Blog Elements - Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened

August 22, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Olivia Dixon

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened: Otterbine’s Air Flo 3 underwater ‘bubbler’ diffused aeration system is the safe solution for Pinewood Scout Centre in Croydon, bringing its lake back to life and reopening it for water sports after a period of closure due to poor water quality. When Jim Clements, site manager and scout leader, took […]

Getting lawn care ready in September

August 22, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Getting lawn care ready in September: We know the summer feels like it has only just begun, but the Lawn Association team would like to share some September lawn care tips to keep your sea of green as healthy as it can possibly be! Keep your eye on thatch! After the last few months of […]

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened

August 22, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Olivia Dixon

Getting lawn care ready in September

August 22, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened

August 22, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Olivia Dixon

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened: Otterbine’s Air Flo 3 underwater ‘bubbler’ diffused aeration system is the safe solution for Pinewood Scout Centre in Croydon, bringing its lake back to life and reopening it for water sports after a period of closure due to poor water quality.

When Jim Clements, site manager and scout leader, took on Pinewood Scout Centre last year he made it his mission to reform the site’s grounds, and fixing the lake that hosts the centre’s watersport activities was the first step. With the water quality of the lake being key to keeping the scouts safe, the Otterbine Air Flo 3 aerator was the ideal choice to get the lake back into action.

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened

When it came time to find an aeration solution, Jim was after two key things: a system that is safe and can access the bottom of the lake to increase circulation and oxygenation. Otterbine ticked both boxes.

“The lake doesn’t have a natural river feed so is dependent on rainfall and groundwater,” Jim says. “Getting oxygen into the bottom of the lake is critical and the thing I like with the Air Flo is that all the electrics are on the bank. There’s absolutely nothing in the water that could pose a risk to people using the lake.”

Otterbine’s Air Flo 3 is an underwater ‘bubbler’ diffused aeration system that is designed to aerate and circulate the water without disturbing its natural surroundings. But best of all for Jim and the scouts at Pinewood, is that the diffuser requires no electricity or moving parts near the water which makes the system entirely safe for swimming and for all of the centre’s water based activities.

Since installing the Air Flo 3 system, Jim says: “The circulation and improved oxygenation of the water has massively improved the quality in terms of clarity. I think it’s the best it’s potentially ever been.”

Getting the lake back into a safe and working condition is a relief all round after Jim was forced to cancel the scout’s water activity programme last summer: “We had an exceptional drought so water temperature was high, water levels were dropping and conditions were perfect for an algae bloom. It went toxic very quickly and I had to shut the lake. We couldn’t do any activities until I was able to get it back under control,” Jim recounts.

The best way to prevent algal blooms is to increase oxygen levels in the water, and Otterbine has the highest Oxygen Transfer Rates on the market – a key factor in Jim’s choice.

“When I took the site on last year, I had no background in lake management, so it’s been a great learning experience. Sometimes you’re presented with a problem and you have to find the best solution. Reesink has been fantastic. Any technical advice or any questions that I had on parts or suitability, they were just a phone call away.”

Thanks to this Otterbine solution, the Pinewood lake is ready to be used for a summer programme of activities, but it’s not just the scouts that are benefitting from the new system. Jim says: “We’re seeing a lot more fish and amphibians in the lake, and the marginal plants are all really thriving too.”

Cleaning up the lake area is just the first step in Jim’s grand plan: “Now the lake is in a stable condition the next stage is the surrounding woodland and making it far more accessible. Where previously it was overgrown, we’re removing a lot of the Rhododendron and replacing it with indigenous broadleaf species, making the whole site far more ecologically viable.”

To find out more about how the Otterbine range of aerators and fountains can help your lakes and ponds, contact Reesink on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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.

Getting lawn care ready in September

August 22, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Getting lawn care ready in September: We know the summer feels like it has only just begun, but the Lawn Association team would like to share some September lawn care tips to keep your sea of green as healthy as it can possibly be!

Keep your eye on thatch!

After the last few months of ridiculous growing weather, the thatch in your lawn would have increased a lot. We only normally produce thatch for say, April, May some of June and possibly September but we have had the whole of June and July and August as well so have literally increased thatch production by 100% extra.

Getting lawn care ready in September

This is not something that many gardeners think about, but of course, when planning good sensible lawn care you should. Do we hit it hard in autumn to compensate or split between two light ones, autumn and spring?

So what can we do about excess thatch?

Scarification is the key and September is the perfect time to do this, and it will enable you to control thatch levels. Does anyone think that moss may be an issue this autumn and winter? No, of course not, moss will only be thought about when it appears. But have no doubt, it will, because soils have been saturated and air space will have decreased. This happens when the fine soil particles move around and will have consolidated. This means water will move slower through the soils meaning the surface remains wetter for longer.

Thatch is a spongy-like material that sits above the lawn soils. It comprises all the clippings, shoots, and dead organic matter that have accumulated. When this remains wet during winter, moss spores will have a greater chance to germinate, so by regularly scarifying your lawn, this will allow rainwater to run down into the soil and away from the surface, giving the moss spores less chance to germinate (extra aeration will also be required this autumn too)

David Hedges Gower, Chairman of the Lawn Association states “Good lawn care is all about working with nature, not against it. Through dealing with excess thatch sustainably via scarification and other good practices such as sensible mowing and regular aeration, biodiversity and a healthy lawn can be maintained.”

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.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened

Getting lawn care ready in September

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened

Getting lawn care ready in September

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened

Pinewood Scout Centre lake reopened: Otterbine’s Air Flo 3 underwater ‘bubbler’ diffused aeration system is the safe solution for Pinewood Scout Centre in Croydon, bringing its lake back to life and reopening it for water sports after a period of closure due to poor water quality.

Getting lawn care ready in September

Getting lawn care ready in September: We know the summer feels like it has only just begun, but the Lawn Association team would like to share some September lawn care tips to keep your sea of green as healthy as it can possibly be!

RESOURCES

CONTACT

CONNECT