Tag Archive for: essential

SISIS Auto Rotorake essential for Prees

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SISIS Auto Rotorake essential for Prees: The SISIS Auto Rotorake MK5 is an ‘essential’ piece of equipment according to Duncan Austin, Head Groundsman at Prees Cricket and Recreation Club in Shropshire.

Prees Cricket and Recreation Club is one of Shropshire’s premier sports and community clubs. Set in beautiful countryside, the Club boasts excellent sports facilities and caters for local sports teams of all ages.

SISIS Auto Rotorake essential for Prees

SISIS Auto Rotorake essential for Prees

Duncan Austin is the man responsible for keeping the facilities in impeccable condition. He has been working at Prees for six years, but it was in his last position where he first became familiar with the SISIS Auto Rotorake MK5.

“I used to do the ground maintenance at a different cricket club for 18 years and we used a SISIS Rotorake there. I knew how good it was and I felt it was something we could really benefit from having here at Prees.

“We have had problems with a lot of thatch, and last year we paid a contractor to undertake a big thatch removal project. I think this also prompted us to go ahead and purchase the Auto Rotorake MK5, so that we don’t have to rely on outside help. Instead, we can keep on top of it and work towards gradually removing all the thatch.”

The SISIS Auto Rotorake MK5 is a powerful self-propelled heavy duty scarifier designed for the removal and control of thatch on fine turf. It is ideally suited to a range of applications from sports field maintenance to lawns and amenities and features several benefits including:

  • Contra-rotating reel with specially designed tipped blades for clean, consistent cut and maximum thatch removal.
  • Alternative blades for light scarifying.
  • Depth of cut adjustment control is mounted on the handle to enable depth to be set whilst moving forwards.
  • User-friendly, operator presence controls designed for maximum operator safety.
  • Easy-fit collector box.
  • 5hp petrol engine with independent drive to wheels and reel.
  • Careful weight distribution, slick tyres and full differential ensure ease of turning and minimal surface marking.

Duncan mainly uses it on the cricket pitch but will also use it on the bowls greens from time to time.

“One of the biggest benefits of using the MK5 on a cricket pitch is the contra-rotating reels, because if the scarifier turns the same way as the mower then it pushes and compacts the thatch. This just doesn’t happen with the MK5 and that is thanks to the contra-rotating reels.

“We have the brush reel which is really good for prepping before a match cut. It stands the grasses up and helps to give you a good clean cut straight after. We’ve also got the sarel roller/spiker and I like the fact that you can change the cassettes in next to no time.

“I would say that being able to use the Auto Rotorake MK5 for a wide range of tasks is its best feature. You can use it all year round whether it is for scarifying or brushing or using the spiker to keep the surface open.

“It is just a great machine.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

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

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Essential information in your hand

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Essential information in your hand: The new Syngenta Turf App now includes a host of added features to help with everyday turf management decisions and enhance long-term planning.

Features for the new Syngenta Turf App include:

  • Disease & Pest ID Guide
  • Treatment recommendations
  • Product information
  • Tank-mix calculator
  • Application records
  • Support contacts
Essential information in your hand

Essential information in your hand

Launching the new Syngenta Turf App at the Turf Science Live event (8 July), the company’s Commercial Head for UK and Europe North West, Daniel Lightfoot, said: “It’s incredibly valuable to have all the information required to help make key management decisions readily to hand wherever you are.

“From a practical course managers perspective, the Turf App is a hugely beneficial tool for all spray applications and turf management decisions.”

A new Disease & Pest ID Guide provide a clear pictorial view of what to look out for, along with management notes of where and when problems are most likely to occur. It includes an in-depth strategy for the optimum Integrated Turf Management approach to each pest and disease.

Coupled to the ID Guide, users can simply select the target disease or pest for a full list of approved Syngenta control products.

Within each of the product listings, there are full details of statutory labels, safety data sheets and technical guides, to ensure operators are always fully compliant with the latest regulatory information on product use.

“It ensures operators always have access to the most up-to-date information instantly in their hand, wherever they are working,” reported Daniel. “The labels displayed on your phone are always clean and uncontaminated, compared to potentially handling old labels on part-used bottles in the store.”

Application records created in the Turf App enable full spray records to be quickly and simply created. Users can now add any company’s products into the system, including fertilisers and biocontrols, for example. Once any product details have been added, they remain available for future addition or reference.

“Course managers or agronomists can create spray recommendations using the Turf App that can be emailed to sprayer operators or contractors. That eliminates the chance of error from misreading hand-written sheets or instructions,” he advised.

Operators can also access information and update details of any application direct, if they are logged into the course account.

One-time registration enables users to input all their facility details, spray areas, equipment and operators – which can be instantly imported into spray records – making them quick and accurate to complete.

The app’s innovative Tank-mix Calculator will help operators complete the applications efficiently and accurately, by providing the amount of any products required to spray a given area and the appropriate water volume, along with advice on nozzle selection and sprayer set up.

“The fact that the spray records retained in the Turf App are allied to the label and product information within the system, alleviates the need to keep paper copies of labels in the office and ensures they are legally compliant.

“Digital tools have made a huge advance in supporting the skills and experience of turf managers,” highlighted Daniel. “Once you start to couple together the Turf App, with tools such as WeatherPro forecasting and the Primo Maxx II Growing Degree Day Calculator, for example, it creates a really powerful and practical integrated decision support package,” he added.

The new Syngenta Turf App is available free to download from the iStore or GooglePlay for Apple or android phone and tablet devices.

For more information visit www.syngentaturf.co.uk

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LockStar essential for weed control

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LockStar essential for weed control: Alan Abel from Complete Weed Control (South & Central Wales) has claimed that ICL’s residual herbicide, LockStar, has become an essential product in his armoury.

Since its launch last year, LockStar has been well received in the turf and landscaping sector. It arrived at a time when public green spaces, amenity areas and transportation infrastructure were coming under increasing pressure from reduced budgets, weed infestations and a reduction in chemical solutions available on the market. This new herbicide, which controls a broad spectrum of weeds, has been keeping areas such as these weed-free, functional and visually pleasing.

LockStar essential for weed control

LockStar essential for weed control

Alan has been using LockStar throughout the past season and has reported some hugely encouraging results.

“I’ve found it to be excellent and the longevity is fantastic,” he said. “It has been effective on all fronts for up to five months with just one application.”

When applied before germination, LockStar creates a dual barrier at the soil surface ensuring that soil is kept weed-free for up to five months. The innovative formula contains diflufenican and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium – which is the first new weed control active ingredient to be released in the UK for many years.

When applied pre-germination, LockStar creates a dual barrier on the soil surface preventing weed growth and establishment. To control weeds that are already present, it can be tank-mixed with glyphosate or a ‘fatty acid’.

“For those weeds that are already present, I have tank mixed LockStar with both glyphosate and another herbicide,” said Alan. “I’ve applied them at half rate and again, the results have been fantastic.”

Alan claims that the product has been a huge hit with local authorities and councils especially when it comes to the treatment of areas that need strimming frequently.

“We have applied LockStar to many fence lines, wall lines, tree bases – areas that need strimming at least once every three or four weeks,” continued Alan. “With LockStar applied to these areas, they don’t require to be strimmed at all, which saves our grounds teams a lot of time.”

ICL recently announced an update to the UK label of LockStar, which provided users with more effective and flexible weed control. The label update included extended use of the product meaning it can now be applied at any time of year instead of the previous limited window between February and June.

It was most welcome news to contractors and grounds managers as it gave them the opportunity to adapt their approach and give them greater control over weed growth. Alan agreed.

“It is great that LockStar was given these new permissions as it provides us with a lot more flexibility,” he said. “It is now a very important product in my armoury. I explain to customers about its strengths and how it provides them with more protection against weeds which in turn gives my customers confidence too.”

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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ECB say groundsmen’s work is essential

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ECB say groundsmen’s work is essential: The England and Wales Cricket Board and Yorkshire Cricket Board have deemed the work of groundsmen and women essential.

While virtually all other cricket activities have been stopped, Rod Heyhoe, secretary of the Yorkshire branch of the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), has been reading through a five-page document from the ECB.

ECB say groundsmen's work is essential

ECB say groundsmen’s work is essential

“It is pretty self explanatory,” said the 74-year-old Lightcliffe Cricket Club legend.

“Originally we were just working (and still are) to government guidelines in terms of being six feet apart if you were working with someone else, but now our work has been considered essential in terms of doing things like cutting the grass, fertilising and watering.

“We don’t know when, or even if, there will be cricket in 2020 but as groundsmen, we need to be ready if and when we do get the go-ahead.”

The ECB’s advice to groundsmen is to get into the habit of cleaning their machines thoroughly immediately after use.

They advise that kennel disinfectants are a cheap and effective way of doing this, before wiping the equipment down with blue roll.

Mowing should take place regularly, with the turf ideally being maintained at no more than 25mm or one inch.

Growth regulators can be used to reduce the speed of grass growth and hence reduce the frequency of cutting, but that this should only be done by a qualified person.

Watering should also ideally continue to prevent wilting or surface cracking, while fertilisation is necessary to maintain the grass.

However, the ECB advise that nitrogen input should be reduced by something like a third to half of normal rates in order to control excess top growth and limit the likelihood of disease.

Meanwhile, verticutting of the squares and aeration of the outfields is considered important but only if government guidelines can be kept to.

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