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New mixture for 2022

January 25, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

New mixture for 2022: In response to the increase in reported instances of Brown Patch in the UK football industry, DLF have undertaken a screening programme for the last two years to analyse the tolerance of different varieties. The results of the trial highlighted the strong tolerance of certain DLF diploid varieties together with 4turf®, […]

SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands

January 25, 2022/in News, Press Release/by External Source

SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands: SBM Life Science, the group behind the iconic fertiliser brands, Baby Bio® and Phostrogen®, has announced significant investment into its marketing strategy ahead of the key spring season this year, to support its new product launches and network of retailers in 2022. With both brands set to […]

New mixture for 2022

January 25, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands

January 25, 2022/in News, Press Release/by External Source

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New mixture for 2022

January 25, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

New mixture for 2022: In response to the increase in reported instances of Brown Patch in the UK football industry, DLF have undertaken a screening programme for the last two years to analyse the tolerance of different varieties.

The results of the trial highlighted the strong tolerance of certain DLF diploid varieties together with 4turf^®, which now forms the basis of a J Premier 4Turf – a brand-new Johnsons Sports Seed mixture launching in 2022.

New mixture for 2022

Brown patch is a turfgrass foliar disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia spp. All cool-season turf grasses are susceptible to potential attack by the fungus, however it has been found to be most detrimental to bent grass, ryegrasses, annual meadow grass and some fescue species. Attacks are often triggered by hot, humid conditions with an increase in cases identified on plants that are moist and/or have been over-stimulated with nitrogen-based fertilisers.

Samples of a particularly violent European strain of Brown Patch were harvested from a football environment and were studied at the MariboHilleshög Research AB laboratory in Landskrona, Sweden – specialists in Rhizoctonia fungi. More than 30 perennial ryegrass varieties – including nine 4turf^® tetraploid perennial ryegrasses – were inoculated, with each variety then scored weekly for plant health. DLF were able to determine with confidence, the higher tolerance of the 4turf^®varieties to Brown Patch, which correlates with the results seen in other disease trials.

Using the findings from the trials, Johnsons Sports Seed have launched J Premier 4Turf. New for 2022, it is the first mixture of its kind to combine the top-performing perennial ryegrasses from the trial to deliver improved tolerance to Brown Patch, together with the outstanding wear tolerance and visual merit of the original J Premier Pitch mixture. J Premier 4Turf takes full advantage of the most tolerant diploid and tetraploid varieties, with 20% 4turf^®– formulated with 10% FABIAN and 10% TETRAGAME.

Following ongoing dialogue with the DLF technical team since early 2019, Head Groundsman at Reading Football Club Chris Last became the first to trial the new J Premier 4Turf mixture. In conjunction with the trial results, the objective was to deliver a mixture with even greater resilience, even faster establishment and improved wear tolerance.

“Having not used 4turf^® before, it was interesting to see how well it thrived in our environment!” Chris explains. “We seeded, then sheeted and within just three days the 4turf^® was up without the need for excessive levels of input. We were then cutting within a week. As the months progressed, myself and the team at DLF have been avidly observing the sward and how it copes with the issues – particularly disease pressure – at various times of the year. July has always traditionally been a hot-spot for Brown Patch, but last year we saw nothing at all. The additional resilience of the 4turf^® has meant that even during high-pressure periods for Fusarium in September and October, any small signs have not turned into full outbreaks. Without question, we have retained far more overall coverage than we have in previous seasons.”

More details about the J Premier 4Turf mixture and a number of other new formulations can be found in the Johnsons Sports Seed catalogue, or by visiting www.johnsonssportsseed.co.uk

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SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands

January 25, 2022/in News, Press Release/by External Source

SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands: SBM Life Science, the group behind the iconic fertiliser brands, Baby Bio® and Phostrogen®, has announced significant investment into its marketing strategy ahead of the key spring season this year, to support its new product launches and network of retailers in 2022.

With both brands set to release new products next month, SBM will deliver a host of activity throughout 2022 to increase brand awareness, drive footfall through retailers and boost sales, strengthening their industry-leading positions in the home and garden arena.

SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands

Amongst the activity planned, SBM has announced the appointment of a home and garden specialist communications agency, Honest Communications, which has joined the team to manage its PR, influencer marketing and social media platforms.

Further investment includes an extensive digital advertising campaign across Google, YouTube and social media, and print advertising in key lifestyle and trade titles for both brands, whilst Phostrogen® will debut its first broadcast campaign, with TV advertisements aired across various lifestyle channels including ITV.

SBM will also launch a new in-store incentive across Phostrogen® products from March, offering consumers a variety of exciting redeemable offers once they purchase any Phostrogen product.

To support retailers, SBM will introduce a range of exciting new in-store point of sale display units to command space, attract interest and catch the eye of consumers, including archways, pallet wraps, hot spots, and gondola ends.

It comes as Baby Bio® prepares to introduce an Organic Houseplant Food, while Phostrogen® will expand its product range to include a line of new organic fertilisers, including an Organic All Purpose Food, Organic Tomato Food, Organic Lawncare Food, and Organic Ericaceous Food. The launch also coincides with the rebrand of Phostrogen®’s popular All Purpose Plant Food, which will unveil a fresh, modern look for the iconic original fertiliser.

Both Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® have decades of British heritage behind them, with the much-loved brands having helped generations of gardeners and houseplant parents reap the rewards of their horticultural efforts, establishing them as market leaders in the home and garden sector.

James Ramnought, Marketing Director for SBM Life Science commented, “This year is going to be an incredibly exciting one for Baby Bio® and Phostrogen®, with the launch of our first organic products. Our investment in a holistic marketing approach will bolster the awareness of the popular products these two iconic brands offer, whilst making noise about the new organic products.

“The combination of digital and print advertising, in-store POS, and the appointment of a PR and social media agency will drive our vision for the brands, allowing us to continue to lead the way in the market.”

For more information, please visit https://www.solabiol.com/en

Follow Baby Bio® on Instagram and Facebook, and follow Phostrogen® on Instagram and Facebook.

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)

New mixture for 2022

SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands

New mixture for 2022

SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

New mixture for 2022

New mixture for 2022: In response to the increase in reported instances of Brown Patch in the UK football industry, DLF have undertaken a screening programme for the last two years to analyse the tolerance of different varieties.

SBM to bolster Baby Bio® and Phostrogen® brands

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