Tag Archive for: Turf

Fulford Heath’s Path to Perfect Turf with MM Seed

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Fulford Heath’s Path to Perfect Turf with MM Seed: Kim Blake, Course Manager at Fulford Heath Golf Club in Birmingham, has been at the forefront of maintaining and enhancing the club’s renowned parkland course for the past 36 years.

Kim’s dedication to innovation has helped the club thrive and stay competitive. A key component of his maintenance programme? The consistent success of MM seed products.

Fulford Heath’s Path to Perfect Turf with MM Seed

Fulford Heath’s Path to Perfect Turf with MM Seed

Fulford Heath, designed by James Braid, spans just over 6,200 yards with a par of 70. Its strategic layout features the River Cole, mature trees, and lakes, presenting golfers with challenges that reward skill and strategy. Maintaining such a course requires precision and quality, and Kim has found these attributes in MM seed.

“I started using MM9 15 years ago because of the HEADSTART® GOLD treatment,” says Kim. This revolutionary coating ensures rapid germination, which was a game-changer for Kim. “I wanted to shift our greens from 100% Poa annua to a 60/40 mix of bentgrass and Poa annua, so I began integrating MM9 with top dressing,” he added.

Kim’s approach evolved as he experimented with mixing MM9 with sand, then using a Graden machine. “One thing I found is that sowing the seed deeper—between 6mm and 10mm—yields better results. It’s a theory from my agricultural days: deeper sowing protects the seed from frost lift, preventing root break,” Kim explains. This technique, combined with MM9’s superior quality, produced impressive results.

Kim conducted multiple trials to test MM9 against various creeping bent mixtures. “We did half a green with MM9 and the other half with creeping bent and repeated this on different greens. MM9 consistently germinated a day quicker, thanks to the HEADSTART® GOLD coating,” Kim notes.

“An advantage of MM9 is cost-effectiveness. It’s more economical than creeping bent, allowing us to apply more seed per square metre, leading to a better strike and building a stronger seed bank in the soil. After 12 months, MM9 proved to hold its own better than other mixtures.”

For Kim, the right seed choice extends beyond greens. “We recently switched to MM50 on our tees because modern golfers take larger divots, and a pure rye mix stands up to this better,” he explains. MM50’s blend of fine-leaved ryegrasses creates a dense, resilient surface that recovers quickly.

On the fairways, Kim relies on MM22 for its durability and reliability. “It’s great for overseeding, renovation, and construction—areas that endure high wear,” Kim adds.

Fulford Heath’s Path to Perfect Turf with MM Seed

Fulford Heath’s Path to Perfect Turf with MM Seed

Kim has also modified his approach to sand usage and overseeding schedules. “We’ve reduced sand use from 120 tonnes to 40 tonnes annually and plan to reduce it further next year. Instead, we focus on biology to control thatch and organic matter. This makes the greens work harder, enhancing the bent seed’s performance,” says Kim.

He overseeds in February/March at 40 kg per hectare, using a Graden sand injection machine or a disc seeder. “We’ll do more renovation work in October but won’t overseed, as temperatures are too cold. Since prioritising biology over intense aeration and sand, the bents have improved,” Kim shares.

Kim’s approach balances simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and long-term benefits. “My goal is to make the job straightforward for the staff and cost-effective for the club. If it’s too complex or costly, nobody is happy. Continuous tweaking and adaptation are key,” he concludes.

With MM seed products at the heart of his programme, Kim has transformed the maintenance strategy at Fulford Heath, setting a benchmark for highly efficient course management.

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s website www.mm-seeds.co.uk.

You can also follow the company on X: @MM_Seed.

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Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

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Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland: Simon Grand, Course Manager at North Foreland Golf Club in Kent, has reported impressive results from using BASF’s Attraxor, a plant growth regulator recommended and supplied by Agrovista Amenity.

Known for its unique coastal setting and historic courses, North Foreland faces the dual challenges of high traffic and dry, windswept conditions. For Simon, the location was a major draw when he joined nine years ago. Moving from a North London clay course, he was eager to manage turf on the free-draining chalk downland and embrace the challenges of this coastal environment.

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Managing the club’s courses, which host approximately 60,000 rounds of golf annually, presents unique challenges. The main course is particularly demanding, with its exposure to winds and a need for consistent, high-quality turf management. With a relatively small team of eight full-time staff, efficiency and innovative solutions are key.

Simon’s relationship with Agrovista Amenity dates back years. Familiar with their product range and expertise, he has trusted the company’s advice and offerings to optimise the club’s turf management.

This year, Simon decided to trial BASF’s Attraxor plant growth regulator: “I’d read positive studies and listened to feedback about the product from other users, particularly its seed head suppression and disease management benefits. The buzz around it grew to the point where I had to see for myself,” he said.

Attraxor is designed to reduce vertical grass growth while promoting lateral spread and tillering. This leads to a denser turf with improved playability and less frequent mowing, freeing up valuable time for other maintenance tasks. The product is especially beneficial for suppressing seed head production and can play a role in disease management.

Simon’s first application on the Northcliffe course was in early spring. “We applied it at the full rate during a mild March. The results were immediate. Within the first few weeks, we noticed significantly reduced growth leading to less leaf removal when cutting and more consistent putting surfaces. I definitely noticed a reduction in seed head as well, when normally they would have been very prevalent at that time of year. There was also a major decrease in disease considering the conditions we were facing. After the initial application we are generally applying it every three weeks and have continued to do so ever since.”

The results impressed Simon enough to integrate Attraxor into the main course maintenance plan later in the summer. “It wasn’t just a short-term solution; it became part of our long-term strategy.”

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Attraxor’s use on the two courses demonstrated benefits like reduced mowing frequency and lower disease presence, which were crucial given the limited resources of the team. “We’re not the largest team managing two busy courses, so any product that helps us maintain quality while reducing workload is invaluable. The challenges we face now as an industry are immense. Greenkeeping can be a tough environment based around labour shortages and the limited products you can use, so a good growth regulator can be a key product in this respect,” he said.

Simon values the ongoing relationship with Andrew Norman, his Agrovista Amenity representative, whose knowledge helps guide North Foreland’s maintenance practices. “Andrew and I have a great understanding, and we work well together. Furthermore, Agrovista’s seminars and resources have been great for learning about new products like Attraxor and fitting them into our programmes,” he added.

The positive results from the initial trials have encouraged Simon to explore Attraxor’s use on tees, aprons, and even bunker faces as time and conditions allow. He remains committed to building on this year’s success and integrating Attraxor into a broader, year-round turf management plan. “I think all the time the grass is growing, Attraxor will be a part of the programme,” Simon said.

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

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Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate: With a career spanning 20 years, Jamie Melham, Head Greenkeeper at one of the finest in Sussex, Highwoods Golf Club, brings his experience and collaboration with specialist for Consolidate Turf, Rob Welford, to enhance the health and aesthetics of the golf course.

Jamie began his greenkeeping journey two decades ago, accruing experience at Dale Hill Golf Club and Lamberhurst Golf Club before joining Highwoods Golf Club, where he has been for over eight years leading a team of six greens staff. His role involves not just maintaining the course but also continuously experimenting with and refining turf management practices.

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

Jamie’s partnership with Rob Welford from Consolidate Turf started 3 years ago and has been instrumental in transforming the nutrient management approach at Highwoods. Rob’s expertise and responsiveness have provided Jamie with confidence and reliable support, and the use of consolidate products played a big part in the presentation of the course, when the club celebrated its centenary year in 2024.

One specific challenge Jamie faced was the inconsistency in fertilizer prill size from a different supplier. Initially, Rob assessed the golf course’s overall plant health, leading to the transition from granular to liquid fertilizers for more consistent results, using Consolidate Plus to kickstart the greens early in the season. This approach has proven successful for three consecutive seasons.

Jamie explains “I began by applying Consolidate products to the approach areas and soon extended their use to the greens. I am now on a full annual package of Consolidate liquids, including seaweed, potassium, magnesium, and other nutrients, which are customised yearly to meet the specific needs for growth, colour and overall turf health.”

“Like all our customers we have a bespoke programme for Jamie,” explains Rob “The use of the Consolidate nitrogen source gives the turf an efficient food source to make the building blocks of proteins and amino acids to deliver healthy results on the greens without any of the associated drawbacks of conventional nitrogen sources. The liquids provide the control needed to deliver the correct dosage. We do leaf analysis to check the plant is receiving everything it needs. This is coupled with a programme for approaches and fairways, tailored for his individual needs and requirements in these different areas.

For the approaches, Jamie maintains a treatment schedule of every three weeks, a practice he also applies during the winter to prevent disease. “The results speak for themselves” said Jamie “With consistent progress across every area treated. Improvements in colour, grass strength and wearability, less disease and faster recovery.” This has led to expanding these practices to the fairways, using Consolidate products across all key areas of the course and making ongoing adjustments based on Rob’s recommendations.

In addition to using Consolidate products, Jamie incorporates feedback from the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) into his maintenance program. STRI provides annual soil analysis, which Jamie, and Rob review to adjust the nutrient program, as necessary. This collaboration ensures that the turf management practices are continuously optimized based on scientific data.

The structured and scientifically backed approach to turf management, combined with Rob’s products and STRI’s analysis, provides reassurance to the club’s board, allowing Jamie to focus on maintaining his own ambitious standards.

For further information visit www.consolidateturf.com

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J 4Turf 50 proves the versatile choice

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J 4Turf 50 proves the versatile choice: One of the UK’s most prominent sports pitch contractors has praised J 4Turf 50 from the Johnsons Sports Seed range for the pivotal role it plays in the renovations of a range of turf surfaces.

White Horse Contractors note the versatility of the 50/50 tetraploid and perennial ryegrass blend, which has delivered reliable results and season-long performance at facilities across the country.

J 4Turf 50 proves the versatile choice

J 4Turf 50 proves the versatile choice

Known for more than six decades of expertise and trusted by venues across the sporting spectrum, White Horse offer the full range of specialist design, construction, drainage and maintenance services. Chris Last joined White Horse as Technical Manager just over a year ago and brought his relationship with Johnsons Sports Seed – and firm belief in the DLF 4turf® tetraploid variety – with him! “I had used J 4Turf in my previous role and had the opportunity to experience the benefits they bring to winter sports pitches first-hand” he explains. “It wasn’t long before the White Horse team saw this for themselves and quickly had the confidence to employ J 4Turf 50 in a number of our projects.”

With the ever-increasing pressure on turf managers to produce top quality surfaces suitable for year-round play, DLF’s unique 4turf® tetraploid ryegrass provides the solution for the sports turf market. With exceptional disease resistance, superior drought tolerance and reduced requirements for water and fertiliser, 4turf® mixtures are the sustainable choice and are available in 25, 50 and 100% formulations within the Johnsons Sports Seed range.

“We have found J 4Turf 50 to be an incredibly versatile seed that we can use across many sports and on sites with different Sport England pitch constructions. It has demonstrated fantastic drought tolerance during challenging periods of weather and has reliably created a strong sward that establishes quickly whether in a stadium environment, training ground, polo field or school sports field.”

Chris adds, “In addition, deep rooting was evident on all of the sites we used the mixture on during the summer of 2024, which is even more important when it comes to establishing a sward on a primary or secondary drainage line.”

With the positive experience of last season under their belt, it’s full steam ahead for Chris and the team as they prepare for another busy year ahead. “As a contractor, working at some of the country’s finest stadia and sports clubs, it’s incredibly important that we use materials that are reliable and are going to perform exactly as they say on the tin. 4turf has always done exactly that for me, and J 4Turf 50 has taken that to the next level in terms of versatility and high performance.”

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TGA Warns of Further Turf Price Increases in 2025

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TGA Warns of Further Turf Price Increases in 2025: The Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) has issued a warning about anticipated price increases for turf products in 2025.

Following another year of challenging weather conditions and ever increasing operational costs, TGA members have reported mounting pressures that will inevitably drive up the overall cost of production, and therefore the sale price of turf.

TGA Warns of Further Turf Price Increases in 2025

TGA Warns of Further Turf Price Increases in 2025

This continues a trend in recent years, as the industry grapples with the ongoing effects of extreme and variable weather patterns. In 2024, further widespread wet weather, increased disease management programmes, and in many cases the legacy of the previous winter’s adverse weather have once again driven up production costs across the whole supply chain.

Impact of National Insurance Contribution Changes

Adding to these challenges, the government’s increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, effective from April 2025, will significantly affect turfgrass producers. Contributions are set to rise from 13.8% to 15%, while the threshold at which employers begin paying contributions will drop from £9,100 to £5,000. These changes will substantially increase payroll costs for labour-intensive industries including turfgrass production.

Richard Owens, Chair of the TGA, commented: “2024 was another particularly challenging year for the turfgrass industry. Alongside continued weather-related disruptions and increasing operational costs, government-mandated fiscal changes are adding further pressures. Price adjustments are essential to ensure the industry’s viability and ability to meet future demand.”

Building on Previous Challenges

The anticipated price rises for 2025 build on the challenges highlighted at the start of 2024, when the TGA warned of price increases driven by extreme weather, rising fertiliser and fuel costs, and supply chain issues.

Looking Ahead

The TGA remains committed to supporting its members by promoting best practices, advocating for industry needs, and exploring innovative solutions to mitigate future challenges. However, with the effects of climate change continuing to impact growing conditions and economic pressures mounting, the association urges stakeholders to anticipate price volatility and plan accordingly for upcoming projects.

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