Tag Archive for: limagrain

Limagrain changes fortunes in Looe

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Limagrain changes fortunes in Looe: Mat Edwards, Head Greenkeeper at Looe Golf Club in Cornwall, has praised a range of Limagrain products for helping him to transform the course into one of the most respected in the county.

Mat, who had no previous greenkeeping experience, has been working at Looe Golf Club for the past six years. The former pub landlord started working at the golf club after returning from travelling and has shown an unbelievable amount of hard work and dedication.

Limagrain changes fortunes in Looe

Limagrain changes fortunes in Looe

“Hearing the great comments from members and visitors about how much the course has improved in the last few years has been fantastic – it has been a real highlight for me,” he said,

With no experience Mat certainly has exceeded all expectations but last year he faced his biggest challenge yet.

“The greens got absolutely annihilated by leatherjackets and we nearly had total loss of cover on a few of them,” he said. “I conferred with David Bevan from Agrovista Amenity and Matt Gresty from Limarain UK and they were both of the opinion that we should reseed the greens with Limagrain’s MM50 grass seed.”

Limagrain’s MM50 is one of the UK’s biggest selling grass mixtures. The hard-wearing ryegrass mix is very fine leaved, has high shoot density, is tolerant to close mowing down to 4-5mm and produces a great colour all year round. It also has quick recovery from damage and play. Furthermore, this mixture is treated with Headstart® GOLD – a revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination.

“I applied MM50 very heavily to the greens in early March just before the first lockdown and put grow sheets over the top,” continued Mat. “It was cold, the soil temperature was low, and we had some wintery showers. I think the grow sheets helped but it was not long before the seed flew up.

“I’ve been incredibly happy with the results from MM50 – it’s a strong seed and the greens are not only looking better but they are a lot healthier now too. The seed has also helped with disease; historically, we suffer from a bit of fusarium and anthracnose towards the end of summer, but we have seen a lot less. The greens are definitely more resistant to disease since applying the MM50.”

Mat is now preparing to overseed the greens with MM50 for a second time, but it is not the only Limagrain product he is focusing on.

“This will be our third year of using Limagrain’s Colour Splash mixtures – and they have helped us create a lovely area which has improved the aesthetics of the course.”

Over the past few years, Limagrain UK’s range of Colour Splash flower mixtures have been used in a broad range of landscape and amenity areas throughout the UK. The range has a floral arrangement for every requirement – whether it be a golf course, a local authority green space or any other establishment that has an area which needs brightening up.

The Colour Splash range of mixtures are extremely easy to sow and the resulting vigorous plants are more than capable of competing with weeds. Their vigour is equally matched by robustness; resisting long periods of drought. They are also fast flowering and cost effective.

“There was an area between the 8th and the 10th hole about the size of a football pitch,” said Mat. “It was just sitting there and so we decided to make use of it. The main reason was to add some colour and it is in a perfect position where people can stop halfway round the course. When we have tournaments, a beer tent is placed right next to the Colour Splash area which makes it nice for people to socialise too.”

“Ultimately, I’m very pleased because it is fair to say that a few years ago the course didn’t have a glowing reputation,” said Mat. “Everything is heading in the right direction now – the greens are back and healthy and some people are claiming that they are now some of the best in the county.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/amenity – you can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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New Limagrain UK brochures

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New Limagrain UK brochures: Limagrain UK, the UK’s leading plant breeder and seed producer, has announced the launch of its new collection of product brochures for 2021/2022.

The new range of Limagrain UK 2021/2022 brochures are now available to download on the Limagrain website or from a company representative. Existing and new prospective customers can look forward to the following brochures:

New Limagrain UK brochures

New Limagrain UK brochures

MM seed

The professional’s choice

Limagrain’s MM range of grass seed is one of the most respected brands in the UK turf industry and is relied upon at some of the most prestigious sporting venues in the UK and beyond. Quite simply it is the premium grass seed for sports and amenity professionals.

The MM range has mixtures to suit every sporting situation and at this time of year, readers of the brochure will be particularly drawn to the MM60 and MM Tetrasport mixtures; which are perfect for winter sports.

Also featured in the brochure is Limagrain’s MM50 which is one of the UK’s biggest selling grass mixtures. Ideal for cricket squares and tennis courts the hard-wearing mix has rapid germination, high shoot density, is tolerant to close mowing and produces a great colour all year round.

All of the mixtures in the MM range are treated with Limagrain’s HEADSTART® GOLD – a revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination. Readers of the brochure will be able to find out more about this biological germination accelerator which is enhancing grass seed coatings at many of the UK’s leading sporting venues.

Colour Splash

Beautiful and wildlife friendly

Limagrain UK’s range of Colour Splash flower mixtures have been used in a broad range of landscape and amenity areas throughout the UK.

The Colour Splash mixtures are particularly popular with those who not only enjoy a delightful array of colourful flowers but also highly appreciate the effect they have on the landscape. Readers of the new Colour Splash brochure will see how the flowers provide a welcome refuge for wildlife; offering a rich and varied source of food.

Designer amenity grass seed and wildflower

A solution for every requirement

The Designer range from Limagrain is one of the leading brands in the UK turf industry. With an extensive range of amenity grass mixtures which meet the exact requirements of varied end users, the popular brand is used by the likes of landscapers, local authorities and sports clubs throughout the country.

The success of the Designer range is built upon a wealth of technical and practical experience within this specialised area. Limagrain’s rigorous trialling system ensures that every single grass variety will perform, whether sown alone or part of a well-balanced formulation.

Not only do the new Limagrain brochures contain detailed information about the products but they also include valuable technical advice, information on mixture composition and some extremely useful facts and figures including a pitch size and quantity guide and a sowing rate conversion chart.

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/amenity – you can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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Ben Hastie, Head Groundsman at Cheltenham Racecourse has reported fantastic results after embarking on a long-term strategy of scarifying and overseeding with Limagrain UK’s MM60 grass seed.

MM60 the top tip at Cheltenham

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MM60 the top tip at Cheltenham : Ben Hastie, Head Groundsman at Cheltenham Racecourse has reported fantastic results after embarking on a long-term strategy of scarifying and overseeding with Limagrain UK’s MM60 grass seed. 

MM60 the top tip at Cheltenham :
Ben started in the industry as a greenkeeper but from a young age his passion was always horse racing. It was for this reason that while working at a golf club, he volunteered his services to Warwick and Stratford racecourses.

Ben Hastie, Head Groundsman at Cheltenham Racecourse has reported fantastic results after embarking on a long-term strategy of scarifying and overseeding with Limagrain UK’s MM60 grass seed.

Ben Hastie, Head Groundsman at Cheltenham Racecourse has reported fantastic results after embarking on a long-term strategy of scarifying and overseeding with Limagrain UK’s MM60 grass seed.

His persistence paid off and in 2006 he was rewarded with a full-time job at Cheltenham Racecourse. Thirteen years later and Ben is the Head Groundsman overseeing eleven full-time members of staff.

Throughout this time, Limagrain’s MM60 has always been the seed of choice for the course. In fact, MM60 has been relied on at Cheltenham for over 25 years and Ben recalls a rigorous seed trial early in his tenure when MM60 proved exactly why it has been the number one choice for so long.

“I remember when I first started in 2006, we did a trial on the highest part of the track,” said Ben. “In this trial we tried to work out the best seed for us because the climate at Cheltenham can be a little bit different to everywhere else – the highest point of the track gets very windy and it can get incredibly cold.

“We trialled 8-10 different mixtures in which we did lots of various tests in numerous conditions. We found that the MM60 was by far the best for what we needed, and we haven’t looked back since then.”

Limagrain’s leading MM60 winter sport mixture is a 100% ryegrass formula which is perfect in Ben’s quest to achieve consistency throughout the whole course. A strict regime of scarifying and overseeding during renovations has been key according to Ben.

“The one thing I want from the racecourse is consistency and my ultimate goal is to see a blend of ryegrass all the way through the course without any fescues or bents. Obviously, annual meadow-grasses are particularly hard to control but we now have a racecourse that has approximately 95% of pure ryegrass. This has been largely thanks to scarifying and overseeding at the right times.

“Doing this consistently over the years has resulted in the ryegrass holding up more than it ever has, it is helping with disease, helping to keep moisture in there where it is needed, helping the recovery rate and it is also providing a better coverage which makes the course look so much better.”

Photo of Cheltenham Racecourse from above.

Ben and his team start this process immediately after the last race meeting in May and they carry out the same programme across all three racecourses – the Old Course, the New Course and the Cross-Country Steeplechase Course. After the rails and hurdles have been removed, the turf will be cut from its racing height of 4.5 inches down to 2 inches. It is at this point that the scarifying begins, and this can take approximately a month.

When it comes to overseeding, Ben admits that it is a question of judgement and can depend on the climate and identifying the areas which need it most. As you would expect, the take-offs and landings experience the most amount of damage and these areas are constantly repaired throughout the race season.

“We have a team of 40 ‘treaders’ on a race day,” said Ben. “They will apply a mixture of soil and MM60 seed which will be put down with a trowel. This ensures that every single horse hoof print is filled in, levelled and that the germination process starts early.”

Germination is something that the MM60 excels in thanks to the inclusion of Headstart GOLD® – a revolutionary grass seed coating that ensures rapid germination and catalyses incredible growth speeds. The seed also has a high disease resistance and fantastic aesthetic qualities – all of which have impressed Ben.

“You know with MM60 that you are going to get great growth and the colour is brilliant. Because we are predominantly a winter sport, we need germination at low temperatures and I know that the MM60 will still be growing even if soil temperatures are 5 or 6 degrees when we are racing in December or January.

“It is a great product and the health of the turf it produces is better than anything I have seen before.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm

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Limagrain A Success At Glamorgan

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Limagrain A Success At Glamorgan: Glamorgan County Cricket Club head groundsman Robin Saxton believes that a range of Limagrain UK grass seed is helping the venue stand up to the demands of modern day sport and the constant scrutiny that pitches are under.

Sophia Gardens Cardiff, a 16,000-seater stadium, is the home of Glamorgan Cricket and an established venue for international cricket. In an average season, the venue will host four day championship games, T20 games, international and domestic fixtures and a mixture of local and corporate games. Robin estimates that there are approximately between 45-50 days of cricket played at the venue each year and this is in addition to pre-season concerts and events.

Limagrain A Success At Glamorgan

It is safe to say that Robin, who has been at Sophia Gardens since 2013, has his work cut out and that is without the increasing pressure grounds personnel are under, as he explains.

“Due to the demands of modern day sport and because of the TV cameras, pitches are always under scrutiny and it needs to be at its best at all times.

“Even the outfields used to be the square’s poor cousin not so long ago but that has all changed now. What you don’t want is a square that looks great and an outfield that looks patchy because it will be quickly noticed.”

For his outfields, Robin overseeded with Limagrain’s Action Replay which is a 100% Ryegrass hard-wearing mixture.

“The Action Replay is a winter sports mix, designed for the likes of football and rugby so we thought that this mixture would be ideal for the outfield,” he said. “It is wear and disease tolerant because it is a broad, robust seed.

“We first applied it last year and we had a fantastic take with it which excelled during a particularly hot summer. Since using Action Replay we have seen a lot less burn off and a lot less dry out on the outfield.”

When it comes to the 15 wickets and practice pitches on the square, MM50 has stood the test of time and has been used at Sophia Gardens for as long as Robin can remember.

“I’ve been here since 2013 and even before I arrived MM50 was being used,” he said. “It shows that myself and others before me have always had faith in the seed and deservedly so because we have tried other seeds against it in side-by-side trials. MM50 has always come up better, nothing has ever beaten it.”

MM50 is the ideal seed for cricket squares. This hard-wearing mix has rapid germination, a very fine leaved appearance, high shoot density and is tolerant to very close mowing, along with high disease resistance. All these attributes together produce a fantastic sward that has great colour all year round. It is also widely praised for its rapid recovery – something which Robin quickly noticed.

“MM50 is by far the best seed in terms of recovery. When trialled against the others, it has proven to be stronger, it has come through thicker and it is more wear tolerant. It has consistently outperformed other seeds we have trailed.

“You are left with a stronger plant that is going to take the activity across the square better than a slightly finer plant – which with a full calendar of cricket is a big bonus. With MM50 you just have the confidence in knowing that it will handle the stresses of four-day cricket where we can’t really water the square as much as we would like to.

“There has never been any reason to change the seed,” continued Robin. “In fact it has probably been the one constant product we have stuck with over the years – we may have changed the fertilisers, the chemistry and the biology but not the actual grass plant because it has always been a great base to work from.

“For me, the consistency of MM50 is the best feature. I don’t remember one year where we have had a batch that has not performed how we would like it to. It has got to the point that if something isn’t right then we look at things we might have done incorrectly because it is no doubt a mistake on our part rather than the seed because we know how good the MM50 is.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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Limagrain UK Appoint Sam Horner

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Limagrain UK Appoint Sam Horner: Sam Horner has been appointed as Limagrain UK’s new amenity seed specialist covering the south of England, the company has announced.

Sam has been involved in the sports turf industry for over twenty years and brings with him a wealth of experience.

Limagrain UK Appoint Sam Horner

It all started at his beloved Gloucester Rugby where he first became familiar with sports turf maintenance. He then went onto study sports turf at college and after graduating he landed a job at Tewkesbury Park Golf Club. Sam quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to deputy course manager before accepting the position of golf course manager at Gloucester Golf Club.

Five years ago he moved into a sales and marketing role within the amenity industry but continues to ‘work on the tools’ by offering match-day support for the grounds staff at Gloucester Rugby.

Commenting on his new position at Limagrain UK, Sam said that the opportunity was just too good to turn down.

“It was a very easy decision – all the way through the process I knew that if I was offered the job then I was absolutely going to take it. Limagrain is an outstanding company, in terms of its product portfolio and its reputation – the way it conducts itself is very professional. Limagrain has always been a leading company in the industry working at the very high end of sports turf and opportunities like this do not come along very often – I was always going to take it.”

With immediate effect Sam will now be offering technical advice and full support on products such as Limagrain’s leading brands of MM and Designer grass seeds and Colour Splash amenity flower mixtures.

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm.

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