Tag Archive for: Problem

Problem pool saved by Otterbine

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Problem pool saved by Otterbine: Otterbine’s Fractional aerating fountain has transformed what was once a problem pool at Derwen Mill Holiday Park in Powys, Wales.

Owner Richard Jones explains how the five-star family-owned park prides itself on creating a peaceful, tranquil escape with its privately-owned holiday homes set on spacious pitches, wrapped around lakes and pools, or overlooking large greens spaces.

Problem pool saved by Otterbine

Problem pool saved by Otterbine

It therefore stands to reason that its pool experiencing problems urgently needed a reliable and effective water solution.

Richard says: “We’ve got four thriving pools but the fifth really struggles due to its location at the lowest point on the park. It suffers with Canadian pond weed and floating algae and it’s difficult to maintain. We often joke about how it just doesn’t like being a pond!”

The park has had an Otterbine fountain in the past and it met expectations, therefore, there was “no reason not to get another” Richard says.

Richard researched the best options and found the Fractional met his criteria. This was an opinion shared by Matt Gilks from MG Turf who Richard contacted to supply the product.

The Fractional is an all-in-one fountain and circulator meaning it introduces oxygen into the water column for the most natural solution to water quality management, effectively controlling algae and aquatic weeds while creating impressive displays.

With decade of experience in all areas of irrigation installation, construction, supply and support, MG Turf was well placed to support the project from all angles. Richard says: “It’s been a great experience working with Matt Gilks from MG Turf. He didn’t just help with recommending and supplying the Otterbine aerator, he helped us with a working management plan too, so I feel confident we have a long-lasting, sustainable solution in place.”

Matt comments: “Richard was keen to see a unit installed in the lake to make it a feature as much as giving it working purpose. Otterbine was a great solution for this. It was a pleasure to deal with Richard – we communicated about getting on site and arranged to install the unit over a bank holiday.”

Now, what was a struggling pool earns its place at the exclusive park: “The results speak for themselves,” confirms Richard.

To learn more about how the Otterbine range of aerators and fountains can tackle water quality issues, contact Reesink on 01480 226800 or visit reesink-hydroscapes.co.uk.

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More cricket? No problem for Durham

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More cricket? No problem for Durham: As the old saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – exactly the motto of Durham County Cricket Club’s Head Groundsman Vic Demain when it comes to his usage of Johnsons J Premier Wicket.

Now into his seventh season with the 100% perennial ryegrass mixture, he cites the early season establishment, wear tolerance and visual merit as the reasons he’s never considered changing as the club gets set for one of the longest and most intense seasons of cricket to date!

More cricket? No problem for Durham

More cricket? No problem for Durham

It’s not just the number of years clocking up for Vic at the Bank Homes Riverside Stadium, as are the demands on the playing surface – with the season extending at both ends and fixtures starting earlier every year. “The windows we have to get onto the ground have reduced significantly due to the quantity of games and training sessions meaning we rely heavily on having a well established and strong sward going into the season” he explains. “Theoretically this is not too much of a problem, except that we also have to battle the cold and dry northeastern climate!”

“Typically we won’t see consistent growth until the end of May, by which point we can be halfway through our county championship season. This makes speed of germination crucial for our autumn renovation work, achieving that germination before we lose the temperature to ensure we go into the following season with good coverage.”

Not just renowned for rapid establishment, the four top-rated cultivars in J Premier Wicket ensure outstanding wear tolerance, high disease resistance and fineness of leaf for aesthetic and play quality across squares and outfields. “It’s the only seed we use, both for renovations and in-season repairs if and when needed” Vic adds.

“Besides germination, fineness of leaf is also incredibly important to us for both play and presentation purposes. The team and I take incredible pride in how the ground looks from the stands and with J Premier Wicket we get it looking its best from every angle.” He continues, “This is assisted by the fact that we see very little in the way of disease.”

On the topic of assistance, Vic also rates the back up technical support from Martin Stephenson of Aitkens and, more recently, DLF’s Ben Morgan. “I have always had nothing but quality advice from Martin and the DLF technical team, many of whom I’ve known for a good number of years. It’s a great product, at a great price, which performs year after year. Why would I consider using anything else?!”

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Leaf Reducer solves parkland problem

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Leaf Reducer solves parkland problem: Formally part of the Bishops of London hunting estate, the 83 acres of leafy, parkland that make up Highgate Golf Club are proving no match for the quick and effective leaf clearance offered by a GKB Leaf Reducer.

Course Manager Russell Ling was looking for a sustainable solution to the time-consuming task when he discovered the GKB machine – which has eliminated the need to collect and dispose of the waste in exchange for delivering all-important nutrients back into their roughs.

Leaf Reducer solves parkland problem

Leaf Reducer solves parkland problem

 

Managing the leaf fall from the many large oak trees which line the Highgate course has been a mammoth annual task for Russell, who has been at the club for 33 years, and his team of eight. Compact in design, areas once designated for leaf piles were either being re-allocated for new purposes or becoming increasingly inaccessible due to the wetter winters. “I saw the Leaf Reducer on the GKB stand at BTME and could immediately see how it could solve multiple problems for us” he explains.

“After a demonstration I had no doubt it was the way to go.” The unit was delivered by GKB’s Tom Shinkins and local dealer Ernest Doe at the beginning of September – in time for the new leaf fall season!

“We have a blower working out in front, moving the leaves into the roughs. We then pass over with the Leaf Reducer which mulches the leaves into such fine particles that you can hardly see where the leaves had been. In addition to leaving a clean and tidy finish, it also provides some additional nutrients back into areas which we wouldn’t usually feed.”

A unique circular system, the Leaf Reducer uses paddles to lift the leaves and a combination of turbines and milling blades to finely process the leaf waste, converting it into fine mulch before redistributing it back to the surface. Eliminating landfill costs and significantly reducing C02 emissions, it offers a sustainable alternative to leaf collection for local authorities, parks managers and greenkeepers maintaining off-play areas around the golf course.

“Tom has been brilliant throughout the purchase process and spent the time to ensure the whole team got to grips with the machine. A few weeks in and it’s already proving itself to be a great purchase! As we move through the season, it’ll be out everyday to keep on top of all the leaves.” Russell concludes, “It’ll become one of our most used machines and one of the most important for retaining both presentation and playability as we host more and more golf through the autumn and winter months.”

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Worm casts causing you a problem?

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Worm casts causing you a problem?: Earthworms are vital for maintaining healthy soil. By continuously moving soil, worms loosen and aerate it, aiding water infiltration. And, when earthworms feed on nutrients in the soil, the waste products they leave provide valuable fertilisation.

But despite the benefits, earthworms create big problems for greenkeepers.

Worm casts causing you a problem?

Worm casts causing you a problem?

As they expel waste, earthworms leave small worm casts on the soil’s surface. These tiny mounds affect ball movement on golf courses and look unsightly. During milder months, worms are more active near the surface, and these soil casts can mount up, creating more work for greenkeepers.

Up until 2019, greenkeepers had a simple way to tackle worm casts. However, since Carbendazim was banned due to the potentially toxic effects it has on the human reproductive system, no clear chemical solution has emerged to replace it.

How Worm Casts Affect Cylinder Mowers

Worm casts are not just an inconvenience. As a greenkeeper, worm casts cause several other issues, particularly when using cylinder mowers.

Due to their wet, sticky nature, worm casts clog mower rollers, eventually causing them to lock up. When this happens, the mower skids over the turf causing costly damage to both the turf and the machine.

Additionally, worm casts cause an abrasive grinding paste to form between the bottom blade and cylinder. This blunts the cylinders so that regular and costly sharpening is required. If the sharpening is not completed the blunt cylinders affect the overall cut quality and presentation of the course. For many Greenkeepers, this means their cylinder mowers spend more time in the workshop than out on the course.

While strategies like delaying the cut until the middle of the day to reduce stickiness, brushing the turf prior to cutting, or using an older mower when cast levels are high can help, these are not practical solutions as they add time and expense to the ongoing task of turf maintenance.

Using a Trailed Rotary Mower

Until a solution is developed to control worm casts on turf, one time-saving way of tackling them is to use a rotary mower. Trailed rotary mowers do not encounter the same problems as cylinder mowers, as they have been engineered to perform in a wider range of conditions with unwavering reliability.

Most trailed rotary mowers have 5” diameter smooth rollers which are nearly three times larger than a cylinder mower, providing strength when it’s needed most. These rollers are fitted with scraper wires (either a thin metal wire hugging the roller or a solid steel bar running across the length of the roller) which provide constant pressure across the roller, for keeping it free of debris and worm casts.

Another advantage of a trailed rotary mower is their high spindle speeds and airflow, this helps keep the blades clean of worm casts, improving the cut quality and reducing maintenance costs. The other consideration is cleaning. This process is made much easier with a trailed machine as the decks can be folded vertically giving clear access and removing the need to crawl under or bend over the machine.

If you want to see how a trailed rotary mower will perform on your worm casts, give Trimax a call on 01933 652235 or visit their website https://trimaxmowers.co.uk/book-a-demo/

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Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem

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Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem: Across the pond, 4B Landscape & Construction Inc are discovering the many benefits of Foamstream, having switched to the non-herbicidal weed-control solution in early 2022.

Previously using Glyphosate as their primary chemical control, CEO Jamie Berg and COO Gary Berg Jr explain how, since purchasing their L12 unit from Weedingtech, they’re piquing the interest of many new commercial customers with the alternative that saves labor hours and tackles weeds in a way that’s safer for operator and the planet.

Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem

Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem

Established in 2013, 4B Landscape & Construction Inc are a full-scale landscape design, installation and maintenance company servicing both residential and commercial clients in the Greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas. “When it came to weed control, our initial approach of glyphosate and supplementary hand weeding wasn’t proving effective for three reasons. Firstly, and mainly, is the overall adverse health concerns to humans and the environment. Next, we found weed crops were becoming glyphosate tolerant leading to an increase in treatments. Finally, hand weeding was just simply inefficient and labor intensive, and didn’t give us lasting results” explains Gary.

When exploring alternatives, Gary came across Foamstream on social media and later found that one of their local vendors was an approved distributor. Foamstream kills unwanted vegetation, including weeds, moss and algae, using the precise application of hot water insulated by a specially formulated biodegradable and organic foam. It is delivered by Weedingtech’s range of patented machinery range – an L12 unit purchased by Gary is now coming to the end of its first year of service.

“Not only is Foamstream a healthy herbicide-free option for people and the environment, it gives us instant knockdown results. Compared to hand-weeding, it equates to a 25% labor saving on each site which is in the region of 90 hours saved over the span of the season. Because it treats the spores and seeds as well as the weed, Foamstream has decreased our annual treatments from seven to three or four.” He continues, “It has also eliminated costly overspray or leaching repairs and expanded our potential for treatment throughout the year instead of being limited by suitable weather windows.”

“Additionally, the community perception of the system being herbicide-free helps us stand-out among the competition. Our customers appreciate the multiple benefits it has to their friends, family, pets and the environment and this has undoubtably seen us win more business in both the domestic and commercial markets.”

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