Tag Archive for: ITM

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch: An ICL integrated turf management programme is helping Millwall Football Club’s new stadium pitch get off to the best possible start.

Steve Chalk has been at Millwall FC for nearly 12 years and in that time he has worked his way up to the position of Grounds Manager. Steve oversees all three of Millwall’s sites, and works alongside Stadium Head Groundsman Charlie Burrage, Steve explained the importance of having a new pitch installed.

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

“With most pitches now being hybrid, we felt we were falling behind,” he said. “We would be OK until late October / November time but then the majority of grass coverage would be gone during the winter period.”

Two years ago, a new hybrid pitch was installed and Steve saw this as an opportunity to explore and implement new products.

“We thought the time had come to bring everything under one umbrella and just use products from one supplier,” said Steve. “For us it was about making things as simple as possible and using one company seemed the best way forward. We decided that this company would be ICL and therefore we worked with Craig Lalley (ICL Technical Area Sales Manager) to devise a bespoke integrated turf management plan.”

Many turf managers have benefitted from an ICL ITM programme and Steve is no exception.

“With the new stadium pitch, we wanted a ITM programme that ticked all the right boxes. It helps us with moisture management and rooting, base feeds, and conventional fertilisers.

“All the products are proven and tested, and quite simply the programme makes our lives easier,” continued Steve. “It is peace of mind, and we know that we will have no problems with the products. I’m not saying products from other manufacturers are bad, but we just know that the ICL products have a proven track record. We use them and we know what we get from them.

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

“For us, we wanted someone with the knowledge and experience to advise us on a suitable programme – we get this from ICL. When we speak to Craig we know he is going to give us the best advice for our situation.

“Furthermore, it is nice for the Millwall Football Club board to see the great results and see the pitch in an excellent condition. They put their faith in us and back us with investment, and in turn they have been rewarded.”

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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Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes: Biostimulants offer an exciting chance to strengthen the role of Integrated Turf Management (ITM) in producing consistently high-quality playing surfaces.

Speaking at the launch of Hicure, the first biostimulant for turf from Syngenta, Professional Solutions Business Manager Daniel Lightfoot, reiterated cultural controls have always been, and remain, the primary mainstay of good practice for greenkeepers.

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

“But whilst in the past they might have reached for a chemical solution as the next option, there are now real advances in monitoring and modelling of issues and the potential for biological solutions that are increasingly effective steps in the ITM process.”

He emphasised that chemicals remain a key part of greenkeepers’ armoury, with Syngenta’s commitment to continue to develop and extend new options, such as the introduction of Ascernity in the UK and Ireland earlier this year.

“However, we see that biologicals and biostimulants such as Hicure can genuinely complement and support existing technologies, particularly against a backdrop of challenging regulatory legislation” advocated Daniel.

“It is an area of real focus and huge investment. We’ve committed the same rigorous R&D approach to Hicure and future biostimulant developments as a new chemical product.

“That means we can support what is said with data and experience, and that turf managers can be confident it is fully tried and tested.”

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

Hicure strengthens ITM programmes

Digital support

Daniel Lightfoot believes that biostimulants can be better incorporated into ITM programmes with the support of innovative digital tools to aid monitoring and modelling of potential problems.

Tools such as Disease Forecasting, Growing Degree Day Calculator and historic weather and disease records, all available on the GreenCast website, build a picture of where and when actions can be proactively targeted to best effect.

Digital tools of the near future will look to predict precisely where efforts can be targeted, before the problems occur, he predicted.

“When you combine digital precision, with innovative biostimulant technology and proven chemical solutions, the top of the ITM pyramid takes the next step to producing the consistently better playing surfaces demanded by greenkeepers and players.”

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

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