Farmers Tackle Giant Hogweed

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Farmers Tackle Giant Hogweed: Bayer is supporting a community project in Scotland to tackle Giant Hogweed, with equipment and labour supplied free of charge by local farmers.

Giant Hogweed hits the headlines each summer as members of the public are injured by its poisonous sap, which can cause painful blisters and severe skin irritation when enjoying the great outdoors, but it is also an invasive plant which has a serious impact on the biodiversity of the riparian and aquatic environment.

Farmers Tackle Giant Hogweed

Managed by the East Lothian Countryside Volunteers (ELCV), the project is based at Haddington, East Lothian, at the centre of an area through which the River Tyne flows, with Giant Hogweed growing on its banks.

Local farmers have joined forces to combat the weed, using the highly effective glyphosate herbicide Roundup, some of which has been donated to the project by manufacturer Bayer.

Spraying started in March, with 50 qualified farmer operators using knapsack sprayers to apply Roundup alongside the river, with help from an online dynamic map created by the ELCV which pinpoints the worst affected areas using reports from volunteer spotters, and allows them to be ticked off as they are treated.

Local farmer James Wyllie was asked to co-ordinate the initiative, having previously led a campaign to control Giant Hogweed on an eight mile stretch of the Biel and Whittingehame Water in East Lothian.

He explained: “The original proposal was for 10 miles of the River Tyne, but there was such a high level of support from the landowners to participate in a project where all the riparian owners were acting together that it has expanded way beyond the original plan. It now covers about 48 miles of the River Tyne from A68 to the sea and including two major tributaries, Birns Water and Colstoun Water in an area with around 75 riparian landowners participating.”

While the main focus is on Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam are also being targeted by operators as they spray.

Mr Wyllie added: “It’s going to take five years to see a real difference, due to Hogweed seeds which are embedded in the soil and will germinate in future years. We aim that no plant should be allowed to flower, as each can produce 10,000 seeds, and any flower heads that are produced need to be removed and disposed of safely.”

“The open access dynamic map is key because farmers can see exactly where plants have been observed along the river and when overlayed on a satellite map helps to pinpoint areas to inspect. Later in the season where there are no flowering plants left it is marked with a green tick.”

Farmers Tackle Giant Hogweed

In small areas of non-agricultural land, removal of any odd Giant Hogweed plants are tackled by the ELCV volunteers to ensure that there are no gaps.

Bayer’s Roundup Technical Development Manager Barrie Hunt explained: “This is a unique project in that it attempts to treat an almost complete river catchment area, which gives the best chance of tackling the weed. Where only part of the catchment is treated, there is always the risk of plant material being washed down river and Giant Hogweed re-establishing itself. We have been pleased to work with the ELCV and Mr Wyllie on such a worthwhile operation.”

As the growing season drew to a close at the end of July, Mr Wyllie commented that he has been overwhelmed with the positive response to the project. “Every farmer approached has offered to support the work – labour contributed by farmers free of charge will be worth around £100,000 over a 10 year period – and we are very grateful for the sponsorship from Bayer and backing from Scottish Natural Heritage.”

He added that Roundup has been key to the success of the project.

“I’ve used it for 25 years and it is one of very few products that is approved for aquatic use; there are no ground residues and it works by contact onto the leaves only. It’s also very effective on Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam.”

“This is a long term project on a large scale, which demonstrates East Lothian farmers and the local community working together to achieve a common goal.”

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Bunker Washouts Destroying Morale

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Bunker Washouts Destroying Morale: The greatest challenge that has faced golf course superintendents over the past several years has been the difficulty of recruiting and retaining staff.

All courses – regardless of budget – are impacted by this labor shortage, but those hit worst are struggling to simply keep up with mowing the entire golf course each week. Unfortunately, Mother Nature isn’t cutting them any breaks this summer.

Common pop-up thunderstorms throughout the Southeast are making it more difficult to complete daily maintenance with an undersized staff. These storms pack heavy winds and significant rain amounts in a short time span – washing out bunker sand, spreading debris throughout the golf course, knocking down trees, breaking irrigation pipe with lightning strikes, saturating soils and much more.

Out of all these challenges, repairing bunker washouts may be the most hated task among golf course superintendents and crew members. Repairing washouts is slow, back-breaking work and the staff could easily be out the next day repairing the very same bunker if another pop-up storm strikes. Simply put, frequent heavy rain events each summer can be a morale killer for a fully staffed maintenance crew and the straw that broke the camel’s back for undersized crews.

Bunker washouts also impact the consistency of bunker sand. The constant movement of sand can create overly soft conditions in the short term, and contamination from washouts can negatively impact playability and sand drainage in the long term. Perhaps the most significant impact to golfers is the logistical challenge that bunker washouts present to the maintenance team. Superintendents must choose which tasks will be performed each day. When bunkers get washed out by a storm, some other aspect of course management must be skipped to repair the bunkers.

What can golfers do to help? Every course’s design and available maintenance resources are different, which greatly impacts a maintenance team’s ability to address issues like washouts. It is important to understand that the maintenance team is doing their best to maintain the golf course with the resources available. Given the current labor shortage, being understanding, patient, and offering a quick “thank you” is the best way to support those who work hard maintaining our golf courses.

What can superintendents do? Document labor-hour allocation to communicate the impact of bunker washouts on course maintenance. This data can be used to communicate the need for a bunker renovation, higher wages or more employees. Also, temporary labor services are a good resource for washout repairs.

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Limagrain A Success At Glamorgan

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Limagrain A Success At Glamorgan: Glamorgan County Cricket Club head groundsman Robin Saxton believes that a range of Limagrain UK grass seed is helping the venue stand up to the demands of modern day sport and the constant scrutiny that pitches are under.

Sophia Gardens Cardiff, a 16,000-seater stadium, is the home of Glamorgan Cricket and an established venue for international cricket. In an average season, the venue will host four day championship games, T20 games, international and domestic fixtures and a mixture of local and corporate games. Robin estimates that there are approximately between 45-50 days of cricket played at the venue each year and this is in addition to pre-season concerts and events.

Limagrain A Success At Glamorgan

It is safe to say that Robin, who has been at Sophia Gardens since 2013, has his work cut out and that is without the increasing pressure grounds personnel are under, as he explains.

“Due to the demands of modern day sport and because of the TV cameras, pitches are always under scrutiny and it needs to be at its best at all times.

“Even the outfields used to be the square’s poor cousin not so long ago but that has all changed now. What you don’t want is a square that looks great and an outfield that looks patchy because it will be quickly noticed.”

For his outfields, Robin overseeded with Limagrain’s Action Replay which is a 100% Ryegrass hard-wearing mixture.

“The Action Replay is a winter sports mix, designed for the likes of football and rugby so we thought that this mixture would be ideal for the outfield,” he said. “It is wear and disease tolerant because it is a broad, robust seed.

“We first applied it last year and we had a fantastic take with it which excelled during a particularly hot summer. Since using Action Replay we have seen a lot less burn off and a lot less dry out on the outfield.”

When it comes to the 15 wickets and practice pitches on the square, MM50 has stood the test of time and has been used at Sophia Gardens for as long as Robin can remember.

“I’ve been here since 2013 and even before I arrived MM50 was being used,” he said. “It shows that myself and others before me have always had faith in the seed and deservedly so because we have tried other seeds against it in side-by-side trials. MM50 has always come up better, nothing has ever beaten it.”

MM50 is the ideal seed for cricket squares. This hard-wearing mix has rapid germination, a very fine leaved appearance, high shoot density and is tolerant to very close mowing, along with high disease resistance. All these attributes together produce a fantastic sward that has great colour all year round. It is also widely praised for its rapid recovery – something which Robin quickly noticed.

“MM50 is by far the best seed in terms of recovery. When trialled against the others, it has proven to be stronger, it has come through thicker and it is more wear tolerant. It has consistently outperformed other seeds we have trailed.

“You are left with a stronger plant that is going to take the activity across the square better than a slightly finer plant – which with a full calendar of cricket is a big bonus. With MM50 you just have the confidence in knowing that it will handle the stresses of four-day cricket where we can’t really water the square as much as we would like to.

“There has never been any reason to change the seed,” continued Robin. “In fact it has probably been the one constant product we have stuck with over the years – we may have changed the fertilisers, the chemistry and the biology but not the actual grass plant because it has always been a great base to work from.

“For me, the consistency of MM50 is the best feature. I don’t remember one year where we have had a batch that has not performed how we would like it to. It has got to the point that if something isn’t right then we look at things we might have done incorrectly because it is no doubt a mistake on our part rather than the seed because we know how good the MM50 is.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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Stock Up On Toro’s Titan Tines

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Stock Up On Toro’s Titan Tines: Thanks to Reesink Turfcare’s 24-hour delivery service customers can have their stock of Toro Titan Tines replenished and their machines back up and running as quickly as possible.

The titans of the tines industry and known as the turf professional’s secret weapon when it comes to achieving precise, concise holes for faster recovery and a smoother finish, Toro’s Titan Tines genuinely offer customers more, just like their UK distributor Reesink. And when it comes to delivery, its guaranteed to be the fastest delivery time possible.

Stock Up On Toro's Titan Tines

But not just that, when you choose Toro’s Titan Tines, you can also be guaranteed of more choice, more longevity, more productivity, more strength, more play and more reliability too.

More choice

There are over 150 Toro Titan Tines available covering all possible aeration applications. Whether you’ll be coring, slicing or spiking, hollow, solid or deep tining, or using water injection cultivation or ‘linear’ aeration, there’s a Titan Tine for every need.

Plus, all Titan Tines fit current and late model Toro aerators and the standard mount size fits lots of other manufacturer aerators, too.

More longevity, more productivity

Toro’s Titan Tines are the longest-lasting on the market, thanks to their robust tungsten-carbide-blend tip, which lasts up to four times longer than standard tines. And because they last longer, it means fewer replacements and less change-outs are needed leading to greater productivity.

More strength

Toro’s Titan Tines are made by combining a strong alloy with a unique heat treatment process resulting in a finished product that provides maximum strength and resistance to wear.

More play

Toro’s ultra-durable Titan Tines are the turf professional’s secret weapon when it comes to achieving precise, concise holes for faster recovery and a smoother finish. Clean-cut holes are important for a speedy recovery and the best way to ensure the speediest of recoveries is with tines that boast sharp edges and smooth sides.

Michael Hampton, turfcare parts manager at Reesink, says: “Toro’s Titan Tines are designed to produce precise consistent holes for fast turf recovery, a smooth finish and quick return to play.”

More reliable

Timing is vital when it comes to aeration – you’ll likely know when that is for your surfaces – and it is important not to be let down in the middle of the aeration programme. The tough design of Toro’s Titan Tines, including durable brazed tip joints that ensure a strong bond with in-built resistance to separation and breakage, importantly help maintain consistent aeration depths and reduces costly change-out and associated downtime.

When you need new tines, you get second-to-none parts back up with Reesink to ensure downtime is kept to a minimum. To stock up on Titan Tines or for more aeration advice, customers can get in touch with their local genuine Toro parts dealer or service centre.

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STRI Announces Event Partners

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STRI Announces Event Partners: STRI has announced the final event partners for STRI Research 2019 which takes place on 25 and 26 September at STRI UK in Bingley, West Yorkshire.

The companies joining STRI’s team of global sport industry specialists are Airter, Aquatrols, Bayer, Headland Amenity, ICL, Sherriff Amenity and Syngenta. Each of these companies are showcasing the most innovative products, machinery and techniques that are being trialled and tested by the STRI Research team to help improve the future quality and management of sports turf.

STRI Announces Event Partners

The event is free to attend, and delegates will be taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of STRI’s famous sports trials ground, to view current live research trials which have been commissioned by our 2019 event partners for the benefit of the sports industry.

STRI research operations manager, Dr Christian Spring, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming our sponsors and visitors to STRI Research 2019. Our research team can’t wait to share with you the findings from the latest innovative sports trials at STRI. It will be great to gather together a diverse cross-section of the industry for a relaxed, yet informative, day of learning and networking. We look forward to welcoming you to STRI in September.”

The research open days are perfect for stadium managers and operators, greenkeepers, groundstaff, course managers, superintendents and sportsturf professionals. Discounted accommodation is available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and locally sourced food and refreshments will be provided.

To book your place on either Wednesday 25th or Thursday 26th September, please contact enquiries@strigroup.com or call 01274565131.

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