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UK Loggers Championships to be held at SAGE

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UK Loggers Championships to be held at SAGE: There’s yet another reason to make a date to visit SAGE, the UK’s biggest outdoor trade show in the sports and grounds maintenance industry, as it has just been announced that the UK Loggers National Championships will be held at the event.

The competition, which showcases the expertise and superb skills of the best loggers from around the country, will be hosted on the 19th and 20th of July 2023, at the stunning Three Counties showground in Malvern, Worcestershire.

UK Loggers Championships to be held at SAGE

UK Loggers Championships to be held at SAGE

The UK Loggers National Championship is a fierce test of precision and skill determining an overall precision chainsaw champion – with the best among the competitors going on to represent their country at the World Logging Championship next year. Consisting of five disciplines, the championship tests every facet of logging – from cross cutting, to felling, limbing, a chain change and a relay race.

Back for its third year, SAGE is the ideal place to host this contest, as it’s set to be the biggest yet.

Richard Siddons from UK Loggers said: “When we learnt more about SAGE and how it’s all about providing interactive, hands-on experiences and demonstrations, it was clear this would be the ideal place to hold the UK Loggers National Championships.

“Not only is there a huge amount of outside space available for us to hold the contest, we’ll also be surrounded by people who will appreciate the skill and experience of those taking part in the competition.

“We plan to put on a great show for those watching, who will also hopefully learn a little more about the many different aspects of precision chainsaw competing. And, of course, the champion will also be crowned, as well as the best few chosen to represent the UK next year at a global level.”

SAGE will also be an excellent event to network with others in the industry, as well as mingling with experts who will be providing demonstrations and interesting talks. Visitors will be able to view the latest equipment, share the newest techniques and truly ‘try before you buy’ – with the outside space meaning the sky really is the limit!

Companies are invited to be a part of the action and sponsor the UK Loggers National Championships, with only very limited places available. As part of the sponsorship package, brands will have a presence on the SAGE website and social platforms, printed banners, a big-screen ad, tannoid announcements and video footage of your demo. To enquire about these options, or to book exhibition space, please contact Vicky Panniers vp@sportsandgrounds.co.uk.

Find out more about the green measures at SAGE 2023 here https://sportsandgrounds.events/sustainability/

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Attraxor® keeps Poa at bay at Kirkhill

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Attraxor® keeps Poa at bay at Kirkhill: Scott McKittrick, Course Manager at Kirkhill Golf Club, has revealed how Attraxor® has helped him to suppress Poa annua and has resulted in the greens playing firm, true and fast.

Kirkhill Golf Club is a parkland course, founded in 1910 and designed by the renowned course architect and five times Open winner James Braid. The course is located on the outskirts of the city of Glasgow in the South Lanarkshire area.

Attraxor® keeps Poa at bay at Kirkhill

Attraxor® keeps Poa at bay at Kirkhill

Scott originally joined Kirkhill Golf Club as an apprentice back in 1995 and was rewarded with the Course Manager position just seven years later. He now oversees a team of six members of staff and explained the importance of keeping standards consistently high.

“We are in a very competitive area and are surrounded by many golf clubs,” he said. “I’m pleased to say that we always get great feedback, and we hold our own. We must be different and entice people to join and that involves always being at the top of our game.”

Therefore, when he was recommended a potential solution to tackling a large percentage of Poa annua on the greens, he was keen to trial it.

“Our greens consist of approximately 60%-70% annual meadow-grass and because of this we would have to be aggressive with the turf. We would double cut and roll, and it took a lot of time and labour.

“I spoke to Ramsay MacGregor (Amenity Specialist for Agrovista Amenity) and he told me a lot about a product which he believed to be brilliant at supressing annual meadow-grass seed heads. After talking at length, I thought it would be great for us if it did exactly what it said on the tin.”

The product Ramsay introduced to Scott was Attraxor® – a BASF product which has been shown to effectively regulate growth of managed amenity turf. The active substance, Prohexadione, inhibits the gibberellic acid pathway, which results in a reduction of turf height and turf biomass. Furthermore, as well reducing clippings it also suppresses the seed heads of Poa annua.

Key advantages include:

  • Attraxor® is formulated for rapid foliar uptake – as quick as 4 hours from application.
  • Superior performance against Poa annua pioneering.
  • Attraxor® can be used earlier or later in the season at cooler temperatures compared to other growth regulators.
  • Consistent growth regulation of turf grass species.
  • Root formation is also promoted through the use of Attraxor® whilst turf colour and quality are enhanced.

Scott initially applied Attraxor® at the recommended minimum rate of 375 g/ha and was instantly impressed.

“The first time we tried it last year, the Poa was going crazy. We applied Attraxor®, came in the next day and we couldn’t believe it. It looked as though it had literally wiped the whole Poa out. When you got close you could see that it was still there, but it was severely dishevelled. From that moment, we knew it was a game-changer.

“In that first year we mainly used the product to firefight the Poa seedheads, so as soon as we saw it was coming back, we hit it with Attraxor® again. However, this year we have taken a more regimented approach; applying it at a higher rate of 500 g/ha. This has reduced the seed head production and has worked really well. The ball roll is no longer affected by the Poa, and the greens play brilliantly – they are exactly where we want them to be.”

By attending an Agrovista Amenity education day, Scott found that he wasn’t the only one reporting good results from Attraxor®.

“The education days from Agrovista Amenity are important because they provide an opportunity to see how products and technology are developing,” he said. “There have been a couple of seminars that have focussed on Attraxor® and it brought together lots of greenkeepers who have all been using the product. It was great speaking to them and finding out what rates they use, what they might be mixing it with and what results they are seeing.

“The general consensus was that it is a brilliant product and is great for supressing Poa annua seed head production.”

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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Dennis E-Series shines at San Siro

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Dennis E-Series shines at San Siro: Two models in the Dennis E-Series battery-powered range are setting the standard in Italy by maintaining the pitch at the world-famous San Siro stadium.

San Siro is the home stadium of two of the most successful Italian Football League clubs: A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale (Inter), and in addition to hosting the matches of Milan and Inter, it welcomes concerts of many of the most renowned Italian and international artists.

Dennis E-Series shines at San Siro

Dennis E-Series shines at San Siro

Giovanni Castelli has been the Agronomist at San Siro since the Italia 90 World Cup. He oversees a team of 6 groundstaff and is responsible for every pitch operation. Under his remit, Giovanni also decides on which machinery should be used at the San Siro, and he explained his reasons for choosing the Dennis ES-860 and ES-34R.

“From ordinary maintenance to the extraordinary, our main goal is to have a perfect pitch for every game,” he said. “There isn’t any room for mistakes and if you don’t want to make mistakes then you need the best machines – for innovation, quality, and performance.

“We looked at other battery-powered mowers, but the Dennis E-Series was the best. With the E-Series you get a better cut – you can set the clip rate, and you can also cut in difficult conditions, when it is raining or when the pitch is very young.

“Another reason for switching to the E-Series was to become greener,” continued Giovanni. “Milan is a city where the green culture has influenced the architecture, production technologies, and transport, and we decided to be part of this evolution. The San Siro is the most important theatre – not only in Milan but the whole of Italy and we must be a pioneer of the green conversion and lead the way.

“Last but not least we have many tourists who visit the stadium every day and the experience of the peaceful, empty stadium is an incredible moment. With the Dennis E-Series that silence is safe and doesn’t disrupt the tourist experience.

“The work we do in San Siro helps other teams improve the pitches all over Italy and I would recommend the E-Series to every club in the country.”

For many years, turf professionals have been choosing Dennis Mowers for their superb cut quality and reliability, and anticipation quickly started building when the company announced its new battery-powered range.

Leaving no stone unturned, Dennis Mowers spent three years working with carefully selected partners to develop a range of quality battery-powered equipment befitting of the Dennis badge. The aim was to provide a reliable and long-lasting solution with the ultimate performance that helps professionals meet sustainability and environmental initiatives, reduce carbon footprint, emissions, running costs and noise without any range anxiety.

After an E-Series demonstration, Giovanni selected the ES-860 and the ES-34R.

Dennis E-Series shines at San Siro

Dennis E-Series shines at San Siro

The ES-860, 34” battery powered turf management system delivers maximum versatility and the range of 13 interchangeable cassette options provide a solution to many day-to-day maintenance tasks such as cutting, scarifying, brushing, slitting and verticutting.

Furthermore, traditional G860 cassettes will also fit the ES-860, meaning that customers will not have to purchase additional cassettes.

The ES-34R is a 34″ (860mm) battery powered twin blade rotary mower. It is ideal for fine turf mowing and cleaning up operations in stadia and training facilities. Utilising the contra rotating hardened steel blades and low chute ensures maximum collection performance.

A robust LCD keypad screen is an integral feature of the handlebar console on every model in the ES range. This provides the operator with a multitude of information options including speed, clip rate, service checks, lifetime running reports and battery information.

Antonio Di Nunzio, the Head Groundsman at the San Siro, is also a big fan of the Dennis E-Series.

“We have two of the biggest clubs in Italy playing on this pitch and we have a high frequency of matches – approximately one every two days over the season. Therefore, we need the best machines to combat the high usage.

“We’ve always used Dennis mowers at San Siro – we had the petrol versions and now we have switched to their electric models. I’m really happy with them for several reasons. They allow us to work without the noise of engines and there are less vibrations which make them easier to control, more comfortable, and less stressful to work with. The quality and result of finish is always good because you can set the machines to exactly the way you want them.”

The San Siro grounds team purchased the E-Series models through Pratoverde, a Dennis and SISIS Italian distributor, and Antonio said their support has been invaluable.

“Pratoverde were instrumental in our decision to purchase the Dennis E-Series machines. We have a great relationship; they offer us good support and are always quick to answer any questions we may have.”

To hear what Giovanni Castelli says about the Dennis E-Series, visit https://youtu.be/5rnrhHk3zx8

To Hear what Antonio Di Nunzio says about the Dennis E-Series, visit https://youtu.be/2BWpIc90o6E

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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New Business Development Manager at Green-tech

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New Business Development Manager at Green-tech: Green-tech is delighted to announce that Adam Topliss has joined the company as their Business Development Manager.

This is a new role that has been created to support the sales team and help deliver the next phase of business growth.

New Business Development Manager at Green-tech

New Business Development Manager at Green-tech

Well-known and respected in the industry, Adam joins Green-tech after a decade’s experience working for Berry on their market-leading brands Tubex and Terram.

Commenting on the appointment, Sales Director Richard Gill said, “I am thrilled to welcome Adam to the team. Having worked with him as our major supplier of tree shelters and Terram products over the last ten years I know he will be a perfect fit for Green-tech. This is an essential role for future proofing the business and helping us to explore and step into new markets. Adam has the business and industry know-how and the passion and enthusiasm to make this role a success and make a great contribution to our future growth and development.”

As well as taking responsibility for business development within the company, Adam will be supporting the Sales Director Richard Gill and the 30 plus office-based sales and specification team. He will provide onsite back-up and support for Green-tech’s national customer base as well as helping to identify growth opportunities and drive sales through new and existing customers, alongside the account managers.

Remarking on his new role, Adam adds, “I am really pleased to be joining Green-tech. The company culture, work ethic and commitment to their customers really resonates with me and I’m looking forward to being part of their future.  I have a wealth of experience of sales, account management and project management in the landscape, forestry and construction industries and I’m looking forward to developing this newly created role. Green-tech has grown year on year since I have known them and their focus to expand into new markets is exciting.  I’m really looking forward to being an instrumental part of it.”

If you are interested in joining Green-tech and building a career within the landscaping industry, click the link below to check out their careers page with all current vacancies.

https://www.green-tech.co.uk/about-us/careers

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Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

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Deep aeration at Bricket Wood: When St Stephen Parish Council had a waterlogging problem with their playing field at Bricket Wood, St Alban’s, they brought in Terrain Aeration. Normal aeration had little or no effect across the field and there was also a wet patch at the entrance.

Following a site visit, work began on the eight thousand seven hundred and twenty-six square metre area. The ground was found to be too boggy for Terrain Aeration to use their usual Super Scamper Terralift machine, so they used their Tracker Terralift. This was able to move around the site without slipping and sliding on the wet ground. The machine works on the same principle with a JCB hammer driving a probe to a depth of one metre. Compressed air is injected which fractures the soil, creating fissures to allow the water to drain and air to get to the grass roots. The process is repeated at two metre intervals on a grid system so the fissures interlink. As the probe withdraws, dried seaweed is injected which expands and contracts and helps keep the ground ‘open’.

Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

“Several members of staff came along to observe,” says St Stephen’s Senior Groundsman Matthew Huddleston. “It’s a fascinating process. When the air is released, you can visibly see the ground move. What we didn’t know, until the metre-deep probe discovered one, is there are drainage pipes under the field. Water started to come up to the surface, so we needed to investigate further.”

Matthew used an excavator and found clogged drains which were unblocked. Water was then gushing down the drainage pipes. Terrain Aeration carried on aerating the whole site and the field showed immediate signs of improvement.

“We are all very pleased with the results, especially now the drains are running,” says Matthew. “We’re now considering having Terrain Aeration deep aerate some of our other sports pitches.”

Terrain Aeration www.terrainaeration.co.uk  01449 673783

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