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ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

March 31, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City: ICL’s ProSelect grass seed supported by a monthly nutritional programme has resulted in Bradford City’s pitch being in the best condition ever – according to Head Groundsman Mick Doyle. If anyone knows the pitch at Bradford City’s Utilita Energy Stadium – it is Mick. He has been working […]

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

March 31, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Fay Clarkson

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead: Spring is traditionally seen as a time for renewal, growth, and new life, with warmer days urging us outdoors to enjoy nature. This year we have even more to look forward to, with reunions on the horizon and things returning to a semblance of normality. With these brighter […]

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

March 31, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

March 31, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Fay Clarkson

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

March 31, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City: ICL’s ProSelect grass seed supported by a monthly nutritional programme has resulted in Bradford City’s pitch being in the best condition ever – according to Head Groundsman Mick Doyle.

If anyone knows the pitch at Bradford City’s Utilita Energy Stadium – it is Mick. He has been working at the club for an incredible fourteen years and in that time, it is safe to say that he has single-handedly kept the pitch in excellent condition.

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

However, he claims that the bar has now been raised and that it all started with ICL’s ProSelect grass seed.

“The bottom line is that I needed a new seed,” he said. “The seed I used previously just didn’t work for me – it was patchy and did not germinate. Therefore, when it came round to pitch renovations last year, I used ICL’s ProSelect 1 Premium Pitch which I had first heard about at an ICL educational day and after speaking to other groundsmen.”

Combining four top-ranked perennial ryegrasses, ProSelect 1 Premium Pitch, provides a fast-recovering, dense, hard-wearing surface. Furthermore, Mick decided that he would like to explore a full ICL nutritional programme because in his words, it would be a “one-stop shop which could deliver on all fronts.”

Prior to sowing the ProSelect seed, Craig Lalley, Technical Sales Manager for ICL visited Mick at the stadium and took some soil samples. Craig then proceeded to devise a plan tailored to Mick’s environment – taking into consideration his stadium, his machinery, his staffing levels, his time restraints and he ultimately put a programme together based on what Mick was trying to achieve.

“My biggest concern was that I could never get any root down but Craig assured me that I would with his programme,” said Mick. “True to his word – he was absolutely right.”

The key was getting the pitch off to the best possible start. After sowing the ProSelect grass seed, Mick immediately followed with 10 litres of H2Pro TriSmart, in a bid to absorb more moisture around the seed and aid germination.

It turned out to be a winning combination: “The seed was coming up beautifully in just six days,” said Mick.

On that sixth day after seeding, and based on Craig’s advice, Mick went one step further by applying Sierrablen Plus Renovator 20-20-8 at a rate of 35g/m², the mini-granules ensuring even distribution for young seedlings while its high phosphate levels encourage strong root growth.

Since then, the nutritional programme has been based on providing the right nutrient at the right time, according to Craig.

“A lot of the programme has been designed to really focus on root establishment to assist with pitch playability. Therefore, Mick has been using Vitalnova SeaMax (seaweed extracts) and Vitalnova Blade along with Primo Maxx II growth regulator.

“Mick has produced a great surface this season and that has carried through the challenging winter months. To work alongside his good cultural methods over this testing period, Mick incorporated H2Pro FlowSmart into his monthly ITM programme. This is a superb penetrant to help with water percolation through the profile.”

Mick was also in agreement:

“I’ve had fourteen seasons here and I can honestly say that this is the best condition the pitch has ever been at this time of year. I put that down to the products.

“The pitch is holding up incredibly well and you can hardly tell that players have been on the pitch after a game. In years gone by where we have had shallow rooting a lot of remedial work was needed following fixtures. This is no longer required so we are saving time and benefitting from good plant health.

“It’s just been consistently good all year.

“The programme is very straight forward to follow – it’s all on my wall planner in my office and reminds me of what’s going on at all times. I can also call Craig and get advice which is a real benefit.

“Overall, I’m incredibly pleased that I decided to go down the ICL route because it really has made such a difference to the pitch – not just aesthetically and from a playability point of view, but also from what is going on below the surface.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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

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Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

March 31, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Fay Clarkson

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead: Spring is traditionally seen as a time for renewal, growth, and new life, with warmer days urging us outdoors to enjoy nature. This year we have even more to look forward to, with reunions on the horizon and things returning to a semblance of normality.

With these brighter days and positive thoughts of the year ahead, now is a great time to get outside and scatter some wildflower seeds to ensure that 2021 and beyond is full of life and colour.

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

Wildflower specialist, Seedball, has developed a unique way in which to protect scattered seeds until they are ready to look after themselves, creating a mini ecosystem and giving them nutrition as they germinate and grow. The balls are made from a combination of British wildflower seeds, clay to protect from predators such as birds and ants, peat-free compost to provide nutrition, and a little bit of chilli powder to deter slugs and snails. Simply throw the balls onto soil or compost in a garden bed or planter in Spring or Autumn and wait. The seed ball has everything it needs to grow and, once the ball becomes moist and the temperature is right, the seeds will germinate! What could be easier?

While Seedball is famed for its compact tins of seeds that are ideal for gifting, the company also produces larger grab bags, each containing 100 seed balls, make it easy for everyone to create a wildflower patch in their own garden, and what could be a greater symbol of positivity and optimism than that? The range includes bags of curated seed collections, such as the Bee Mix and the Shade Mix, to help people create wildflower havens with ease.

New for 2021 is a collection of Single Flower Grab Bags, each of which contain 50 seed balls of a single variety, allowing even more flexibility for people to design their own outdoor spaces according to individual preferences. The 24 varieties include quintessentially British species such as cowslips, cornflowers, yarrow and camomile.

People will even be able to create their own delicate, blue carpet of bluebells with the Bluebell Grab Bag – provided they are willing to wait for them to flower, which can take up to five years after germination. These native flowers are more than worth the wait, though, and are one of Britain’s most precious and iconic plants. The variety available in the grab bags is the Hyacinthoides non-scripta, with a distinctive scent that is highly attractive to bees.

A simple scattering of seed balls today will result in a brighter, wilder tomorrow!

To find out more about Seedball visit https://seedball.co.uk/

You can also find Seedball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

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)

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

ICL the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City: ICL’s ProSelect grass seed supported by a monthly nutritional programme has resulted in Bradford City’s pitch being in the best condition ever – according to Head Groundsman Mick Doyle.

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead

Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead: Spring is traditionally seen as a time for renewal, growth, and new life, with warmer days urging us outdoors to enjoy nature. This year we have even more to look forward to, with reunions on the horizon and things returning to a semblance of normality.

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