Tag Archive for: Seed

Two counties, two courses – one seed

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Two counties, two courses – one seed: Jason Connaughton, Course Manager at Yeovil Golf Club, says that he could not ask for anything more when it comes to the grass seed, customer service, and advice he receives from Limagrain UK.

Set on the outskirts of the town of Yeovil, this fabulous golf club boasts two excellent courses: the eighteen-hole Old Course and the nine-hole Newton Course. The two courses are divided by the River Yeo, which uniquely separates the two courses into two counties with the Old Course located in Dorset and the Newton Course in Somerset.

Two counties, two courses – one seed

Two counties, two courses – one seed

The experienced Jason Connaughton, who has worked at some top courses in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, is the man responsible for the upkeep of both courses. Now in his fourth year at Yeovil, his work across the 189 acres and 27 holes has been widely recognised, but he admits that due to the club’s location, it is not always plain sailing.

“The Newton Course is built on a flood plain which can cause issues,” he said. “The sixteenth green and seventeenth tee are at that same level, so they flood fairly often. When this occurs, there is a temporary green we use but this also tends to get very wet.

“On this small green we were commonly finding issues with moss and other problems – we also needed a grass seed which would be better for wear tolerance. I was not about to use a bent or a fescue because in the past I have found these too hard to establish on this site.

“Therefore, I spoke to both David Bevan from Agrovista Amenity and Matt Gresty from Limagrain UK – and they both suggested I try MM50.”

Limagrain’s leading MM50 mixture is a 100% ryegrass formula which is perfect for achieving consistency throughout a course. This hard-wearing mix has rapid germination, 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.

“We put MM50 down and it established so quickly – it was incredible,” said Jason. “There is more work to be done on the temporary green, but we’ve got the right seed now and the coverage is so much better – there is a huge improvement.”

After being impressed with the results he achieved on the temporary green with MM50, it led Jason to evaluate other areas of the course.

“After seeing how good MM50 was, it made me realise that we were not getting much out of the other brand of seed we were using,” continued Jason. “I soon made the decision to exclusively use MM50 for divotting and overseeding on the tees, fairways and aprons – and the results have been fantastic.

“It is such a lovely fine rye – the wear tolerance is fantastic, and the establishment is perfect. It ticks all the boxes for me, and the members have noticed the difference.”

Two counties, two courses – one seed

Two counties, two courses – one seed

In further pleasing the members, Jason revealed that he uses a range of Limagrain UK’s Colour Splash mixtures. 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.

“We have them spread out in visual areas across the course and the members and visitors absolutely love them,” said Jason. “Not only are they aesthetically pleasing but they are great for the environment and it’s lovely to see so many bees around the place. They are cost effective too – especially when you consider the impact that they have.”

Jason concluded by praising the support he receives from Limagrain UK.

“With Limagrain, it shows that you don’t have to be a big high-end golf course to receive the best support. They listen intently to what we want to achieve, and it means a lot to me when someone invests their time in talking to me and helping. I want to work with people who have our best intentions at heart, and I get exactly this with Limagrain UK.

“I couldn’t ask for more.”

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 and Instagram @mm_seeds

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Johnsons Sports Seed announce new cultivars

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Johnsons Sports Seed announce new cultivars: DLF Seeds undeniably set the bar when it comes to seed research and development, giving turf professionals the mixtures they need and trust to achieve first-class results.

As they launch the Johnsons Sports Seeds mixture guide for 2021, the introduction of new cultivars and 11 updated formulations promise further improvements to disease resistance, wear tolerance and visual performance across a number of key mixtures in their golf and sports portfolio.

Johnsons Sports Seed announce new cultivars

Johnsons Sports Seed announce new cultivars

With sustainability an increasingly key consideration for turf managers, many are discovering the benefits associated with DLF’s 4turf® Tetraploid Ryegrass technology. New in the 4turf® stable for 2021 is Tetragame, a cultivar which significantly improves disease resistance and sward recovery, as well as demonstrating strong germination and establishment even at temperatures as low as 4oc. Tetragame features in the new formulation of J Outfield, together with updated J 4Turf and J 4Turf 100 mixtures to deliver the strength and durability demanded for winter sport and equestrian use.

With a trusted track record for high performance, Johnsons J Premier Wicket and J Premier Pitch mixtures will continue to set the standard for cricket and football respectively – with ProNitro® coated options available for even faster establishment and reduced input costs. DLF’s ProNitro® 5G seed coating contains a targeted combination of controlled release nitrogen, together with hydroactive water management technology, which leads to stronger germination and improved nutrient utilisation during the early stages of plant growth.

Also new for 2021 is Absolom. This highly-rated Slender Creeping Red Fescue cultivar delivers exceptional disease resistance and tolerance for close mown management making it a great addition to a number of Johnsons golf mixtures including J Fescue, J Premier Fairway and J Green. In addition, all mixtures across the Johnsons putting surface range are now ‘DLF Select’ purity as standard, meaning Course Managers can be assured that only seed from the purest crops and meeting the stringent cleanliness grade makes it into the bag.

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MM seed – just what the doctor ordered

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MM seed – just what the doctor ordered: Graham Wickes, owner of Lawn Doctor (Essex) LTD, has praised the quality of Limagrain UK’s grass seed after seeing phenomenal results across a variety of lawn and sports turf projects. 

Graham started his career in greenkeeping and while working at some prominent golf courses, including The London Club, he also found time to work towards his NVQ Level 2 and 3 in Sports Turf Management. Upon leaving the golf industry, to gain knowledge in building golf courses and football pitches, Graham began expanding his experience and expertise working for a sports turf contractor.

MM seed - just what the doctor ordered

MM seed – just what the doctor ordered

In 2008, he founded the Lawn Doctor and took all the principles of top quality greenkeeping and turf care in the sporting world to start creating healthy, lush lawns all over Essex. It initially started with residential projects and with clients impressed with his knowledge, attention to detail and the fabulous results they saw, that grew quickly before Graham then landed maintenance contracts at some bowls clubs and soon came to the attention of Bowls England who, recognising his skills, appointed him as their Greens Advisor for Essex. Bowling greens quickly led to football pitches and it was not long before he was building up an impressive portfolio as clubs, local authorities and private clients reaped the rewards of the hard work Graham puts in and the ongoing support he gives throughout the process.

The business has gone from strength to strength over recent years and this is, partly, due to his insistence on using only the highest quality products.

“It is my business and I strive to be the very best,” he said. “To be the best I have to use the very best products. Whenever I am pitching for a project or providing a quote, I always explain that I use the most premium grass seed and first-class products on the market.”

Graham first became familiar with Limagrain UK after a specific seed mixture was recommended to him.

“I was previously using another brand for my seed mixtures which I thought was great to be honest, but I always like to look for improvements, even when things are going well and I’m glad I did. I started speaking to another contractor and he was raving about Limagrain’s seed mixtures, so I decided to try it for myself. I was amazed at how quickly it came through and the colour it had was brilliant even without a feed.

“From then on, I decided to start using the Elite Green mixture from Limagrain for the bowls greens and I had fantastic results straight away. The first season I used this seed I had far superior germination to the previous brand I was using. The greens were in the best condition they had ever been.”

Limagrain’s Elite Green mixture, from the company’s Designer seed range, produces a fine, dense, hard-wearing surface with high disease resistance. It was Graham’s first experience of Limagrain’s seed in a sports turf environment, and he did not stop there.

In 2019 he decided to overseed with Limagrain’s MM60 mixture when renovating the pitch at Braintree Town FC. MM60 is the UK’s leading winter sports renovation mixture and can be attributed with playing a key role in many of the finest sporting venues you see today. The 100% Ryegrass formula, which is perfect for divot repair, is renowned for its extremely fast germination and its high wear tolerance. It produces fantastic aesthetic qualities, and its high disease resistance provides ultimate protection.

MM60 is also treated with HEADSTART® GOLD, which is a further development of the well-recognised Headstart treatment and has been developed using the latest scientific findings and field experience. It is a natural revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination. It is perfect for enhancing performance on sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf and Graham quickly found it was indeed a seed he could rely on.

MM seed - just what the doctor ordered

MM seed – just what the doctor ordered

“When I first arrived at Braintree, the goal mouth areas were totally bare – there was no grass at all. I overseeded the whole pitch with MM60, and I told the chairman that I was determined to keep grass in the goal mouth areas all season. He laughed and wished me luck because it had apparently never been done before.

“A year later and the goal mouth areas still had grass coverage and the condition of the pitch has attracted the attention of larger League Two clubs, looking for suitable match locations for academy games and also The FA who have offered it to international associations as a training location for youth international fixtures.”

In addition, Lawn Doctor (Essex) Ltd are on the list of Essex CFA contractors to help and assist clubs with the Grass Pitch Improvement Strategy (formerly Pitch Improvement Programme).Graham thinks the use of MM60 can be seen as a significant contributor to his success in these areas.

“The beauty of Limagrain seed is knowing that it works. To my clients I proudly inform them that I use the most premium products and the Limagrain seed backs this up. As a contractor, seeing the grass coming up within seven days after putting it down is great – it is also what your customer wants to see. I’ve not used another brand of seed since.

“It’s not just the quality of the seed but it’s the service and quick delivery which is also part of the package. Getting a product within 3 or 4 days is particularly important to me because it enables me to keep to schedules.

“Everything just works incredibly well with Limagrain UK.”

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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It’s all about Grass Seed

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It’s all about Grass Seed: Stronger germination and faster establishment are key.

DLF Seed’s ProNitro Coating Technology has been helping greenkeepers and groundsmen achieve stronger germination, faster establishment and lower input costs.

It’s all about Grass Seed

It’s all about Grass Seed

Four years on from its launch, the next generation of ProNitro is now available, featuring DLF’s new Hydroactive Water Management Technology. ProNitro’s targeted combination of controlled release nitrogen and sustainable water distribution optimises the delivery of essential nutrients and moisture to the developing seedling.

With sustainability an everincreasing priority for turf managers around the world, the ProNitro coating ensures available water is used more efficiently.

“The new ProNitro formulation has been conceived and developed as a direct action for input optimization on grasses, improving water distribution in the field. Making the best of every drop of water gives both the grass seed and the fertiliser the optimum conditions for establishment, strong root development and healthy, vigorous
growth,” explained Giovanny Lopez, Lead Seed Coat Technologist for DLF.

In trials, the coated seed contributed to a 34% increase in establishing plants and a 30% improvement in root growth. In addition, the targeted nitrogen application system reduces the leaching of unutilised fertiliser into the environment by more than 50% when compared to traditional chemical applications.

ProNitro combines sources of both fast-acting and slow release nitrogen with water management technology, encapsulated in a smooth outer coating for improved seed flow and accurate delivery. This ensures the new seed receives the full benefit of the available water and nutrition, encouraging the roots and shoots to grow rapidly – particularly important when overseeding into a competitive sward.

It is suitable for use on all types of playing surfaces and is available on a selection of popular mixtures from across the Johnsons Sports Seed range. On golf greens and football pitches, even those with low-fertility, sandy soils, ProNitro provides faster establishment, bringing surfaces back into play quicker. The improved uniformity and sward density also make it ideal for turf producers by reducing the invasion of Poa annua and broad-leaved weeds. Replacing the need for seedbed fertiliser, ProNitro saves both time and money.

200 Years of Johnsons Sports Seed

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200 Years of Johnsons Sports Seed: BTME in Harrogate signals the start of a year of celebrations for the Johnsons Sports Seed team, as 2020 marks the company’s 200th anniversary in the seed industry.

To commemorate, visitors to stand 214 in the Red Zone will have a chance to win big in a special ‘200 Years’ competition. It will also be the launch platform for the new ProNitro® Seed Coating from DLF, and a number of updated Johnsons Sports Seed formulations ready for the new season.

200 Years of Johnsons Sports Seed

ProNitro® seed technology was launched to much acclaim in 2016 and has proven itself to achieve a stronger germination and faster establishment, without the need to apply pre-seed fertilisers – saving both time and money. The coating now features DLF’s hydroactive water management technology which promotes sustainable water and nutrient availability through significantly improving the water distribution in the surrounding soil. Enhanced moisture availability during the early stages of plant growth gives each developing seedling the optimum conditions for strong root development and healthy, vigorous growth.

The new ProNitro® coating is available on a selection of mixtures across the Johnsons Sports Seed range, including J Premier Pitch and J Tee. Ideal for hard wearing, shaded golf tees & pathways, the 2020 formulation of J Tee now includes the new strong creeping red fescue Laverda. Laverda is the new number one rated fine fescue cultivar, that delivers unbeatable summer colour and shoot density. For golf, Laverda also features in the updated J Rye Fairway and J Premier Fairway mixtures.

For those turf managers with a focus on improving long-term sustainability, the brand-new J 4Turf 100 mixture will be of particular interest. A 100% tetraploid ryegrass mixture, J 4Turf 100 is ideal for the rapid renovation of worn sports turf areas. The increased chlorophyll density and greater root mass of DLF’s 4Turf ryegrasses optimise water and fertiliser inputs resulting in good looking turf, that’s cheaper to maintain and better for the environment.

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