Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

/in , /by

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes: Biostimulants offer an exciting chance to strengthen the role of Integrated Turf Management (ITM) in producing consistently high-quality playing surfaces.

Speaking at the launch of Hicure, the first biostimulant for turf from Syngenta, Professional Solutions Business Manager Daniel Lightfoot, reiterated cultural controls have always been, and remain, the primary mainstay of good practice for greenkeepers.

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

“But whilst in the past they might have reached for a chemical solution as the next option, there are now real advances in monitoring and modelling of issues and the potential for biological solutions that are increasingly effective steps in the ITM process.”

He emphasised that chemicals remain a key part of greenkeepers’ armoury, with Syngenta’s commitment to continue to develop and extend new options, such as the introduction of Ascernity in the UK and Ireland earlier this year.

“However, we see that biologicals and biostimulants such as Hicure can genuinely complement and support existing technologies, particularly against a backdrop of challenging regulatory legislation” advocated Daniel.

“It is an area of real focus and huge investment. We’ve committed the same rigorous R&D approach to Hicure and future biostimulant developments as a new chemical product.

“That means we can support what is said with data and experience, and that turf managers can be confident it is fully tried and tested.”

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

Digital support

Daniel Lightfoot believes that biostimulants can be better incorporated into ITM programmes with the support of innovative digital tools to aid monitoring and modelling of potential problems.

Tools such as Disease Forecasting, Growing Degree Day Calculator and historic weather and disease records, all available on the GreenCast website, build a picture of where and when actions can be proactively targeted to best effect.

Digital tools of the near future will look to predict precisely where efforts can be targeted, before the problems occur, he predicted.

“When you combine digital precision, with innovative biostimulant technology and proven chemical solutions, the top of the ITM pyramid takes the next step to producing the consistently better playing surfaces demanded by greenkeepers and players.”

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

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Hicure launch sees biostimulants building

/in , /by

Hicure launch sees biostimulants building: Hicure is set to be a key building block of future turf agronomy programmes, according to Syngenta Technical Manager, Glenn Kirby.

Speaking at the Hicure on-line launch event, he said: “The potential of biostimulants is immense. Some of the things we’ve seen during glasshouse research – by way of turf rooting, drought tolerance, colour and recovery, for example – have been really impressive.

Hicure launch sees biostimulants building

Hicure launch sees biostimulants building

“In practice differences are more subtle, but get things right and fine-tune the timings, then you could see some big differences,” he reported. “We’re beginning to unlock the potential through really deep research.”

Glenn highlighted over five years research with Hicure has given valuable insights into the product and how to use it to best effect. Key to its success is not just its high level of amino acids, but the fact that a high proportion is immediately available to turf plants to counter stress effects.

“Amino acids are like building blocks that the plant can use to build the structures it requires. It does that by joining individual amino acids into peptides, and then linking multiple peptides together into ever longer complex chains used to create specific proteins.

Hicure contains 10% of raw amino acids, along with 53% as short chain peptides that can be absorbed through the leaf and rapidly utilised by plants.

“Unlike other amino acid sources, Hicure contains 18 individual types of amino acids that are of most use to plants to build the proteins required to stop stress effects.” All amino acids contain a nitrogen molecule, which is a crucial element as an organic N source to provide plant cells with energy to build proteins – particularly when stress adversely affects photosynthetic capability.

Most other amino acid biostimulants are predominantly made up of long-chain peptides, which are typically slow to be utilised and as the need to be broken down by the soil before they can be absorbed by the plant.

“Understanding the function of amino acids and how they are used in the plant’s physiology is crucial in targeting and timing their use.

“With Hicure, we’ve seen real benefits building from targeting foliar applications close to the onset of stress periods for rapid uptake into the plant,” he advised.

With an application rate of 20 l/ha per month over the summer period, that may be split into two, three or even four treatments, in combination with a Primo Maxx II PGR or foliar nutrition programme, for example, he cited. Excellent results had also been seen in tank mix with fungicides.

“With a wide range of stresses in the summer months, including the onset of drought, light and heat a programmed approach is effective to give turf coverage over a prolonged period of potential stress events,” he advocated. “But we are also doing more research and trials into forecasting stress effects and the fine tuning of Hicure timing to optimise applications.”

That includes countering a wide range of abiotic stress effects where plants can build specific protein responses. Whilst there is no direct effect of Hicure on disease pathogens that cause biotic stress, trials have shown that alleviating turf plants’ abiotic stress factors can help put the turf plant in a better position to tolerate biotic stresses, including impacts of anthracnose and microdochium patch.

“Building Hicure into the agronomy programme can add up to make incremental gains with all the products’ applications,” he added. “That’s ever more important to cope with increasing climatic and management stresses imposed on turf every season.”

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

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Lypiatt Park credits Husqvarna Automower

/in , /by

Lypiatt Park credits Husqvarna Automower: Based in Gloucestershire near Stroud, Lypiatt Park is a stately home which boasts historic buildings dating back to the 14th century. Surrounded by ten acres of formal gardens, the private estate is maintained by Husqvarna Automower® robotic lawnmowers.

Homeowner of Lypiatt Park and internationally renowned artist, Daniel Chadwick, credits his four Husqvarna 550 Automower® for keeping the estate’s lawns in immaculate condition all year round.

Lypiatt Park credits Husqvarna Automower

Lypiatt Park credits Husqvarna Automower

Daniel first invested in Automower® using Husqvarna dealer, Tallis Amos Group, after finding the cost of maintaining his ten acres of greenspace with manual lawnmowers to be expensive, costing hundreds of pounds per week. With Automower®, the groundsmen of Lypiatt Park have saved hours of time and have been freed up to focus on more important and beneficial tasks around the grounds of the estate.

Daniel discussed the benefits: “There have been many advantages of Automower®, some that I wasn’t even expecting. I have sensitive hearing and can find the sound of regular lawnmowers extremely intrusive, especially here on the estate where they were often used twice a day.

“The differences we’ve experienced between our previous lawnmowers and our four Automower® 550 models are astounding. Automower® works on the grounds extremely quietly, quickly and efficiently, without the need for human interference which is brilliant.”

The lawns of Lypiatt Park feature a variety of complex shapes, but thanks to the GPS tracked Husqvarna Automower® 550 models, the robotic lawnmowers are able to manoeuvre accurately and efficiently around the entire formal garden area with ease, navigating narrow passages, obstacles and handling slopes of up to 45%. Furthermore, as a result of the mower’s lightweight features, no visible track marks are left, ensuring a carpet-like appearance.

Featuring GPS theft tracking via a PC/Tablet, as well as a high-pitch alarm which starts when moved and can only be deactivated with the mower’s unique pin code, extra security is provided with the Automower® models.

Lypiatt Park credits Husqvarna Automower

Lypiatt Park credits Husqvarna Automower

Daniel commented on his move to Automower®: “After an initial consultation, Tallis Amos Group installed our first mower, and provided technical support throughout and after. The set-up process ran very smoothly, and within just a few weeks our lawns looked better than ever. After seeing the results of our first Automower®, we were confident in investing in three more to cover all lawns surrounding Lypiatt Park.

“Each robotic mower has its own specific zone to cover, and they are able to work night and day if we wished. Even though there’s a wide mix of obstacles on our lawns, they don’t seem to bother Automower® at all. Thanks to their on-board sensors which detect potential objects, Automower® steers itself to avoid collision.”

As an artist, Daniel has a passion for design and applauds Automower®, stating: “As a designer inventor and artist, I really appreciate the design of the Automower®, it’s perfectly optimised. It’s the right weight, it does precisely what they say it will do, it is totally reliable, easy to maintain and is very well made. Every couple of months I might have to change or rotate the blades – which is a very simple operation, but apart from that, we just let them get on with their job and rarely have to do anything with them. The machines really are fantastic.”

For more information on Husqvarna Automower®, visit: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/

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

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

New INFINICUT® adaptation kit

/in , /by

New INFINICUT® adaptation kit: INFINICUT® are introducing a brand-new adaptation kit to transform a JD 2500 Triplex into a highly productive, lightweight, 85” wide dedicated sports turf mower. The simple-to-fit kit was designed to specifically meet the criteria required to maintain sports turf and address the failings of existing options – traditionally re-purposed golf turf units.  

The management of sports turf is independent from the management of golf turf and, as such, merits the provision of a dedicated triplex mower suited to the requirements of sports specific venues. The new adaptation kit includes all that’s required to affix 30” INFINICUT® cutting reels and large capacity grass boxes to an existing JD power unit with zero fabrication/hole drilling or other modification required to the original traction unit.

New INFINICUT® adaptation kit

New INFINICUT® adaptation kit

In addition, a selection of maintenance cassettes from the TMSystem™ range are also compatible with the new set-up.

The JD 2500 was chosen as the donor traction unit, not because it was easy or convenient to re-engineer, but because it would fulfil the strict design brief set out by the INFINICUT® design team. Thought was given to ensure the end product was lightweight, gentle to turf through torquing & turning and minimised soil surface compaction. It also features a functional, forward-facing middle grass basket, with a generous capacity that is easy to install and remove.

Coupled to the well proven JD 2500 are three INFINICUT® reels, utilising SMARTCut technology to offer a highly productive 85” cutting width. The INFINICUT® cylinders come with renowned quality of cut and the confidence that these units are trusted by some of the most revered venues in the world including Real Madrid, Wimbledon and many more top-flight facilities. This combination, with its offset design, reliability, adjustable clip rate and general solid engineering makes for a compelling unit that will easily be considered “best in class”.

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

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

An insight into GKB’s Distributors

/in , /by

An insight into GKB’s Distributors: GKB Machines, the company behind sustainable, reliable and robust maintenance machinery for natural, synthetic and hybrid turf recently caught up with one of their loyal UK distributors, Balmers GM Ltd.

UK Operations Director, Tom Shinkins has worked for GKB since GKB Machines Ltd was founded in 2015 and a key part of his role is to work with the UK distributors throughout the year. Andrew Meeks, Commercial Sales Manager at Balmers GM Ltd has been with the company for 20 years and has fallen in love with GKB machines.

An insight into GKB's Distributors

An insight into GKB’s Distributors

Offering some insight into what it’s like to be a GKB distributor, Tom discusses with Andrew why they decided to become a distributor, what their customer experience has been like and ultimately what their favourite machine is!

What do you like about GKB Machines?

To put it simply, their build. We like the fact that these machines are built by contractors for use by like-minded people. Built robustly and to last, simple and easy to operate. The machines that we use are so reliable, we trust that they will get the job done everytime. Our ethos here at Balmers is perfectly matched with GKB’s. We want to supply our customers the best machines for use and reliability, as well as getting the support from the manufacturer which GKB offer exactly that. The question should be what do I not like about GKB Machines because then I would struggle to answer!

What do your customers like?

Our customers’ minds work like ours so, what we like, they tend to like too. They like the fact we are providing them with the best machines that they can rely on time after time.

How long have you been a dealer for?

We’ve been a dealer for nearly three years but knew about the products way before that. The way GKB keep bringing out new innovations and technologies to make their machines even better really excites us. We look forward to working with GKB for many years to come.

What is your favourite GKB Machines and why?

Now this is a difficult question! It’s almost like asking who’s your favourite child.  I love the SP100 Topdresser, it’s the machine that started our relations and outperforms the competition hands down. The GKB Combiseeder is also high on the list again for its ease of use, its simplicity and ultimately its performance and result.

Why did you become a dealer?

We became a dealer because we were looking for a mounted topdresser to supply our customer base with that fitted the John Deere ProGatorTM. We had supplied other manufacturers previously and were not happy with various things. We wanted a product with a direct line to the manufacturer rather than via the importer, simply to reduce the supply chain and improve communication. As we deal directly with the manufacturer now we’re able to provide customer feedback right to the people who built the product. On a typical wet and windy English weather day, Tom brought a demonstrator for us to try and we were blown away by its performance. The product range suited our portfolio and the rest is history.

What’s your customer experience like from GKB?

If I had to use one word it would be fantastic. Tom has been invaluable, providing a vast wealth of knowledge and support. We also spent time with the guys over in the factory in Holland, which really helped to build relationships. Ultimately for us, it’s a company and a product range that’s growing which we thrive on. They are constantly innovating without creating solutions to problems that aren’t there. For that, we thank GKB.

For more on GKB Machines and their reliable and robust range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf and to learn more about becoming a GKB distributor, please visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617.

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

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.