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Amazing result at Hever Castle

October 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Tony Hawkins

Amazing result at Hever Castle: The historic English Yew Maze at Hever Castle in Kent dates back to 1906 when it was created by William Waldorf Astor, a former owner who restored the castle. Hever was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth 1. It draws […]

Roll call of improvements for West Herts

October 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Izzy Cutler

Roll call of improvements for West Herts: There’s a veritable roll call of improvements for West Herts Golf Club after the installation of a new Toro irrigation system in the Winter of 2019. Consistency of growth, water savings, reduced cutting heights, more definition, healthier turf and visual improvements are all highlighted by general manager Jonathan […]

Amazing result at Hever Castle

October 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Tony Hawkins

Roll call of improvements for West Herts

October 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Izzy Cutler

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Amazing result at Hever Castle

October 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Tony Hawkins

Amazing result at Hever Castle: The historic English Yew Maze at Hever Castle in Kent dates back to 1906 when it was created by William Waldorf Astor, a former owner who restored the castle.

Hever was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth 1. It draws 350,000 visitors a year, most of whom will test their sense of direction and memory by walking the maze. Originally intended only for family use, it comprises more than 1,000 individual yew trees imported from Holland, it measures 80ft by 80ft (24.4m) and is 6,4000 square feet. The hedges reach 8ft (2.4m) in height and there is almost a quarter of a mile (0.4km) of pathways inside. The Yew maze is one of two at the castle.

Amazing result at Hever Castle

To maintain healthy Yew hedging requires decompaction of the beach pebble pathways and specialists Terrain Aeration carried out the work using their Remote Terralift machine. The baby of the Terralift fleet, the Remote weighs in at just eighty kilos and measures only sixty centimetres wide. This allows it to fit through narrow pathways such as the maze and work in confined spaces other machines cannot reach. It still has the power of a standard Airforce Terralift to hammer the hollow probe up to one metre deep and release a hydraulic blast of compressed air at up to 20Bar (28psi).

The roots of all plants need to respire and absorb oxygen from the air spaces between soil particles. If these spaces are closed the roots tend to die back from such areas. Soil loses airspaces by compacting, whether under its own weight or because it has been loaded by passing feet. The latter is very much the case for the Hever Castle maze. Having fractured the soil underground and created fissures, the Remote Terralift’s probe releases dried seaweed which expands and contracts with the moisture, and the probe holes are backfilled with Lytag aggregate to maintain aeration.

“It is absolutely necessary to ensure the health of the Yew trees which are nearly 115 years old.” Says Neil Miller, Hever Castle’s Head Gardener. “The last time we had Terrain Aeration do the aerating was ten years ago, so we know it works. It’s the only way to keep the old topiary alive. Terrain were with us for the day last January and treated the pathways and perimeter. The result is the Yews are looking extremely healthy.”

Since closure during the Covid-19 crisis, the maze at Hever Castle is currently closed to ensure the Yews fully benefit from the work. Although this is not essential it will make an added contribution to maintaining their good health. Terrain Aeration 01449 673783

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Roll call of improvements for West Herts

October 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Izzy Cutler

Roll call of improvements for West Herts: There’s a veritable roll call of improvements for West Herts Golf Club after the installation of a new Toro irrigation system in the Winter of 2019.

Consistency of growth, water savings, reduced cutting heights, more definition, healthier turf and visual improvements are all highlighted by general manager Jonathan Kaltner, as well as the “best possible service” during the installation that took place during the pandemic.

Roll call of improvements for West Herts

Thanks to the installation of Toro Lynx Central Control and Toro sprinklers, West Herts Golf Club’s course is “head and shoulders above where it was last year,” says Jonathan.

“The new system has been operational since June and we’ve already seen a big improvement,” he explains. “Previously hot weather would cause problems such as burning the turf on the tops of bunkers, requiring us to re-turf them in the autumn. But there’s no sign of that now.

“The Toro sprinklers all have head control valves and using Lynx Central Control allows you to turn on one sprinkler at a time and pinpoint your irrigation to where you need it. Plus, the application in millimetres can be set and left overnight, with the weather station able to pick up if it’s rained and automatically change the application in response to that, so you don’t waste water.

“With Toro irrigation, you get incredibly accurate and uniform application, which means there is far more consistency of growth,” he says. “Because of that, we’ve been able to reduce cutting heights in some areas and get more definition. It’s phenomenal what it’s been able to do visually.”

The improvement to the course has proved all the more sweeter as it was a refit long overdue: “Parts of the system had reached 40-years old and while it had been added to over the years, it was not as efficient as it could be,” explains Jonathan. “So, we started to look into upgrading and had Irritech come to do a survey and put together a proposal. Based on what needed doing, we realised a Toro irrigation system could provide many efficiencies that would really benefit us. Plus, our head greenkeeper is a big fan of how Toro machinery operates, so we knew we could trust the brand.”

After speaking to Reesink Turfcare to finalise the perfect sprinkler combinations for the course, the club enlisted MH Irrigation Ltd to carry out the installation consisting of everything from new water storage tanks to underground pipework.

“We had a total refit, plus Lynx Central Control and around 400 Toro sprinklers installed. The support from MH Irrigation Ltd and Reesink was fantastic throughout,” says Jonathan. “Obviously there were additional difficulties due to COVID-19, but Reesink moved some training online and did everything they could to adapt to the situation and provide the best possible service.”

As part of the club’s continued investment in the course, the excellent results Toro irrigation has delivered is a “real game changer” says Jonathan: “The feedback has been superb and it puts the club in a fantastic position moving forward. With our Toro machinery lease renewal coming up and improvements to be made to the bunkers and club house, the only way is up for West Herts!”

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Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Amazing result at Hever Castle

Roll call of improvements for West Herts

Amazing result at Hever Castle

Roll call of improvements for West Herts

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Amazing result at Hever Castle

Amazing result at Hever Castle: The historic English Yew Maze at Hever Castle in Kent dates back to 1906 when it was created by William Waldorf Astor, a former owner who restored the castle.

Roll call of improvements for West Herts

Roll call of improvements for West Herts: There’s a veritable roll call of improvements for West Herts Golf Club after the installation of a new Toro irrigation system in the Winter of 2019.

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