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Updated standard for greenkeeping apprentices

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Updated standard for greenkeeping apprentices: The Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) has released information about a new qualification that will provide golf greenkeepers and other sports turf apprentices with advanced knowledge as they work to produce exceptional playing surfaces from grassroots through to professional levels.

The Level 3 Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship has been approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and is now available for delivery.

Updated standard for greenkeeping apprentices

Updated standard for greenkeeping apprentices

Sponsored by the Department of Education, IfATE is an employer-led organisation that supports employer groups in the development of world-leading apprenticeships and technical education systems. During 2020, IfATE undertook a review of apprenticeship standards within associated industries. The Advanced Golf Greenkeeper Apprenticeship had been approved for delivery in January 2020 but as a result of the review, the Greenkeeper Trailblazer and Sports Turf Trailblazer groups were approached by IfATE to develop a Level 3 Standard and End-point Assessment Plan (EPA) that could sit across both disciplines.

Trailblazer groups are responsible for developing a new apprenticeship for an occupation and then revise the apprenticeship as needed. Both groups understood it would be challenging to develop an apprenticeship that aligns comfortably across greenkeeping and the various other sports turf disciplines, but after many months of discussions between employers, training providers and IfATE, the Level 3 Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship has been produced and approved.

Improvements to the apprenticeship include more comprehensive assessment of knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), which are undertaken through a written test, the creation of a project that must then be presented and a professional discussion and facility walk.

The Standard and End-point Assessment Plan can be accessed on the IfATE website.

Les Howkins MG is chairperson of the Golf Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group. He said: “It is great that we have been able to come together and work with the Sports Turf Trailblazer Group to develop a comprehensive Level 3 apprenticeship that we feel works across all disciplines within the sports turf sector and provides a career progression from the well-established Level 2. Following a lot of hard work alongside the Sports Turf group, we believe the Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship delivers what employers and apprentices in our sector need.”

Delivery director at IfATE, Robert Nitsch, said: “We are pleased to announce that the Advanced Sports Turf Technician Level 3 apprenticeship has been approved for delivery. The Sports Turf and Golf Greenkeeping Trailblazer groups have worked together to develop a standard suitable for sports turf technicians across a wide range of settings. This apprenticeship will form part of a suite of sports turf and golf greenkeeping apprenticeships and will provide a progression route for those previously achieving Level 2 qualifications. The apprenticeship will become the recognised standard for all advanced sports turf technicians.”

The Advanced Golf Greenkeeper apprenticeship will continue to be offered until it is decommissioned in 2023. The latest start date for apprentices will be 31 August 2023. There is no impact on those already registered on that standard.

The following employers all contributed to the creation of the new standard, along with support from training providers and End-point Assessment Organisations: British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), Crosfields School, Edgbaston Stadium, England Golf, Frilford Heath Golf Club, the GTC, Gaudet Luce Golf Club, Grounds Management Association, Highfield Sports Ground, Leicester City FC Sports Turf Academy, Leyland Golf Club, Portmore Golf Centre, The Richmond Golf Club, Trentham Golf Club, Myerscough College, Kings School, Nottingham University, Oaklands College, Whitgift School.

For more information on the Advanced Sports Turf Apprenticeship, contact The GTC’s Fiona Lyttle on (01347) 838 640 or fiona@the-gtc.co.uk

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Terrain Aeration for England’s largest Sequoias

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Terrain Aeration for England’s largest Sequoias: Darlington’s South Park is home to two of what are believed to be the largest giant Redwood trees or multi-stemmed Sequoiadendron giganteum in England. Planted in March 1863 to commemorate the marriage of the future King Edward VII to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the trees are placed in the top ten in Britain.

The only other multi-stemmed Wellingtonia is at Stratfield House, the former home of the Duke of Wellington. It was planted by the 2nd Duchess of Wellington in 1857 in memory of the Duke and the Battle of Waterloo, hence the alternative naming of the tree as Wellingtonia. This caused outrage among US botanists when the Sequoia was rediscovered in 1852 in Sierra Nevada and a sample taken to England to become named after the recently dead duke. The tree council believes the trees in South Park are most likely from the same seed as the Stratfield trees.

Terrain Aeration for England’s largest Sequoias

Terrain Aeration for England’s largest Sequoias

Recent times have seen one of the Darlington trees suffering from the effects of compaction. The top roots are, in fact, visible and travel a long way from the tree on one side, with a steep hill down to a river on the other. The tree over-compensates to get all its energy.

Darlington Council took action by calling on the services of Terrain Aeration’s Tree Division to provide specialist deep aeration of the area using their Terralift machines. The key to successful treatment is usually to work along the dripline, one metre inside and one metre outside, where the rainwater drips from the canopy. Working either side of the dripline reaches beyond the growing roots, increases the percentage of oxygen intake and allows maximum drainage. Rainwater can penetrate deeper, resulting in a stronger root growth and a healthier canopy spread with an aerated soil structure and relief of compaction panning. Once the trees receive significant rainfall, they pick up as they receive more water and nutrients.

With the South Park trees, all the lawn was aerated as well with mycorrhizal funghi. These attach themselves to the tips of the roots and help them break through hard soil, leaving the tree more energy to grow leaves and in size. The soil was very hard and dry around the base, so some fractures were done near to the tree. Water storing polymer was injected into the area to help retain available water from rainfall for the tree roots. Unlike normal aeration, the Terralift is designed to penetrate as deep as one metre using a probe, which releases compressed air at a maximum of 20Bar (280psi). The effect this creates is to fracture the soil, resulting in fissures that interlink as the Terralift repeats the process on a grid system of two-metre spacings. The network of fissures allows maximum penetration of air and water.

Terrain Aeration 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.com

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Cold weather tips for machinery maintenance

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Cold weather tips for machinery maintenance: With driest summer in 40 years and a ‘triple dip El Nina’ expected to bring continued dry, cold weather into the winter months, the best thing turfcare professionals can do is be prepared when it comes to machinery maintenance – and for that Toro Parts and Reesink Turfcare have got customers covered.

Weather scientists have confirmed the rare meteorological ‘El Nina’ could stretch Britain’s drought emergency into next summer, and a dry winter after a dry summer means maintenance this winter will be focused on taking care of machinery working on dry, hard, unrelenting ground.

Cold weather tips for machinery maintenance

Cold weather tips for machinery maintenance

Aerating, mowing and scarifying is tough enough during winter let alone when the ground is overly dry, which means machines will be given a particularly tough work out. Bent and damaged tines and blades will be an issue, so the best advice is to have replacement stock of these in the workshop to avoid delays to schedules and unnecessary downtime.

But which parts to choose? Michael Hampton, parts manager at Reesink Turfcare, says: “Customers should consider the same rigorous criteria for choosing parts as they do when choosing a machine. Things like performance, quality of cut, longevity and return on investment, all stand up for parts too.

“Using parts that aren’t Toro Genuine Parts, especially in a Toro mower, can seriously damage the machine, and even risk damaging the cutting units. Choosing cheaper, less efficient alternatives is a false economy and will likely cost you more in the long run.”

Whether it’s wet or dry, cutting time is reduced in the winter months, which makes it the perfect time to take an in-depth look at the cutting unit. Keeping on top of general maintenance of filters and belts ensures machines operate to full capacity when the grass begins to grow come spring and blades need to be kept sharp throughout the season.

With a blade for all seasons, choosing Toro guarantees not only a perfect fit but one carefully crafted to suit specific turf needs. For example, the ‘Atomic’ blades are best in the winter months, perfect for mulching up leaves or for use with a recycling deck to mulch the grass.

Again, it helps to have these sorts of things in stock but if space is an issue Reesink has customers covered with its comprehensive stock of parts, from the great value MVP kits, to blades, tines and filters. Toro line items are available for delivery at 24 hours’ notice anywhere in the UK, or by transatlantic air freight service.

This represents the kind of reassurance Reesink wants to give turfcare professionals: minimum downtime, maximum productivity and more customer service – all at no extra cost.

Speaking of reassurance, there’s also Reesink’s ReeAssure scheme which offers maintenance service plans to remove the unknowns and make planning easy when it comes to machinery servicing. With the ability to mix and match three different service plans across machines, keeping your machinery fleet in optimum condition has never been easier.

To stock up on Toro parts or for winter machinery maintenance advice, customers can get in touch with their local Toro Genuine Parts dealer or service centre or contact Reesink via reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Tiny Pro X decorates city for Remembrance Day

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Tiny Pro X decorates city for Remembrance Day: Doncaster has recently been given City status and its roundabouts are now adorned with large painted poppies in readiness for Remembrance Day this Sunday 13th November.

A special ceremony was held on Wednesday 9th November which saw King Charles III and the Queen Consort confer city status on Doncaster.

Tiny Pro X decorates city for Remembrance Day

Tiny Pro X decorates city for Remembrance Day

The poppies have been painted by the council, across several of the roundabouts on major routes around the city, using the latest technology – GPS-guided robotic line marking on the Tiny Pro X line marking robot.

The ability to mark out custom logos and designs is the latest feature on the Tiny Pro X line marker distributed exclusively in the UK by Origin Amenity Solutions.

The robots are designed to spray ready to use paint technology such as the IMPACT range. To give an idea of the efficiencies, the machines use as little as 1.1 litres of paint per standard sized football pitch and eliminate the messy, time-consuming inconsistencies associated with dilutable concentrate paints. With significant time and money saving benefits all round, robots are increasingly valued as the smart investment.

Ian Wigglesworth, Street Scene Operations Manager is responsible for managing grounds maintenance activities in the Borough and comments, “The City is looking fantastic.  The line marking robot is proving to be invaluable.  It’s very straightforward and efficient – using the tablet supplied with the robot, we followed a simple three step process which enabled us to paint the poppies in whichever size we wanted throughout the city.”

Gary Brindle, a Technical Sales Account Manager for Origin Amenity Solutions adds, “This revolutionary feature has been heavily requested, and we are delighted with how well received it has been. It is fantastic to see how our customers are using it and I’m delighted how well the poppies have turned out. They look striking when driving around Doncaster.”

Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day as it’s best known, marks the day that World War One ended in 1918. A two-minute silence is held across the country at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month to remember those who have died in any conflict.

Book a free demonstration of the Tiny Pro by visiting www.tinymobilerobots.com/field-marking-robot/tinymobilerobots-uk/

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Success again for SALTEX

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Success again for SALTEX: 76 years of history has repeated itself at SALTEX 2022 as yet again the show delivered exactly what the groundscare industry wanted and has come to expect: the latest technologies, products, innovations and learning opportunities to unite every corner of the industry and shape the landscape of groundscare for 2023.

From all-electric tractors to robotics, sustainability to technology, new innovations to industry favourites, ground-breaking ideas to thought provoking debates, the show inspired those who attended and represented all that is current, relevant, and impactful about the groundscare industry.

Success again for SALTEX

Success again for SALTEX

Hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors met, networked, sealed deals, and built knowledge at Europe’s largest annual groundscare event with Allan Harvey from Ashlandscapes commenting: “We’ve been coming to SALTEX for the last 20 years. We come to see what new products are coming out that could benefit our business, see old friends, and meet new people. SALTEX is a show which delivers what we want it to year after year.”

The show spread over three halls and brought together the manufacturers and suppliers, visitors and speakers, governing bodies and associations who impact the industry, help create and educate the next generation of groundstaff and provide the knowledge and technology to propel the groundscare industry into the future.

Talking about this year’s event and its role in providing the industry with what it wants and needs, GMA CEO Geoff Webb said: “The continued participation be that as a speaker, exhibitor or a visitor creates a buzz unrivalled in our industry. Whether its networking, checking out the latest equipment and products, to catch up with friends or to learn from experts SALTEX has it all under one roof and yet again we have delivered. We look forward to welcoming the industry back in 2023.”

Liam Pintred from Think Tank agrees: “This year’s event has been brilliant for us. SALTEX is the best event for the grounds industry, everyone comes here to meet up.”

The theme for this years’ show, the biggest in Europe, was sustainability and that was evident across the whole event. An increased number of grounds personnel, greenkeepers, landscapers and contractors were looking for products that deliver quality results but also reduce carbon footprints to the environment, and SALTEX delivered with the latest innovations and products, daily demonstrations of cutting-edge sustainable technology and advice on how green technology could benefit current working practices.

Leila Fuerst, sustainability advisor from idverdi, says: “My job is in sustainability so the fact that the theme of the show was sustainability was the draw to attend. It’s an important and current industry topic which SALTEX is addressing. Almost all the Learning LIVE seminars touch on the subject and there are a couple of seminars I’ll be attending to hear different viewpoints.”

There was an all-encompassing Learning LIVE education programme with 35 free-to-attend seminars from expert speakers from the UK and abroad who focussed on the vital issues affecting the industry.

As the only independently audited show of its kind in the UK, the GMA looks forward to presenting its visitor research for the 2022 show as soon as the audit has been completed. But with a record number of exhibitors, brands and Learning LIVE speakers and so many positive visitor comments left for the organisers, its success speaks for itself as the doors closed on the 76th year.

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