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Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station

January 25, 2021/in News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station: Countrywide Grounds, Shropshire, has been using the Turf Tank robotic line marker with GPS base station to achieve unrivalled accuracy wherever it is needed. The Turf Tank is the only GPS line marker available that uses a base station. It provides an accuracy of +/- 1cm over 100m […]

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits

January 25, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Sarah Allin

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits: As part of its ongoing commitment to promote the ecological benefit of man-made environments, amenity grass and wildflower seed specialist Germinal has updated its range of wild flora mixtures to make them more beneficial to pollinators. “Research carried out by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) into how best to support […]

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station

January 25, 2021/in News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits

January 25, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Sarah Allin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station

January 25, 2021/in News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station: Countrywide Grounds, Shropshire, has been using the Turf Tank robotic line marker with GPS base station to achieve unrivalled accuracy wherever it is needed.

The Turf Tank is the only GPS line marker available that uses a base station. It provides an accuracy of +/- 1cm over 100m and ensures that the robot will overmark lines with supreme precision and mark out new pitches with ease. The base station allows the machine to be operated without cellular or real-time kinematic (RTK) connectivity and coverage. Using the closed system means the marker can be used anywhere with unprecedented reliability while matching the marking speed of every robotic line marker on the market.

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station

Having this technology was a crucial factor for Countrywide Grounds director, Wayne Middleton, who has used GPS steered tractors during his work in agriculture.

Wayne explains: “We have come from an agricultural background where we used GPS probably for the last 12 to 14 years on our tractors. So, we set out to look for a GPS line marker because we knew what the technology was all about.

“We went to Saltex last November and looked at line markers and came across the Turf Tank. And after chatting to them and looking at the other options this was the one that grabbed us, purely because it is a base station based GPS rather than a sim card. Some of the places we go you can’t even get a mobile phone signal, and wanting a base station comes from out agricultural background because with the systems we use the base station is the way forward.

“The Turf Tank stands up very well to the agricultural technology we have used. I’ve been very pleased with how accurate it’s been. I mark eight football pitches for a league, and they get marked every week, and I’ve gone back in and overmarked them, and it hasn’t missed a beat. Each pitch takes 20 minutes, and the accuracy is always spot on.

“I can go and mow a football pitch and then set that off to start marking while I cut another pitch which makes great use of the time. And as a contractor, time is something you always need more of. We can also mark at night, which is a big plus for us going into winter because it means we can beat the weather and still provide a good service.”

As well as football pitches, Wayne has been able to use the robot to mark out year group areas for schools including numbers, and he has also completed 100m and 200m running tracks with various other sports in the pipeline.

While using the GPS technology is nothing new to Wayne, line marking and the Turf Tank are, making the assistance and back-up service from Turf Tank’s southern UK rep, Alex Robinson, vital.

“What I like about Alex is he has been very patient with us,” Wayne explains. “We first met him at Saltex and then had a demo of the robot in January 2020 on a very wet field. We were over the moon with how it performed, and since buying it in August, he’s always been at the other end of the phone.

“When it arrived, he was straight out and showed us how to use it, and if we need little pointers or a quick talk through something, he’s always happy to help.”

For more information on the Turf Tank One or to have a demonstration contact alex@turftank.co.uk (southern UK) or matt@turftank.co.uk (northern UK).

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

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Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits

January 25, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Sarah Allin

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits: As part of its ongoing commitment to promote the ecological benefit of man-made environments, amenity grass and wildflower seed specialist Germinal has updated its range of wild flora mixtures to make them more beneficial to pollinators.

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits

“Research carried out by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) into how best to support pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies has shown that planting a mixture of native and non-native flowers can extend the flowering season and therefore boost pollinator populations by providing a more abundant and longer-lasting source of nectar and pollen,” explains Richard Brown, Amenity Sales Manager at Germinal

“For that reason, we have updated our 2021 wildflower range by introducing a wider variety of species from beyond the UK which, in addition to creating a more abundant and sustainable source of food for pollinators and other beneficial invertebrates in urban and semi-urban environments, will also produce a more aesthetically appealing array of flowers with a wider palette of longer-lasting colours.”

By adding non-native species to its General Landscaping (Urban Meadows) Wild Flora range – which contains 100% wildflower mixtures and ready-to-sow wildflower and complementary grass seed blends – Germinal is now able to offer pollinator enhanced, ‘near-native’ mixtures for use across a range of different soil types and purposes.

Mr Brown adds: “Protecting the diversity and sustainability of the UK’s wild flora heritage is an important aspect of every landscaper’s remit, not only to maintain and promote healthy ecological systems, but also to enhance the environmental aesthetics of man-made green spaces.

“However, what the public perceives to be a natural meadow habitat (a vibrant sea of different colouring flowers) is often at odds with what a true meadow actually contains – a much narrower palette of colours. As a result, these less visually stunning, but 100% native meadows often end up underwhelming their custodians, and frequently get tidied up into a more manicured green space. As such, they don’t last as long as more vibrant urban meadows which are more likely to be proactively maintained and retained for much longer.

“By incorporating non-native species into our general landscaping wildflower mixtures for use in urban or suburban settings such as new housing estates and business or retail park developments, we are therefore empowering landscape architects to not only do their ‘bit’ to reduce the decline in pollinator numbers, but also to produce the wide range of colours expected by the public.”

Germinal also offers a range of 100% UK-native wildflower seed mixtures: based on the National Vegetation Classification (NVC) survey, these Regional Environmental (RE) mixtures are made up of species which are entirely indigenous to the UK and which enable landscapers to create ‘true meadow’ habitats. “For landscaping projects where the use of species which are entirely native to the UK is the critical driving factor, our Regional Environmental range is the ideal choice,” Mr Brown adds. “These carefully selected mixtures accurately replicate local, regional and national UK habitats, thereby enabling landscapers to safeguard native wildlife populations by preserving the heritage of the UK’s natural environment.”

In addition to its standard wildflower ranges, Germinal is also able to create bespoke mixtures to suit site-specific requirements. All of Germinal’s wildflower mixtures contain species which have been deemed ‘Perfect for Pollinators’ by the RHS.

For more information about Germinal’s wildflower mixtures go to www.germinalamenity.com.

Alternatively, for advice on the most suitable mixture(s) for a specific remit or advice about a special formulation, please contact Germinal on 01522 868714.

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)

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station

Countrywide Grounds use Turf Tank Base Station: Countrywide Grounds, Shropshire, has been using the Turf Tank robotic line marker with GPS base station to achieve unrivalled accuracy wherever it is needed.

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits

Enhanced wildflower mixtures offer benefits: As part of its ongoing commitment to promote the ecological benefit of man-made environments, amenity grass and wildflower seed specialist Germinal has updated its range of wild flora mixtures to make them more beneficial to pollinators.

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