures we had in February were low but that didn’t hamper the response we received from the product. It gave the pitch the boost it needed with results that have lasted.”

“We’re then going to be applying Greentec 14-2-6 to deliver a mix of nitrogen sources which should see us through to renovations.” In addition to AFC Telford United first-team matches, the pitch also hosts West Brom Under 23’s and junior fixtures so as well as being a high-use surface, application and maintenance windows can be tight. “I’ve had fantastic support from Jack. He pops in regularly to see how the pitch is holding up and is not afraid to suggest new things to maximise the results from the programme, respecting our resources and budget.”

“Considering the number of games we’ve had, the Chairman and the players are delighted with how the pitch is holding up” concludes George. “We’ve had great success with the Headland programme to date and look forward to continuing that with a brand new one that will start as soon as the new seed goes down.”

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New Capillary Bunkers for Lehigh

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New Capillary Bunkers for Lehigh: Lehigh Country Club in Pennsylvania is coming to the end of a bunker renovation with architect Ron Forse. And the club is installing the Capillary Bunkers liner as part of the process.

Lehigh was built by architect William Flynn in 1926. And, says director of grounds John Chassard, the course is mostly unchanged from what Flynn created. “Back in the late 1980s, the club decided it needed a consulting architect to oversee the course,” he says. “Until then, there was no strategic planning – a grounds chairman could take office and do what he wanted. Fortunately most of ours had basically left the course alone, but still, it was a potential problem.”

New Capillary Bunkers for Lehigh

New Capillary Bunkers for Lehigh

The club hired architect Ron Forse at that time, and, working with Forse, regrassed the greens, rebuilt the bunkers and reset fairway lines. “That was our first masterplan,” says Chassard. “Up till that time, the bunkers had not been touched – except for day to day maintenance – since the club’s foundation.”

In 2008, the bunkers were slightly reworked again; sand was replaced and a small amount of drainage was added to problem areas to improve performance. “We put geotextile liners in about ten per cent of our worst-performing bunkers,” says Chassard. “But they didn’t survive winters too well. The pins holding the liners down would push out, burrowing animals would damage the liners, and bunker rakes would catch them every now and again. So, two or three years ago, we started talking about redoing the bunkers again and adding a better liner.”

Lehigh trialled several of the liner products on the market, including Capillary Bunkers and a number of its principal rivals. “But as time went on and we started to try to lock down contractors for the work, the choice became quite obvious,” says Chassard. “Ron has a lot of experience with Capillary Bunkers, as does the contractor we chose. Plus, the issues with rival products really came into focus: timing, the specific conditions needed for installation, and the need for a certified installer. Capillary Bunkers can be installed in any weather, and it’s very easy to source, which made us able to schedule the work better, and get bunkers installed when we were ready, not when the installer was. Once we started doing the first few bunkers, it became clear to me that that was something I could install with my own crew – which could be important as we didn’t do all the bunkers at one go. We are in the middle of the project, and everything has been very positive so far – we expect to finish by the end of April and be ready for the season to get going!”

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Nemaslug harnesses nature

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Nemaslug harnesses nature: Leading pest control solutions manufacturer, BASF, has reduced the plastic packaging of its popular Nemaslug product by one third, thanks to the introduction of a new slug control nematode species. This is in line with company’s sustainability goals and its aims to provide a greener option for slug control.

Nematodes occur naturally in the soil and seek out and kill specific target pests. They attack the pest by entering its body and releasing a bacterium which quickly and effectively kills it. The nematodes then reproduce inside the dying pest and release a new generation of hungry nematodes, which disperse and search for further prey, protecting the area for up to five weeks.

Nemaslug harnesses nature

Nemaslug harnesses nature

By tapping into the benefits of this naturally occurring friend of the gardener, soil can remain healthy, while ensuring slugs are conquered and plants protected.

The company is dedicated to investing in research and development to ensure that it is able to provide the highest quality nematodes to gardeners, and is keen to create a product that will appeal to those looking for a greener option for slug control. It is this dedication to research and development that has enabled the discovery of a new species of nematode to use in its Nemaslug product.

The new species, the Phasmarhabditis californica, will provide the same high efficacy rates as the original species, and will be applied in exactly the same way, but has additional benefits, too.

This species of nematode can be packed at much higher concentrations, which has allowed for the significant reduction of pack sizes. More efficient storage as well as fewer containers being needed to transport the product, further reduces the carbon footprint. On top of this, improvements made to production has led to a reduction of over 20 ton of Co2 emissions in each run, while the UK based facility negates the need for carbon-heavy international shipping.

This small but powerful box of fresh nematodes can be delivered directly to gardeners’ doors throughout the growing season to ensure that slugs can be controlled effectively by harnessing the power of nature.

To find out more about how nematodes work, take a look at this short video – https://youtu.be/JHNG1KSluh0

For further information please visit https://www.nemasysinfo.co.uk/ and follow basf_nemasys_uk on Instagram.

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Imperative MM impresses the Imps

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Imperative MM impresses the Imps: Lincoln City FC, also known as the Imps, boasts a pitch consisting of MM60 grass seed and Head Groundsman Craig Housley could not be more impressed.

MM60 is the UK’s leading winter sports renovation mixture and can be attributed with playing a key role in many of the finest sporting venues you see today. The 100% Ryegrass formula, which is perfect for divot repair, is renowned for its extremely fast germination and its high wear tolerance. It produces fantastic aesthetic qualities, and its high disease resistance provides ultimate protection.

Imperative MM impresses the Imps

Imperative MM impresses the Imps

Craig, currently in his second season as the Head Groundsman at Lincoln City FC, is no stranger to the market leading grass seed. “I knew just how good the seed was because I had used it in my previous role at Scunthorpe Untied FC. I would highly recommend it and will carry on using it in the future,” he said.

The decision to apply MM60 at Lincoln City FC’s LNER Stadium coincided with the construction of a brand new Fibresand pitch which took place at the end of the 2020/21 season. In fact, the process began the very next day after the Imps’ last game of the season.

A month later and MM60 was ready to be used. Craig applied the seed in four passes at a rate of 35g per square metre. This, in theory, would have provided enough time for the pitch to be completely ready in time for the first game of the season, but based on Craig’s experience of using MM60, he knew that this would never be in doubt.

“I’ve never known grass to come through so quickly which I believe is due to the HEADSTART® GOLD treatment,” he said.

As Craig says, MM60 is treated with HEADSTART® GOLD, which has been developed using the latest scientific findings and field experience. It is a natural revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination and is perfect for enhancing performance on sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf.

Imperative MM impresses the Imps

Imperative MM impresses the Imps

“There are so many benefits from using MM60,” continued Craig. “The colour you get from it is really good, as is the recovery, and the speed of germination is fantastic. I’ve never had any issues and it keeps the pitch free from disease.

“It’s a hard-wearing seed and we have managed to maintain really good grass coverage. Football is a difficult sport to maintain grass, especially now with the rigorous warm-ups before a game; even the cool-downs are like full training sessions. We don’t struggle for grass coverage anywhere on the pitch, even in the tight areas, and I believe that is down to the MM60.”

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s new website www.mm-seeds.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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Ride-on with interchangeable batteries

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Ride-on with interchangeable batteries: STIGA commits to balance product competitiveness and effective resource utilization and introduces STIGA Swift, its newest ride-on mower which meets the high demands of environmentally friendly and resource-conserving work ensuring maximum performance and the greatest possible flexibility.

As one of the leading manufacturers of ride-on mowers, STIGA sets brand new standards in ePower with its Swift.  STIGA’s innovation comes in the form of the world’s first ride-on mower with interchangeable batteries.  STIGA is now the first manufacturer to feature interchangeable batteries and a full range of motorised garden tools, from handhelds to walk-behinds and ride-ons, to suit all user needs, garden architectures and price ranges.

Ride-on with interchangeable batteries

Ride-on with interchangeable batteries

Swift batteries are compatible with STIGA handheld equipment

The STIGA Swift is equipped with a combined 25 Ah battery pack comprising four 48V batteries (2 x 5 Ah + 2 x 7.5 Ah), included in standard delivery.  Innovative interchangeable batteries make for virtually limitless riding time, rendering the Swift ideally suited for use on expansive, demanding lawns.  The batteries work synchronously and constantly balance the available energy: Onboard charging supplies new energy to one battery after the other, so that the first one is ready for use again after just 30 minutes. A further innovative feature is the system compatibility of the high-performance power units:

The interchangeable batteries can be used seamlessly in a wide variety of STIGA range handheld equipment.  Mowing the lawn and cleaning up pavements at the same time with a leaf blower or trimming back hedges with a multitool?  No problem!  The Swift runs reliably and efficiently even on only three batteries.  Users will benefit from the flexibility of these batteries and can always count on full e-Power.

Short turning radius, smart mowing mode

The Swift is the optimal solution for mowing complex gardens.  Why?  Featuring a width of just 735 mm, it has proved to master even the “narrowest” of challenges.  It also has an extremely low minimum outer turning radius of 1,620 mm, offering the greatest possible manoeuvrability, which is why it works cleanly and precisely even in areas with many obstacles.  Cutting edge mowing technology and smart mowing modes optimise Swift operation.  Three mowing options are available in total according to demand and energy consumption:  While the standard mode provides a performance of 3,500 rpm, the boost mode with 3,700 rpm masters even dense, tall lawns with ease.  Eco mode (3,200 rpm) saves users up to 40% energy, covering an area of around 2,800 sqm.

Comfortable and safe handling

Equally convincing is the comfortable handling: Low-vibration, ergonomic features and a reduced noise level guarantee pleasant and quiet operation.  While the steering wheel can be turned easily with just one finger, the one-button start, cruise control and STIGA One Pedal Drive ensure intuitive start-up and driving.  The tractor stops automatically when the drive pedal is released.  The parking brake also activates automatically as soon as the machine comes to a stop, with no need for manual intervention.  Using the extended connectivity with the STIGA.GO app and the virtual dashboard, users can always keep track of the current battery status and also adjust the various settings to suit their personal needs. With a low center of gravity of 351 mm, the Swift brings manageability and safety to every cut.  The new dual-blade mowing deck is designed for more efficient airflow inside the tunnel and at the blades, which also improves the collection of clippings.  The shredded grass is fed reliably, quickly and without clogging into the 170 l catcher bag.  With the special washing attachment, cleaning only takes a few seconds after the work is done.

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