Tag Archive for: ICL’s

ICL’s Greenheaven tall fescue is the cultivar for Black Bears

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ICL’s Greenheaven tall fescue is the cultivar for Black Bears: Miles Properjohn, Head Groundsman at Black Bears Polo Club, has been relying on ICL’s Greenheaven cultivar in an attempt to increase the percentage of tall fescue in the one of the world’s most renowned polo pitches.

Lower Bolney Farm in Oxfordshire, home of Black Bears Polo Club, has deservedly gained a reputation for having some of the best facilities in the UK. The five polo grounds are kept in immaculate condition by a dedicated team of grounds staff. Pitch 5 in particular is the talk of the polo community and those that have been fortunate enough to play on it have declared it to be the “best field in the UK – if not the world”.

ICL’s Greenheaven tall fescue is the cultivar for Black Bears

ICL’s Greenheaven tall fescue is the cultivar for Black Bears

The grounds team is led by Head Groundsman Miles Properjohn, a long-term employee who has honed his skills at Black Bears, and he explained the reasoning behind using ICL’s Greenheaven.

“The pitch was originally sown with tall fescue, and we have since used other cultivars for a few seasons,” he said. “We are now keen to build back the percentage of tall fescue as we see its benefit in providing a hard wearing, low input, and great playing surface for polo. The polo schedule is very busy here with high goal being played and the players have incredibly high expectations of how the pitch should play.

“Whenever choosing a seed we always refer to the BSPB/STRI guide and we also do our own plot trial of any new seed to assess its germination speed and visual characteristics. Greenheaven was no exception.”

Greenheaven, from ICL, is a European-bred tall fescue which presents a midgreen compact growth habit. A fine leaf texture combined with excellent disease tolerance makes Greenheaven a very visually appealing variety.

Miles and the team sowed Greenheaven in September 2022 as part of a post season renovation: “Germination and development were very good after overseeding, and we found Greenheaven to be a finer more attractive cultivar than other versions,” he said.

“The tall fescue has been extremely hard wearing under a high level of wear from all the matches. It has a dense root structure and has great stability in the turf.”

Greenheaven also features excellent drought tolerance, something which Miles believes is essential. “When making a decision on species/cultivars, drought tolerance is of high importance. The irrigation is used to provide the correct firmness and traction for the ponies and players, so irrigation is for playability more than plant health. Irrigation is time consuming so the sward will have periods of no irrigation therefore the pitch needs to have excellent drought tolerance. In the hot/dry summers of 2018 and 2021 it was the only thing that was thriving. Water security and responsible water usage will be a factor for the future, so affects the decision-making process.”

Commenting on the use of Greenheaven at Black Bears Polo Club, ICL’s Martyn Parrish, said: “It’s been very much a collaborative effort learning from each other along the way, listening to Miles’ unique needs and requirements to produce a top polo pitch and providing the correct product advice and solutions to meet those needs.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-growing solutions.uk or www.icl-growingsolutions.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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New name for ICL’s concentrated seaweed extract

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New name for ICL’s concentrated seaweed extract: ICL is rebranding its alkaline-extracted seaweed ‘SeaMax’ as ‘SMX’.

SMX is a highly concentrated Atlantic Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed, harvested from sustainable and renewable sources by Acadian Seaplants.

New name for ICL’s concentrated seaweed extract

New name for ICL’s concentrated seaweed extract

For any turf professional it is important to weigh up the evidence from product trials. Multiple trials carried out using SMX clearly demonstrate how seaweed extract improves the condition and rooting of the turf. This is because the SMX extraction process retains important and influential biochemical compounds.

As an example, research recently published in the European Turfgrass Society Proceedings showed how different Ascophyllum nodosum extraction methods produced contrasting effects on turfgrass rooting. The alkaline-extraction method (as used in the production of SMX) produced significantly greater root length and root volume than other commonly used extractions.

Independent trials also showed that SMX helped the turfgrass produce longer roots, a greater root mass and it improved the quality of growth (shoot weight), compared to competitor products or controlled conditions (using no seaweed extract). Trials that placed the turf under drought conditions, showed that the turf quality and colour improved noticeably when treated with SMX.  In addition, when SMX has been included in annual nutritional programmes, the turf quality remained significantly higher throughout the autumn and in the lead up to winter.

Although the name might have changed, the formulation is the same. SMX is available as a standalone product in water soluble form (Sportsmaster WSF SMX) and in liquid form (Vitalnova SMX). It is also included as an effective dose in SierraformGT Spring & Summer CalMag 14-0-7 as well as the new organo-mineral fertiliser Gronamic Golf 6-2-4.

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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New addition to ICL’s Vitalnova range

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New addition to ICL’s Vitalnova range: ICL has announced the launch of Vitalnova Links, a new product within their popular Vitalnova range of biostimulants and turf conditioners.

Vitalnova Links is a new unique formulation consisting of Vitalnova Blade and Vitalnova SeaMax and was initially developed as a ‘custom build’ by the ICL technical area sales team working with customers looking at new and innovative ways to improve turf health and quality without creating excessive growth.

New addition to ICL’s Vitalnova range

New addition to ICL’s Vitalnova range

Vitalnova SeaMax is an alkaline extracted concentrated ascophyllum nodosum seaweed which has been proven through extensive research to improve turf colour, turf quality, root development and stress tolerance.

Vitalnova Blade is a unique biostimulant for turf, containing a carefully engineered concentration of carbohydrates (sugars), seaweed and micronutrients.

“Vitalnova Blade and Seamax have both been a great success for many years and were often being tank mixed which lead to increasing requests for a formulation that saw both products together in one formulation. We listened and started trials of the combination product which produced impressive results and really positive feedback, so much so that we decided to bring it formally into the Vitalnova range as “Links”, said Ed Carter, UK Sales and Development Manager.

Vitalnova Links is available with immediate effect.

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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ICL’s LockStar available in Ireland

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ICL’s LockStar available in Ireland: ICL has announced that LockStar – a new residual, pre-emergent total herbicide for vegetation management, is now available in Ireland.

LockStar arrives at a time when public green spaces, amenity areas and transportation infrastructure are all coming under increasing pressure from reduced budgets, weed infestations and a reduction in chemical solutions available on the market. This new herbicide will keep areas such as these weed-free, functional and visually pleasing.

ICL’s LockStar available in Ireland

ICL’s LockStar available in Ireland

Developed for use on natural surfaces not intended to bear vegetation, permeable surfaces overlying soil and railway ballast, LockStar controls a broad spectrum of weeds and has an innovative, long-lasting formula which allows for professional and safe weed control. The formula contains diflufenican and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium – the first herbicide to receive full approval in amenity and landscape situations for many years.

When applied before germination LockStar creates a dual barrier at the soil surface ensuring that soil is kept weed-free for up to four months. To control weeds that are already present, LockStar should be tank-mixed with glyphosate or a fatty acid.

Plants can become resistant to active ingredients within products with the same mode of action, which is why LockStar features these two different active ingredients. Affecting plants in multiple ways, they give increased longevity compared to products with a single mode of action – useful for users undertaking a resistance management programme.

LockStar, available in a 500g pack, uses the latest generation of water dispersible granules, which means the product quickly dissolves in water and remains stable in the spray tank for a minimum of 24 hours.

Compared to conventional weed management programmes, LockStar keeps surfaces clean and weed-free for longer, as well as reducing the number of applications and amounts of herbicide required.

In Ireland LockStar should be applied at a rate of 500g/ha between March and June, with just a single application per season.

Please contact ICL Country Manager Colman Warde on +353 8777 99527 or visit www.icl-sf.ie for more information.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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ICL’s quadruple success

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ICL’s quadruple success: ICL Turf & Landscape is celebrating the success of four members of staff after two became FACTS Qualified Advisers and two were awarded their Full BASIS Amenity Advisor Awards.

BASIS is an independent standards-setting and auditing organisation for the pesticide, fertilizer and allied industries. It offers a range of recognised qualifications for people working in those sectors, including the BASIS and FACTS schemes, and manages the Professional Register for qualified advisers.

ICL’s quadruple success

The BASIS Award is the national qualification for all those advising on the use, selling or supplying of plant protection products in the amenity industry. It is designed to enhance the understanding of turfgrass management, pest, weed and disease control, environmental issues and legislation. Those who gain the certificate become members of the BASIS

Professional Register; and newly added to that list are Matt Nutter and Andrew Pledger, ICL Technical Area Sales Managers operating in South Central and South East England.

Barry Browne, ICL’s Landscape & Industrial National Sales Manager, and Craig Lalley, Technical Area Sales Manager for North/East successfully completed the Fertilizer Advisers Certification and Training Scheme (FACTS).

FACTS is available to those who have already qualified for the BASIS Professional Register and want to gain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points. The course builds on an individual’s prior level of agronomic knowledge and candidates must have at least one year’s experience of fertilizer and nutrient management planning in the UK.

Successful FACTS participants demonstrate a full understanding of the role of fertilizers on the main crop groups in the UK and are able to make recommendations that are agronomically, economically and environmentally sound.

ICL strive to provide high quality products that perform, where all claims are based on extensive research and to be progressive and responsible with their advice and in order to achieve this, the company is committed to the ongoing education of its staff and distributors. By becoming BASIS and FACTS qualified and by joining the Professional Register, staff commit to a Code of Professional Ethics and a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which requires them to continue their training to keep up-to-date with the latest developments and to enhance and broaden their knowledge and skills. This ensures that turf managers receive the very best advice from ICL’s dedicated turf and amenity team.

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

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You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.