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Foundations of a first-class course

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Foundations of a first-class course: Visitors to the DLF stand 270 located in the Red Zone at BTME 2022, can expect a range of market leading products from the world’s leading grass seed breeder and producer.

The MM brand and mixtures are now part of DLF UK and will benefit from access to the full DLF breeding and research programme. This will bring many benefits including a greater portfolio along with increased research and development.

Foundations of a first-class course

Foundations of a first-class course

BTME 2022 will also mark the launch of the exciting new MM Supreme Ryegreen mix which will offer golf course managers a 100% Ryegrass mixture for use on greens and fineturf areas. This unique new mixture benefits from the inclusion of Singapore Perennial Ryegrass, which is extremely fine leaved with good shoot density along with high disease and wear tolerance.  Furthermore, MM Supreme Ryegreen bring the main benefits of Perennial Ryegrass – fast establishment and wear tolerance in close-mow situations.

As the demand and pressure placed on the modern-day greenkeeper to produce a consistent playing surface continually grows, seed quality, purity and vigour are the essential ingredients for a first-class golf course and Limagrain’s MM range of seed mixture provides exactly these.

For over 30 years, greenkeepers and course managers have been enjoying the benefits by choosing the MM brand and the high-quality varieties used in MM mixtures. All varieties are thoroughly tested at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) – ensuring that the finished product will meet your requirements for play, appearance and maintenance.

For golf greens MM9 – a three-way Browntop bent mixture continues to be a leading mixture for renovations and species exchange. For links style courses and sustainable golf, MM8 offers a great option – a three-way fescue mix with excellent disease resistance, drought tolerance and minimal fertiliser requirements gives course managers a fine, dense sward, MM Coastal is great option to MM 8 where salt spray is in issue, the 100% Slender Creeping Red Fescue mix provides excellent salt tolerance for golf greens and also tees and fairways.

If you are looking for a mixture ideal for tees and fairways, then the 100% Ryegrass MM50 should be considered. It is capable of rapid establishment and fast recovery from divot scarring plus high wear tolerance and has extremely fine appearance.

For links style fairways where damage and wear are lower, MM12 or MM13, are both well suited to this challenging environment as they are drought tolerant and have low maintenance requirements.

Visitors to the stand can also find out more about DLF Pro Flora and Colour Boost range Wildflower mixtures. The mixtures are ideal for those wanting to establish a traditional perennial flower meadow or a high impact colourful display of annuals and perennials.

The MM team of amenity seed specialists will all be on hand at BTME to discuss the products in more detail and will also be available to offer their expertise on any queries you may have.

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s new website www.mm-seeds.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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Timberwolf announces expansion of area

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Timberwolf announces expansion of area: Timberwolf have announced the expansion of area for its dealer Lister Wilder. The machinery dealer recently announced the opening of its Bristol/Bath branch at Keynsham. Following this announcement Timberwolf have awarded Lister Wilder official dealer status for the surrounding area of their new depot.

Phill Hughes (Sales & Hire Director) pictured commented “This is a very exciting announcement for us as we look to increase our coverage in the Arboriculture market. We are already Timberwolf dealers from three of our other branches and have a great relationship with them as the UKs leading chipper franchise – Our Arb customer base spans groundcare contractors, councils and tree surgeons, all of which know and use Timberwolf chippers as their go-to brand. With the opening of the new Bristol/Bath branch we will be able to offer #SaleswithService across the two cities, and provide the service levels that our Arb customers expect”

Timberwolf announces expansion of area

Timberwolf announces expansion of area

Lister Wilder have held the Timberwolf franchise for 20 years and built up a reputable customer base from its three depots. This new appointment will allow for Lister Wilder to further expand its arboriculture customer base in a new area.

Guy Marshlain, Sales and Marketing Director at Timberwolf said, “Having worked with Lister Wilder for 20-years, the Timberwolf team would like to congratulate them on their ongoing developments and the planned opening of their new dealer branch at Keynsham.”

We look forward to continuing our positive relationship and would like to encourage all arborists in the local area to pop in and meet the Lister Wilder team to discuss their wood chipper requirements.”

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Waterscapes takes advantage of Rain Bird irrigation training

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Waterscapes takes advantage of Rain Bird: Waterscapes Limited, the UK’s leading water feature and irrigation specialist, has been the recipient of the first in a series of irrigation training events hosted by Rain Bird in the UK.

Sponsored by UK distributor Landscape Watering Services (LWS), it took place in Slough during Autumn 2021 and covered Rain Bird’s IQ4 Central Irrigation Control system and IVM smart valve irrigation technology. Some 14  Irrigation Installation Engineers and members of the contracts management team from Waterscapes attended the event.

Waterscapes takes advantage of Rain Bird irrigation training

Waterscapes takes advantage of Rain Bird irrigation training

The hands-on training covered the technical capabilities and applications of IQ4 and IVM products which offer users maximum irrigation efficiency through advanced real time water management and diagnostics capabilities. “As a company we continually invest in training at all levels. This ensures that Waterscapes can give clients the best advice and service for their water feature and irrigation projects, saving them money and conserving water throughout the lifetime of an installation,” says Waterscapes’ Managing Director Paul Jeffery.

Waterscapes undertakes new and regeneration projects across many sectors, from business parks and public spaces to commercial spaces, roof gardens and residential schemes. In London alone, the company has completed installations within many prominent developments including Sky Garden, Crossrail, The Kings Cross Estate, Kew Gardens and RHS Wisley. Clients cover many disciplines from commercial property development & construction to architectural practices, landscape contractors and homeowners.

“We recognise the importance of being fully up to date and informed with the latest Rain Bird irrigation technology as it forms an important element of all our irrigation projects, ” concludes Paul.

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The Grove invests in stars of the future

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The Grove invests in stars of the future: The Grove, Hertfordshire’s ultimate country escape, today announces two important promotions within its green-keeping team to continue its long-running heritage of developing the golf industry’s stars of the future.

Since opening in 2003 a host of young talent have crafted their skills at the Top 100-ranked venue, under the leadership of Golf Course and Estate Manager, Phillip Chiverton, who has been at the forefront of The Grove’s green-keeping operation for 20 years.

The Grove invests in stars of the future

The Grove invests in stars of the future

The latest green-keepers to rise through the ranks of the young team are 27-year-olds Sam Reid and Callum Herbst.

Sam is The Grove’s new Head Green-keeper, with immediate effect, and Callum is promoted to Deputy Head Green-keeper. Both joined The Grove in 2012, Herbst as an apprentice, and Reid as a casual worker, while studying at Buckinghamshire University.

Reid’s rise to Head Green-keeper status has seen him help prepare the championship course for The British Masters in 2016, achieve an R&A Greenkeeper Scholarship in 2018, and work with the course’s world-renowned architect, Kyle Phillips, during an extensive bunker redesign and rebuild project in 2020.

Herbst’s journey has included being a Toro Student Green-keeper of the Year finalist, along with work experience during the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in the USA, and at the French Open at Le Golf National.

Commenting on the promotions, Phillip Chiverton, said: “In Sam and Callum we have two certain agronomy leaders of tomorrow. The Grove has always invested in young talent and we have a rich history of coaching green-keepers through the early stages of their careers.”

A consistent development programme with scope for continual internal promotion has seen many of The Grove’s young stars go on to secure senior industry roles at other world-renowned golfing destinations, including Trump International Golf Links in Scotland, Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, San Roque Club in Spain and Abu Dhabi Golf Club, UAE.

“While our day-to-day objectives always remain keeping The Grove in pristine condition all-year-round – something our customers consistently recognise us for – it is also important we offer the next generation of green-keeping stars a platform from which to succeed and prosper. Seeing young talent develop at The Grove and then go on to prosper in all corners of the globe is hugely rewarding.”

The Grove proudly covets its position as a premium open-to-all leisure facility and one of the UK’s Top 100 golf resorts, just 18 miles from central London.

It’s 18-hole parkland golf course, the only venue in the UK to have hosted a World Golf Championship event in 2006, won by Tiger Woods, continues to receive critical acclaim and was recently ranked within Europe’s Top 100 Modern Courses, by Golf World.

The World Golf Awards has also named recognised The Grove as ‘England’s Best Golf Hotel 2021’.

The Grove’s 18th-century Mansion houses 26 rooms, suites and lounges decorated with a 21st-century spin on vintage glamour. There’s also the thoroughly modern West Wing with a further 189 deluxe, superior and family rooms. Many of these rooms have balconies/terraces looking over the immaculate Formal Gardens.

For further information: www.thegrove.co.uk

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Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

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Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials: Indigrow developed Diamond Green as a liquid fertiliser based on potassium, calcium and magnesium. It contains essential plant oils to enhance plant health and increase disease resistance in turf grass. The combination of nutrients in Diamond Green improves the plants natural resistance to many known pathogens.

After the successful development the additive formulation, trials of Diamond Green at different application rates were carried out to assess its impact on the spread of Fusarium and Red Thread. It was tested three different application rates to assess it’s effectiveness.

Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

Diseased turf cores were harvested from infected areas of turf on a parkland golf course. The cores were harvested in late Summer 2021 when these diseases were very active. Disease levels were consistent across each core at the time of harvest.

Throughout the trials, our aim was to find our the effectiveness Diamond Green had of different turf grass diseases without killing the fungus. As Diamond Green is a fertiliser with additives, it was important for us to show how this formulation would prevent the spread of the fungus within the cores taken from the parkland golf course.

Treatments

The following treatments were tested for their potential to reduce disease spread in already infected turf stands:

Number               Treatment                                                                                                           Rate

1                              Water:                                                                                                                  Untreated

2                              Fungicide (Tebuconazole 200 g/lt + Trifloxystrobin 100 g/lt):         1 lt/ha

3                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              10 lt/ha

4                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              20 lt/ha

5                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              40 lt/ha

Methods

The turf cores were harvested for each treatment, one infected with Fusarium Patch and one infected with Red Thread. The cores were then sprayed with each treatment until the turf surface was fully covered. The treated turf was then sealed in clear boxes to provide the humidity conducive to active disease spread. The development of the disease and the health of the turf was then monitored over the next 4-5 days.

Fusarium – Observations 4 Days After Treatment

Over a period of 4 days, the active Fusarium had spread freely on the untreated turf core and white, active mycelium was observed. The fungicide treatment has suppressed the spread of Fusarium, but there is still a small amount of active mycelium present.

Number               Treatment                                                                                                           Estimated Disease

Spread (%)

1                              Water:                                                                                                                  47%

2                              Fungicide (Tebuconazole 200 g/lt + Trifloxystrobin 100 g/lt):         14%

3                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              19%

4                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              8%

5                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              3%

At 10 lt/ha, Diamond Green has supressed the spread of Fusarium, but like the fungicide there is still a small amount of active mycelium present.

At both 20 and 40 lt/ha, Diamond Green has not only supressed the spread of Fusarium but allowed the turf to start to fill in disease scarred areas of turf. There is only a very small amount of active mycelium present on the turf

Red Thread – Observations 5 Days after Treatment

Over a period of 5 days, the active Red Thread has spread freely on the untreated turf core and active red areas can be observed.

At only 10 lt/ha, Diamond Green has had a limited impact on disease spread. However, at 20 lt/ha, the Red Thread has been almost completely suppressed and the turf has had a noticeable green up response and there is an obvious increase in growth rate.

Effect on Disease

It is important to state that Diamond Green is not a fungicide, it is a fertiliser with additives. We trialled both the fertiliser formulation without additives alongside the full Diamond Green formulation with additives. We found that when treated in isolation, the fungal growth is the same for just the fertiliser component as it is for the finished formulation containing the additives.

This confirms that it is the systemic acquired resistance within the plant that stops the spread of the disease.

Figure 1 – Diamond Green – Fertiliser component only

Figure 2 – Diamond Green Final Formulation Fertiliser component + additives

Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

Other Diseases

As Diamond Green acts as a trigger to the plants natural defences, rather than having a direct effect on the fungus itself, it is safe to assume that the activity shown here on Fusarium and Red Thread would be similar on other turf grass diseases including: Anthracnose, Dollar Spot, Snow Moulds and Leaf Spot.

Conclusions

The applications of Diamond Green have been successful in reducing the spread of Red Thread and Fusarium and the higher the application rate of Diamond Green, the stronger the effect is on disease.

At higher application rates of Diamond Green, the treatment also produces a strong growth response, with turf able to quickly ‘fill in’ previously diseased/scarred areas. Although this trial was only observational, we have a strong indication that Diamond Green can play a vital role as part of an integrated disease management strategy. With the benefits to turf health (shown by increased growth response and improved colour), we predict that turf treated with Diamond Green will have improved resistance to future disease attack.

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