4 minute read
Charterhouse tackles both
GROUNDSKEEPING CHARTERHOUSE KIT HELPS GLASGOW ACADEMY TACKLE BOTH NATURAL & SYNTHETIC MAINTENANCE
With a fleet of natural and synthetic machinery from Charterhouse Turf Machinery, Head Groundsman Robert Cheape is well equipped to maintain the four separate sites that make up The Glasgow Academy. He has recently taken delivery of his third Verti-Drain®, a 7521, for the regular aeration of the eight grass rugby pitches, while an X-treme Clean is ensuring the playability and safety of their four artificial surfaces.
With facilities for cricket, ladies and men’s hockey and tennis, it is the rugby section that is best known – with Glasgow Academicals RFC celebrating their 150th anniversary in the 2016-17 season. “Our rugby pitches see a lot of play, from both external clubs and the 1400 pupils of the academy” explains Robert, who has been at the school for 36 years. “Weather permitting, we carry out aeration once a month, and for over 20 years that’s been with a combination of a Charterhouse slitter and Verti-Drain®.” Upgrading their machine roughly every seven years, Robert’s latest model – the 7521 – was delivered by local dealer Hamilton Brothers.
“It was the 2.1m working width and the range of tine options that really appealed with the 7521. We can go out with solid tines working at depths of up to 16” through the winter months alongside our slitter, then incorporate.some hollow coring between March and September. This gives us ultimate flexibility to react to ground conditions and adjust penetration and heave accordingly.” By keeping on top of routine maintenance, Robert has also been impressed with the reliability of the Verti-Drain®. “They’re well-built and easy to operate and maintain – with all of our Verti-Drain’s® we’ve never had any issues with breakdowns.”
On the club’s two full-size astro hockey pitches, together with their two ¾ size MUGA surfaces, it’s a trusty combination of brushes from the Charterhouse synthetic collection used alongside the X-treme Clean 1200. “We brush once a week and then follow up with a monthly pass of the X-treme Clean.” Using horizontally rotating brushes, the X-treme Clean lifts the pile and agitates the infill - removing dirt, debris and compaction. “As with all of our Charterhouse kit, it’s efficient, reliable and does exactly what you want it to. We’ve used it for years and will be happy to do so for many more to come.”
TURF
Creating healthy, resilient turf in areas of high aesthetic value will now be improved, thanks to a biostimulant aimed specifically at the establishment of new turf.
Launched this spring, Tonivit ® activates root growth & activity, nutrient uptake and tillering, to quickly establish a stronger sward for newly seeded and re-seeded areas, or newly laid turf.
Business Development Manager UK & Ireland for Speciality and Amenity Crops at UPL UK, Stephen Olive, said:
“The effect of Tonivit on emergence speed is demonstrated through trials, which have shown that newlysown leys treated with the product reach 70% sward density three weeks earlier than those untreated. The product is also effective on newly laid turf.
“That’s great news for if you’re wanting to create lush green spaces quickly, in areas of high aesthetic value. And because the turf has an improved health status, it will be resilient to potential traffic during its early stages, which will be more prevalent in built-up or urban environments.”
Tonivit contains oligosaccharides - naturally produced complex sugars extracted from seaweed, with the addition of phosphorus and potassium. These sugars are beneficial for turf establishment because they stimulate plant reductases, which increase nutrient and water translocation and therefore boost health and ultimately yield.
Mr Olive added: “Tonivit is manufactured to the same standard as our traditional crop protection products, and is highly concentrated thanks to the development of a refined cold-press extraction process at our manufacturing plant in St. Malo, France.
“This means the application rate is just 1L/ha, which is an added bonus, as it’s speedier to apply and less product to handle.
“Interest has rapidly grown in seaweed-based biostimulant products such as Tonivit, particularly in the amenity turf sector. And it’s no wonder – they’re a natural and sustainable alternative that offer simple cost effective benefits.
Tonivit was launched by Arysta LifeScience in February. Arysta LifeScience is now part of UPL, creating a new leader in global agriculture.
