Winter - Turf Matters

Tag Archive for: Winter

Stock Up On Pest Control For Warmer Winter Months

January 9, 2019/in Parks and Gardens, Press Release/by Sarah Bryan

Stock Up On Pest Control For Warmer Winter Months: It is becoming clear that the planet is becoming warmer and warmer each year, and particularly in 2018 gardens have experienced the full force of Mother Nature. From the Beast from the East in March bringing endless amounts of snow to the scorching hot summer in July, the growth of grass, plants and trees may have taken a hit. But as we coast into winter, we have been experiencing increasingly mild temperatures for this time of year – with a number of pests staying put in the garden instead of hibernating away as they would usually.

Because of this warmer winter weather, it is creating the perfect breeding ground for slugs to still attack and wreak havoc in your garden, even in the winter. This is why it is important to stock up and take control with pest solutions now in preparation for the uncertain weather temperatures ahead.

The slug killer, Nemaslug by BASF, offers a biological solution to pest control and can protect your vegetables, fruit, flowers, shrubs and trees from a variety of pests – even in December. To use, all you do is mix the product with water and apply from a watering can with a coarse rose over the soil area. The temperature of the soil you are treating should be nothing lower than 5 degrees Celsius, which for December this would usually pose an issue, but for the climatic weather, it is not been a problem this year. Also, there is no need to keep children or pets away from treated areas and the whole programme is entirely biological.

Individual slugs are capable of breeding throughout the year but do so typically in times of favourable conditions, warm and wet weather, and it would seem even in December and January. If you were to leave the slugs be until the spring season, which is when pest control typically begins, you would find foliar damage which would be severe enough to cause significant plant loss on a vast number of susceptible crops very early in the season.

Nemaslug orders can be placed online, with an entire season’s worth being sent out as and when needed. This means that you can tackle the slugs in the garden now but also be prepared for the spring and summer months ahead – allowing you to concentrate on planting and growing in your garden, safe in the knowledge that your pest control is taken care of.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Prepare Your Polaris RANGER Cab For Winter

November 15, 2018/in Machinery, Press Release/by Tony Hawkins

Prepare Your Polaris RANGER Cab For Winter: Keep the winter outside with Polaris Engineered Parts and Accessories for the RANGER cab, specifically designed to enhance the riding experience whatever the weather.

With the RANGER Pro Shield Cab System – the tightest sealing cab system in the industry – alongside a number of in-cab accessories designed to help with the cold, dark winter months, Polaris offer unprecedented cab comfort and protection from the elements with the RANGER parts and accessories lineup.

Andreas Geisinger, Manager of Polaris EMEA Parts, Gear & Accessories Business, explained: “The RANGER is completely adaptable to any riding conditions, and so the cab should be too. We created the Pro Shield Cab System exclusively for the RANGER XP 1000, alongside the design and development of the vehicle itself for the perfect fit. This resulted in a 360-degree gasket seal that keeps draughts, dust and moisture out, fully preparing the RANGER for anything Winter has to throw at it.”.

RANGER Pro Shield Cab System

With a variety of cab components available – from roofs and doors, to windshields and rear panels – there are unlimited ways to configure the RANGER cab system for any environment, any purpose and any weather. All of the RANGER Pro Shield Cab components are built with a seamless fit and Lock and Ride compatibility, giving maximum convenience with easy-on and easy-off installation without the need for any tools.

Roof – A winter must-have for protection against rain and maintaining heat, a Polaris Engineered roof delivers fully-sealed coverage and advanced integrated roof water channels, directing water away from the cab even when stationary. Choose from impact-resistant poly, ultimate-strength steel, or lightweight canvas material.

Doors – Complete the cab with the RANGER Pro Shield Cab System door line. The premium, fully-sealed doors are finished with solid latches that feel sturdy and secure, integrated storage and controls, pre-designated mounts for audio speakers, and multiple window options for ventilation. Finalise the look with exterior accent panels colour-matched to the existing RANGER collection.

Windshield and Rear Panel – Keep riding regardless of weather, with Polaris Engineered windshields and rear panels. Choose from tempered safety glass for perfect clarity and top scratch resistance, standard poly for high-value durability, or hard-coat poly for 30x more scratch resistance than standard poly with extreme impact-resistance – all providing protection from dust-swirl and rain. Polaris have enhanced their windshields and rear panels with venting options, to control airflow into the cab depending on conditions.

Winter-proof Accessories

Complete your preparation for winter by adding extra comfort and capability to your RANGER, with premium Polaris Engineered Cab accessories.

Windshield Wiper and Washer System – Add all-weather visibility to your ride with the top-selling wiper and washer system. The 17-inch mounted kit wipes away rain or snow with ease, meaning a safer, easier ride. Operated by a simple rocker switch to wipe/spray fluid, and all mounting hardware and wiring is included. Polaris Pulse ready.

Heater & Defrost System – With eight vents for the best coverage of air dispersion, the system can be used for heating or cooling the cab, as well as defrosting the windshield. The dash-mounted controls allow easy control over the three levels of fan speed and temperature. Each vent can be manually opened or closed. Polaris PULSE ready.

Heated Seat System – A heated seat is a premium cold-weather luxury you wouldn’t expect from a UTV, but the Heated Seat System for the RANGER is just that. Designed to fit the RANGER three-person stock seats and comes with all the necessary wiring for a straightforward installation. Polaris PULSE ready.

Multi-Function Cab Light – A valuable tool with a variety of light uses in and out of your RANGER. The light provides necessary light inside the cab during the dark winter months and the LED dome can also be detached to be used as a torch where needed. The light is battery-powered but usefully recharges when the vehicle is in use. With multi-colour functionality offering white, red, blue and green LED lighting options which allow for a host of night activity – red for preserving night vision, blue for night fishing as it doesn’t produce glare on water, and green for navigating without disturbing game. Polaris PULSE ready.

With over 1,900 accessories in the range, Polaris offer a number of additional solutions to get winter-ready, such as Plows and Winches.

Winter Warmers From Cobra

October 10, 2018/in Machinery, Press Release/by Holly Daulby

Winter Warmers From Cobra: Cosy winter evenings sat warming by the fire will soon be upon us and logs are set to be in great demand this winter, particularly with the rising popularity of log burners.

Whilst picking some up from the local garage or farm shop on your way home may be convenient, it can also be costly and the logs not necessarily the size you need.

Cutting your own logs is a great way to have the perfect size without the cost premium of shop bought logs – it’s also a great way of getting outdoors and feeling like a true hunter gatherer!

To help with this, Cobra has an extensive range of chainsaws aimed at domestic users. For those wanting the rev of a petrol engine to add to the experience, Cobra has four models of increasing cutting widths and power, ranging from a 14” with a 42cc engine to a 20” with a 62cc engine. Prices start from £154.99. Alternatively, there are also electric models that start at £89.99.

However, for the ultimate in convenience, Cobra has a lithium-ion battery chainsaw which is ready to go at the touch of a button. The CS3540VZ (£149.99) runs for an impressive 50-minutes on a 90-minute charge.

Alternatively, the Cobra log splitter is designed exactly for this task. The LS520H (£269.99), with its 1500w powerful motor and 5.5 tonnes of splitting force, can split logs up to 25cm in diameter in to four with just one stroke. Cobra even has an extensive range of carts and trailers too, to help you transport the logs once cut!

After cutting, clean up the debris using Cobra’s blower/vac. The BV26C (£139.99) is an incredibly powerful blower with a 26cc petrol engine that converts to a vac in an instant, simply by changing tubes so debris can be cleared and collected easily, all by one machine.

Make sure the garden debris and leaves don’t go to waste by helping them return to nature. You can create your own compost or mulch with the Cobra shredder. The electric QS2500 2500W quiet shredder can tackle garden waste up to 40mm in diameter and has an impressive 50 litre collection box. It also come with a plunger to help with increased output for heavier loads.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Robot Ball Tackles Winter

March 13, 2018/in Machinery, Press Release/by Natalie St Hill

Robot Ball Tackles Winter: AMS’s automated ball management system a success with driving ranges during the winter season.

The robotic ball collector distributed by AMS (Automated Managed Services) is part of their outfield maintenance solution for driving ranges. Tasked with the collection of range balls on the outfield, its purpose is not only to allow for time and cost savings, but its lightweight design minimises the impact on the outfield that can occur with traditional heavy ball collecting equipment.

It is usually coupled with the robot mower BigMow, which can cut 2.5 hectares three to five times per week. However for the winter season the mower is stored away, leaving robot ball collector to work the outfield on its own. Once the balls are collected they are dropped into the AMS ball management system for washing and transportation back to the ball dispenser.

We contacted four driving ranges with the AMS system to give their perspective on how the Ball Picker handled the unpredictable winter weather.

First to give their feedback was Slinfold Golf and Country Club based in Horsham. They have had the automated system for over two winters now and general manager Luke Blacker gives us his insight into its performance:

“We have been able to use the Ball Picker during the winter season, however for the last couple weeks we have sensibly done some handpicking due to the muddy conditions of the outfield caused by the horrendous weather.

I would say in order for any driving range to get the benefits from the robots, you have to know how to manage the outfield. So it’s not just a case of us sending them out on a whim, it’s about taking into consideration things like the weather and outfield conditions. So if it snows or the outfield is muddy, we look at the ball levels in the dispenser. Then decide if the levels are sufficient enough to wait till its drier to send the robots out or will we need to hand pick. Overall for this winter season I’d say the ratio for us has been 75% to 25% in favour of the robots.

In closing, while managing the outfield is key, the robots are better for the overall health of the outfield and we look forward to seeing its health improve over the coming seasons.”

Second to give their input was Waterfront Golf, located in the heart of South Yorkshire they have had their robots running for two years or so. Richard Jones, Head Green-keeper was very positive in his response stating:

“Ball Picker has been used all through the winter season. Our outfield has been designated into two zones. So the first larger zone is where the ball picker collects, we haven’t needed to hand pick there at all. The second smaller zone is sectioned off from the robots as it is a known wet spot, so we did some hand picking in this area. However this just takes me 30 minutes to clear in the mornings when it is really wet.

All in all the robots are perfect; since they have been installed they have been great. I mean previously we had to hand pick all winter because we couldn’t have heavy machinery out on the outfield. So they definitely save us a lot of time as it used to take 4 people 2 hours to go out and hand pick the balls. The health of the outfield has improved, so yes I can say we are really happy with AMS and their automated golf range system.”

The third site was Horsham Golf and Fitness also based in Horsham, they’ve had the system in for two years. Neil Burke, owner of the golf facility had this to say:

“We have only had to do a small amount of hand picking, overall I’d say the robots have been used 99% of the time during this winter period.

In all honesty if you have the right outfield surface, then the robots work great. We’ve have had a horrendous winter, one the worst I’ve experienced so it has been a difficult one for us. I’m sure if you spoke to any golf manager/operator they would have said they have experienced a tough winter at least once. So while the robots haven’t improved the weather for us, not having heavy equipment going out to collect the balls will definitely improve the overall conditions of the outfield and we have definitely seen an improvement in comparison to previous winters.

Ultimately as I said the robots are great as long as you have the right conditions and if you want to improve the health of your outfield in the long run, they are a worthwhile investment.”

The fourth to share their insight was Chadwell Springs Family Golf Centre based in Hertfordshire. They have been using the automated system for 10 months plus. Their Head PGA/Golf Manager, Dave Smith response was:

“We haven’t needed to do any handpicking at all since installation. Ball Picker is great, we have been using it throughout the winter. We have occasionally gone around the edges to knock the balls back in so the robots can collect them, but that’s it really.

The robots have been 10/10 what more can I say, we haven’t needed to hand pick during the winter. The outfield is looking great as well, you can’t get any better than that really.”

In conclusion, the automated ball management system has performed very well during the winter period in comparison to traditional ball collecting equipment. The feedback from AMS customers has been positive; the robot ball collector has brought efficiency to their ball management practices. It has also improved the overall health of the facilities outfield in long the long run.

For more information, visit: www.automatedmanagedservices.com