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Issues Tackled At Learning LIVE

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Issues Tackled At Learning LIVE: A number of key industry experts will be uniting to collaboratively tackle the biggest issues facing the groundscare environment at SALTEX 2019, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on October 30 and 31.

Learning LIVE, SALTEX’s all-encompassing and free-to-attend education programme will take place in four dedicated seminar theatres with presentations and panel debates running from 10am through to 3.30pm each day of the show.

Issues Tackled At Learning LIVE

Featuring over 50 CPD accredited seminars involving more than 100 expert speakers, the programme has been developed by leading industry partners and influencers to provide support, insight and real solutions to key industry issues.

Learning LIVE will kickstart with ‘Creating Champions’ telling the story of grounds staff’s contribution to this summer’s biggest weekend of sporting success. A spectacular line-up, including Neil Stubley (AELTC, Wimbledon) and Karl McDermott (Lord’s), will explain how to deliver exceptional surfaces for the world’s most prestigious sports events.

Findings from the IOG’s recent research document Groundsmanship – Sports’ Vital Profession will be presented by the IOG’s CEO Geoff Webb and consultant research lead, Carol Doran. Meanwhile, football grounds personnel can enjoy a rare opportunity to sit in on the ‘Tottenham Hotspur FC Experience’ seminar. Head groundsman Gary Lee reveals how the state-of-the art 62,000-capacity stadium pitches were built.

From Premiership to grassroots groundsmanship, there’s something for everyone at Learning LIVE. Pitch advisors from the IOG-led Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme (GaNTIP) will be presenting case studies of successful pitch improvements, and also offering advice on how to secure funding.

In the ‘Class Acts’ seminar Ian Avery (Sutton Valence School) explores how independent schools can balance internal and external demands on their pitches. Ian will focus on costings, timings and benefits to the school, plus the problems, and solutions, of quick turnarounds on multi-sport pitches. Giles Roberts (St Peter’s School), Lee Marshallsay (Charterhouse) and Danny Beckley (Harrow School) will also be discussing best practices to help your pitches stand out in a competitive market.

Recent regulations relating to plant protection products (PPP) have had a significant impact on turf management, and Learning LIVE attendees can expect to find answers in a seminar entitled ‘Pesticide 2020 and Beyond’. With a number of widely used insecticides, fungicides and herbicides having been withdrawn in recent times, Dr Colin Mumford (Bayer) will be on hand to explain the current status of PPP, what PPP are being withdrawn or introduced, and how to get optimum results from them.

Cricket grounds personnel can find out about ongoing research carried out by First Class Counties and England’s Centre of Excellence, and an elite panel, featuring Andy McKay (Sussex CCC) Gary Barwell (Warwickshire CCC) and Will Relf (Loughborough University), will be explaining how hybrid pitches in cricket are learning lessons from football. Industry legend Chris Wood, the ECB’s international pitches consultant, is set to captivate the audience with his stories as he looks back through his career in ‘A Lifetime in Groundsmanship’.

Elsewhere, climatologist Jim Dale is presenting ‘Managing Climate Change’ to ensure turf professionals stay one step ahead; ICL’s Dr Andy Owen and PhD student at Royal Holloway University, Tamsin Williams, offer an insight into their four-year research project on the effects of seaweed products on turf grass plant parasitic nematodes; industry consultant Peter Corbett discusses ‘Life Without Propiconazole’; and Question Time with the Amenity Forum will no doubt spark a lively debate around the use of pesticides and their alternatives.

This is just a snapshot of sessions available at this year’s show. Go to www.iogsaltex.com where you will soon be able to check out the full programme, register your visit to SALTEX and book into your preferred sessions to avoid the queues.

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX

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Toro Lynx At Blackpool North Shore

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Toro Lynx At Blackpool North Shore: Stage one of the irrigation refit at Blackpool North Shore Golf Club is complete with the successful – and quick – installation of a Toro Lynx central control system.

Toro and Reesink Turfcare, an official UK supplier of Toro, have long advocated innovation through renovation in its irrigation strategy, but more often than not customers have a sprinkler upgrade rather than the integration of a central control system.

Toro Lynx At Blackpool North Shore

Blackpool North Shore provides a classic example of how, when it comes to renovation with Toro, it doesn’t matter which part of the system needs replacing success is sure to follow.

Course manager Andy Moore says: “There was no question about it, Blackpool North Shore needed a new central control system. Ours was 13 years old and left unsupported by a brand which had subsequently left the sector. The main issues we had to rectify were getting the control system talking to the sprinklers again and improving operation.

“In recent years, things were held together by hand-watering and returning to the course out of hours and late at night to apply water. Obviously, that wasn’t a sustainable situation, but the shortfallings of the system were really highlighted to everyone in the drought of last year. By then I’d been appointed course manager and this was the project with which I could make my mark.”

Andy had whittled his decision down to two control systems and says Toro Lynx triumphed thanks to its technological benefits and the thorough and comprehensive demonstration provided by Reesink. “Not only did Peter Newton come to demo the system to myself and the team and took his time explaining all the USPs, but he came back and went through everything again in a presentation to the board. That made all the difference, everyone bought into it and knew what we were investing in.”

Installation was completed by Rob Green by Green Irrigation in just a couple of days, to deliver Blackpool North Shore a system more than capable of working with any sprinkler or weather station, no matter its age or brand.

As long as the correct sprinkler data is entered into Lynx, no matter what the brand of sprinkler is being used – and all can be catered for – the result will be accurate watering, as Andy confirms: “The Lynx system has delivered a level of accuracy and consistency we haven’t had in many years. We can now irrigate in millimetres. It’s incredible really and can all be done via the mobile app, which myself and my deputy Dan are finding to be a real benefit and so easy to use.”

Stage one of the irrigation refit is the first step in an all-encompassing plan of course improvements, says Andy: “We’re bringing definition to the fairways of this Harry Colt-designed course. At the moment the fairways are rolling and each seems to roll into the next. By adding gorse plants and pathways we hope to improve the presentation of the course for our members and visitors. We’re also reducing the number of bunkers significantly and making those we keep have revetted faces, and we’ll be releveling the tees.”

And, of course, stage two of the irrigation refit will be taking place. The sprinklers will be replaced for either Toro Infinity or Flex, depending on which suits the club’s system and course best. The Flex Sprinkler has the same riser to Infinity, just a different body. Andy continues: “We’re trialling four Infinity sprinklers on the 18th green at the moment and they’re performing really well. I’ve heard good things about Toro Flex too so the jury’s out for the moment. What I can say is, it’ll definitely be Toro we go for!

“We’re a relatively small greenkeeping team and anything we can do to ease the pressure and load is going to be something we’ll consider. Most of the course improvements we have planned will go some way in helping make the day-to-day maintenance and care of the course easier to manage. The same applies to the irrigation. Technology – and Toro – have proven that one simple change, done in a couple of days, can make all the difference.”

Some have credited Toro’s Lynx control system with bringing industry buzzwords ‘interchangeable’ and ‘future-proof’ irrigation to life, and Blackpool North Shore is the latest living proof in how simple and quick it is to deliver that kind of improvement.

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ICL On Target At Temple GC

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ICL On Target At Temple GC: A fortnightly greens tank-mix consisting of Vitalnova Stressbuster, Greenmaster Liquid, Primo Maxx II and Ryder turf pigment, has proved to be a valuable base feed which has helped to reduce the use of fungicides according to Ben Kebby, Course Manager at Temple Golf Club in Berkshire.

Built on land once owned by The Knights Templar, The Temple Links, as the course was first known, was designed in 1909 by Willie Park Junior. The Club recently celebrated its 110th year anniversary and its membership base is thriving – seeing an increase from 250 to 750 in just five years.

ICL On Target AT Temple GC

Perhaps it is no coincidence that Ben also started at the Club five years ago but the modest Course Manager refuses to take credit for the rise in membership. It is however evident that he has implemented a number of positive changes at the Club but when asked about his success Ben instead prefers to talk about his love for Temple.

“From the very start I was as ambitious as anyone but that has changed now,” he said. “As with most people, when you start in greenkeeping you want to be in charge at the world’s best course overseeing the sport’s most prestigious tournaments. However, since arriving at Temple I have come to the conclusion that lifestyle and happiness trumps ambition. The members here are fantastic, my boss Keith is superb and the area I live in is amazing. I am close to family and it ticks every box for me.”

Ben crossed the channel where he was working as an Assistant Superintendent at a course in the West of Paris to take the position at Temple Golf Club and felt that it was a vital chapter in his greenkeeping journey. His days as an apprentice at Berkshire Golf Club may seem a lifetime ago but Ben has rose rapidly up the career ladder and claims that choosing the correct products is key, especially when it comes to the greens.

“We live and die by the standard of our greens and we are only as good as the day before,” he said. “Last year we were hit quite badly with disease on the greens and I sprayed more fungicide than ever before and I just felt like I was chasing my tail – so that was one reason I went with this new tank-mix.

“The other reason for using the mix was because we had an ICL seminar here in spring last year with Andy Owen (ICL International Technical Manager) and he revealed the results of a trial he carried out in which he didn’t use a fungicide application throughout the autumn to see if he could achieve acceptable standards of greens performance. By using the right technologies, an example being Vitalnova Stressbuster, and getting timing of applications correct, he was able to achieve his goal and significantly reduce disease outbreaks to an acceptable level, this prompted me to examine my own approach.”

Inspired by Andy Owen’s trial work and after discussing it in more detail with Matt Nutter (ICL Area Sales Manager), Ben decided to push ahead with a tank-mix which consisted of Vitalnova Stressbuster (10 L/ha), Primo Maxx II (0.3 L/ha) Greenmaster Liquid 25-0-0 (10/20 L/ha) and Ryder (1 L/ha).

ICL On Target AT Temple GC

“I’ve been using it for approximately five months now and have seen some notable improvements. For starters, drought resistance is better – I was usually putting down about 2mm a night of water as a minimum whereas this year I can run on 1mm. The moisture is now far easier to control and before using this tank-mix I had to over-water just to control it.

“Another remarkable improvement is that the disease pressure has significantly reduced, in fact so-much-so that I have not sprayed a fungicide since February. In recent weeks we have had some heavy rain and high temperatures and we’ve had no disease outbreak whatsoever.

In this sense my thoughts go towards Ryder and Vitalnova Stressbuster with that little bit of iron mixed into it. The foliar grouping works together really well as a preventative, and was inspired by Andy’s presentation.”

While Ben continues to see consistently good results from his tank-mix, he believes that ICL’s continuous product research, trial work and data are essential in helping the industry to move forward.

“The trials, the studies and the explanation of data are incredibly important to me. Anyone can say they have run a trial but I am so much more comfortable going with a product which has some clear data and research behind it.

“It helps greenkeepers to move forward and to overcome obstacles. For example, I can sit here and know that if fungicides were withdrawn tomorrow, I can use the example set by ICL’s trial work presented by Andy and I have the confidence to design a programme to allow the greens to perform well throughout the whole season. It is a nice position to be in.”

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

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The Turfix Pitch At SALTEX

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The Turfix Pitch At SALTEX: Turfix, The Pitchmark Group subsidiary formed at the beginning of 2019, will be exhibiting at Saltex this year with the latest products and developments.

Turfix acts as Pitchmark’s UK distribution arm, offering premium pitch solutions to the professional sports turf sector. The service includes bespoke advice, education and supply of a wide range of innovative products. Turfix has grown out of very good relationships with other manufacturers and over thirty years’ experience in the horticultural and amenity sector. Comprising a highly experienced team with years of knowledge, the business has expanded throughout the year.

The Turfix Pitch At SALTEX

The Turfix Services’ GPS marking division has seen new operators in the North and South coming on board during the Easter and summer periods. Over 300 pitches and tracks have been marked by the team since July alone. Martin Samuel has joined as Regional Account Manager for the South West.

“Turfix represents true quality of service.” says Mark Rodman, The Pitchmark Group’s Chairman. “We have created a facility which allows our people to spend more time with groundsmen and help tailor solutions specifically to their requirements.” Each account manager has been a groundsman or greenkeeper in their career, lending weight to a unique level of understanding. Fully complementing the exception level of service is the supply of a wide range of products.

The latest is the new British product, Block Blitz, a paving treatment with a real difference. It’s described as the UK’s first block paving specific treatment, designed to clean and protect paving without the need for scrubbing, jetwashing or sealing. Block Blitz joins the wide range of Turfix distributed products including Pitchmark, ICL, Syngenta, Harrod Sport and Tildenet Sport.

Turfix supplied a range of products to Parc des Princes stadium for their FIFA Women’s World Cup games and Pitchmark supplied all stadia at FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 and Euro 2016 France.  Pitchmark paint was also used to mark the pitch at the Principality Stadium for the Champions League Final 2017.

Turfix is on Stand No. E125 at Saltex

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True Grit At SALTEX

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True Grit At SALTEX: Wessex International have chosen Saltex as the venue for the launch of PolarOne, their new range of professional salt and grit spreaders for winter maintenance.  

Built in the UK to take on the harshest winter conditions, the spreader is constructed using stainless steel components and fixings together with powder coating for anti-corrosion longevity. Durability and weight saving are also the thinking behind the self-supporting design of the polypropylene hopper and integral liquid brine tank. PolarOne can be trailer or vehicle-mounted. There are two models, the WS-900 (900L) and WS-1200 (1200L) and each has three options.

True Grit At SALTEX

Model ST is a manually operated machine for those who just want a basic spreader, no speed control or data logging. Model GT has all the functions of the standard machine but with the addition of GPS speed control. The system monitors changes in forward speed and spread widths to ensure precise application and minimal material wastage, for increased profitability. The Commander has all the above with the addition of full telematics to remotely monitor the salt spreader back at base. The set- up would have access to a real-time webpage and opens up a variety of additional facilities such as route logging, reporting and ring-fencing for fleet and productivity management. The PolarFlo vibration system is a patented auto vibration control to manage consistent material flow, which is totally new and unique to the industry. The spreader is suited to a wide variety of vehicles with its adjustable spinner height coupled with a convenient fold up feature. The spread direction is easily adjusted to bias from left to right by moving the feed chute position and there’s a safety emergency stop. PolarOne’s extended auger design allows better weight distribution in the host vehicle and the large diameter auger, with delivery tunnel, manages the spreading of a large range of materials without blockages or leakage.

Wessex have achieved a unique, low maintenance design with the PolarOne spreader using no engines, belts, chains or grease points.  The in-cab digital controller, with GPS connectivity, will adjust material delivery according to your vehicle speeds to maintain a consistent application rate. A speed optimisation indicator will help you optimise your driving speeds to improve the accuracy of spreading and productivity of your equipment and reduce material wastage. There’s a wide range of optional extras and plans to introduce pre-wet and spray bar options. Brine will be available in 2020.  Wessex will also display their ProLine range of commercial mowers and turf machinery at the show.  See the PolarOne spreader and latest ProLine on the Wessex International stand number K060 at Saltex.

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Rigby Taylor Success At Cromer LTA

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Rigby Taylor Success At Cromer LTA: One measure of the calibre of any sporting venue is not only the level of use of the site but also the number of favourable comments made about the quality of the playing surfaces.

Cromer Lawn Tennis & Squash Club (LTA) can lay claim to both – thanks to the expert court maintenance regimes instigated by head groundsman Matt Jordan and his use of a range of Rigby Taylor amenity products. These, he says, “prove indispensable in enabling us to keep our grass courts playing well and looking good all through a busy season”.

Rigby Taylor Success At Cromer LTA

Based on the Norfolk coast, Cromer LTA is open for play on weekdays during the summer months from 9am to 10pm, and on weekends from 9am to 8pm during the summer and 9am ‘til 4pm in the winter. The facilities are heavily used throughout the year. The 10 grass courts are open from April through to September, when play switches to the two floodlit artificial courts and the pair of hard courts.

The summer schedule includes a number of major tournaments when the grass courts especially are at full stretch:

  • A Junior Week when 300 youngsters descend on the site and utilise all courts;
  • The Open Senior Week, with around 200 competitors on grass – which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary at the long-established (1907) club; and
  • The County Week, when the club welcomes a host of players from around the country on its grass courts.

For such tournaments, it is not unusual for Matt and his assistant Peter Cooper to be at the site every day from 5.30am to, for example, cut the courts (at 8 mm high) “though the daily use of the mowers is more for ‘hoovering up’ any debris on the courts as it is for keeping the grass height consistent”. They also attend at night, when necessary, to water the courts.

But they utilise a well-practised pitch care regime that, says Matt, begins when the tennis season ends in September as court renovations begin.

“We will start with a concerted programme of heavy scarification when most of the sward will actually be removed,” he says. “Then we spike and apply a light covering of Kettering loam before applying Rigby Taylor’s R9 ultra fine dwarf rye seed. We’ll keep off the surfaces for two/three weeks before we start cutting – to 14 mm high – and we’ll continue to cut to this height every other week throughout the winter.

He continues: “During this time we will apply various Rigby Taylor products and we’ll spike and slit once a month in preparation for the new season, which starts in April. That said, I avoid aerating and spiking after perhaps February/March, depending on the weather, to avoid encouraging cracking on the courts.

“I’ve worked with bents and fescues in the past,” says Matt who spent eight years as a golf greenkeeper (when he gained his Level 3 accreditation) before joining Cromer LTA in 2008. “But rye is, of course, the choice for tennis courts and I find R9 (treated with Germin-8T) provides excellent wear and disease tolerance, for example.

Rigby Taylor Success At Cromer LTA

The ‘T’ in Germin 8T identifies the content of the Trichoderma atroviride filamentous soil fungi that forms a mutual endophytic, beneficial relationship with grass plants. The symbiotic relationship delivers increased tolerance to the turf diseases leaf spot, pythium and rhizoctonia.

Pre-applied to each individual grass seed, Germin-8T contains a speciality surfactant that is activated when the seed comes into contact with rootzone moisture. This provides effective penetration of water through the seeds’ outer layer (pericorp) into the endosperm, by lowering the surface tension of the surrounding water molecules. Roots can also take advantage of the micronised mycorryhizal fungi that will deliver long-term plant benefits.

The result is that at the active germination stage, each emerging seedling has immediate access to a highly beneficial package of targeted nutrients, biostimulants and micronised mycorrhizal fungi that together aid early establishment, improved root mass development and accelerated leaf extension.

“I do trial competitor grasses against R9 but haven’t found anything to match it – for example, its germination rates are consistently 25% better than anything I’ve tried.”

Likewise, he pinpoints a number of other Rigby Taylor’s products as being ideal for his needs – and those of the courts – “including Premier HG slow-release granular and Fine Turf 6-0-18 fertilisers, SeaQuest liquid seaweed and Magnet Velocite liquid iron”, in combination with the company’s iGo line marker and its Impact XP paint “where every application consistently lasts for a week”.

The artificial courts are brushed as often as possible when the weather is dry, “and at least every other week”, while the hard courts are sprayed once/twice a year to keep the moss at bay.

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Ecogreen Screener To Launch At SALTEX

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Ecogreen Screener To Launch At SALTEX: King Feeders UK are pleased to announce the launch of their new Ecogreen compact mobile screener at Saltex 2019 in October.

A real breakthrough for landscaping and contracting groundscare businesses requiring compost and woodchip screening on the move, the screener can be legally towed behind a typical 4×4 pick-up, or similar vehicle, with a 3.5 tonne capacity. It can be built to be trailer loaded, or it can be trailed with its own axle and draw bar. The innovative design offers the option of standard legs, where it can be easily moved by a fork-lift, or the screener can be supplied with hydraulic legs.

Ecogreen Screener To Launch At SALTEX

The Ecogreen screener offers a simple, reliable and economic solution to a wide range of requirements, with a quick release screening drum and choice of meshes. The aggressive drum ensures fast, efficient operation with low running cost per tonne. The machine is easily driven by the PTO of a small compact tractor and it’s also available with diesel or electric drive.

The hopper comes with a steel feed conveyor, so there is no need for the continual adjustment required with a rubber belt. The screener is compact for easy access into confined spaces, robust in construction, and suitable for one-man operation.

Elevators are available for trommel fines removal after screening and separation and there is an optional brush for wet material.  The Ecogreen screener can be easily incorporated into a bunker system and designed to individual specification if required.

King Feeders will be offering special 0% finance deals at Saltex and for the first six months of sales, subject to status, with a 50% deposit then nothing to pay for 2-years and no interest on the payment balance. King Feeders have over fifty years in the machinery industry, with twenty-three years in green waste products. The company provides national service and support.

A number of other Ecogreen machines in the range will be on display at Saltex. Come and meet us on Stand No. H085 at Saltex and call us on (+44)01260 223273.  www.ecogreencomposting.co.uk

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Major Rollermower To Debut At SALTEX

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Major Rollermower To Debut At SALTEX: Phil Cole at Cotswold Turf Care knows a good mower when he sees one.

“The MAJOR Swift is a great performer and always leaves an excellent finish,” Phil nods approvingly. He’s been maintaining the grounds at Cirencester Park Polo Club for nearly 30 years so is particular that the turf provides a safe yet fast playing surface.

Major Rollermower To Debut At SALTEX

The exceptional double-wing design of the new MJ71-730T increases productivity and efficiency without compromising on the quality of cut. “The front and rear rollers ensure we leave a level and striped finish at precisely the right height of cut, every time. It levels the ground back down to its original condition after we’ve had eight or ten horses running over it.”

“Because it’s made of high-strength Strenx® steel, it’s lightweight and avoids compaction, which is beneficial to maintain the best ground condition,” Phil continues. “For a big machine, it is far more manoeuvrable than I expected – it can turn on a sixpence! It is also a very low consumer of power, therefore more economical with fuel.”

“We have a small team, so a reliable wide area mower is essential to alleviate time pressures and reduce costs,” continues Phil. He and his team at Cotswold Turf Care manage equestrian grounds, football and rugby pitches and golf courses, as well as parks across Gloucestershire. The team cuts a minimum of 6000 acres throughout the year. “The 7.3m Swift wings fold to 2.60m, making it great for safe road transportation between multiple sites. It’s about the largest make available that can be safely transported on the road.”

The trailed versions display the MAJOR qualities of durability and low maintenance. “There are no belts – just a strong and simple, heavy-duty driveline with a shear-bolt in the PTO drive,” Phil continues. “The MAJOR Swift is galvanised so it’s going to last us a long time!”

The larger units also have rubber encasing the hinges of each arm. This protects the joints while adding mobility for each wing over uneven ground for a more consistent cut.

Looking the part is just as important as playing the part. “Players and spectators have commented on how good the grounds look,” concludes Phil. “At a recent board meeting, the committee members commented very favourably about our grass cutting and the playing surface.”

See the new 7.3m Swift roller mower at the MAJOR stand (J112) at Saltex 2019 from Oct 30-31 at the NEC Birmingham.

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Sherriff A Hit At Hampton Court Palace

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Sherriff A Hit At Hampton Court Palace: A range of Sherriff Amenity products have improved the overall health of the turf on the fairways at Hampton Court Palace Golf Club, according to course manager Richard Hill.

Set within the royal grounds of Home Park where King Henry VIII once hunted deer and with the beautiful Hampton Court Palace looming in the background, there could hardly be a more regal setting to enjoy a round of golf.

Sherriff A Hit At Hampton Court Palace

The acclaimed 18-hole course is a 6,513 yard, par 71 parkland and inland links course which dates back to 1895. It was later re-modelled by Willie Park, who was also the designer of Royal Birkdale and Sunningdale, leaving the course beautiful yet demanding.

Richard Hill has been at the Club since May 2008 and was promoted to the position of course manager in 2013. Throughout his time Richard has maintained the course to an excellent standard despite some obstacles such as the huge 16th century lime-trees which surround the course and a bizarre lack of rainfall – as he explains.

“This site is an absolute anomaly when it comes to rainfall,” he says. “It can rain at the nearby Heathrow airport, it can rain on the M4 motorway but just not rain here at Hampton Court. I have my theories on why but that is another matter!”

As a result, the lack of rainfall tends to apply more pressure on the fairways at Hampton Court and Richard admits to embarking on a lengthy search for a winning formula which could help to relieve some of the stress.

“I was always looking at options that could make an improvement to the fairways and I tried so many different combinations of wetting agents and seaweeds – believe me, I must have tried all of them. The best results by far has been from Goemar seaweed and Excel wetting agent from Sherriff Amenity. When I first applied them, the fairways went from brown to green in just a week.”

Goemar is a high quality liquid seaweed extracted using a unique cold process that removes unwanted alginates and cellulose to leave a 100% seaweed juice. It is harvested in Brittany where they have some of the strongest tides in the world and these extreme tides lead this seaweed to experience high exposure to sun and heat at low tide. To counter these stresses the seaweed produces high amounts of the active ingredients required for plants to survive long stress periods. The cold extraction process then concentrates these ingredients in the finished product and Richard explained just how unique it is.

“Quite simply, it mixes perfectly,” he said. “You get all of the benefits without the organic matter and therefore the plant responds a lot quicker. It is full of beneficial sugars that combined with the Excel wetting agent, helps the grass to hold on to the nutrients. It is perfect for fairways.”

Its tank-mix partner Excel is a multi-purpose, low dose wetting agent which is ideal for use on larger areas, such as golf fairways and sports pitches.  For the tank-mix he applies Excel at 1 L/ha and Goemar at 3 L/ha but due to the weather conditions Richard believes that timing is key.

“I don’t have a set time to apply the products, instead I spray when I feel it is needed and when we have the correct weather window. Historically I used to have everything all in one tank – the fertiliser, the wetting agent and the seaweed but now I do it separately. So, I will apply my feed one day and then the seaweed and wetting agent another day.”

For his fairway feed, Richard relies on Sherriff Amenity’s Evolution Xtra Soluble 46.0.0 and feels that he now has the ideal products in place.

“I will always get an application of the Evolution Xtra out so that it is sitting there waiting to take all the nutrients in. It washes it down to the roots and then away it goes. It might be six weeks from when we spray the feed to when the Goemar and Excel go out and you can really see the benefits. The colour is great and you can see the Poa still hanging on which you normally wouldn’t see.

“I remember when we first applied this combination and they looked like different fairways.

“I will continue with this method because I want to encourage more water to go down to the roots and these products are doing the fairways a world of good.”

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriffamenity.com

For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity.

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New Agria Launches At SALTEX

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New Agria Launches At SALTEX: Agria UK is a new sister company to Wiedenmann UK and introduces two unique hybrid remote-controlled rotary mulching mowers at Saltex.

Agria was established near Stuttgart over 70 years ago. Originally for agriculture, it changed paths to cover soil cultivation, green space maintenance and pavement cleaning. Still prominent in these sectors, their German engineering has gained them a worldwide reputation for handheld multipurpose machines. Now their hybrid bank mowers are an exciting development and will be the specific focus for Agria UK.

New Agria Launches At SALTEX

Both Agria machines offer Hybrid-Drive-Concept, making them more efficient and environmentally friendly than hydraulic concepts.

The agria 9600, with its low centre of gravity and rubber tracks, powers safely through heavy duty work on steep slopes to 50°. In two widths, 112 cm and 80 cm, it cuts and mulches in two directions and is effortless on a variety of applications, including fine turf.

The agria 9500 is a remote controlled compact mower which performs to a very capable 45°.  With brushless motors and electromechanical braking it takes manoeuvrability to a new level. Zero turn, it has a working width of 70 cm and takes problem areas in its stride.

David Rae, managing director of both Agria UK and Wiedenmann UK said:

“Remote controlled units lead the way for safe technology.  These new units are perfect for purpose. Build quality and ease of use are exceptional. They help future proof the industry.

“We’ll be at Turf Maintenance Live! on Oct 22 & 23, at St Albans, then the following week will launch at the NEC for Saltex, Stand D097.”

Agria UK will operate through a network of stocking dealers across the UK and Ireland supported by Jason Bristow, Chas Ayres, Michael James and Andy Kerr.

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