Groundscare and Turf

Iseki muthing flail a hit for NHS Tayside

Malcolm Ross, Grounds Maintenance Manager at NHS Tayside has been buying from local ISEKI dealer Fairways GM’s Kinross depot since its inception 18 years ago. His team is responsible for grounds maintenance of NHS Tayside’s portfolio of properties throughout Angus, Dundee, Perth and Kinross, which covers a variety of NHS locations of different sizes, settings and challenges.

“We’re not just municipal parks, we are hospital sites and our aim is to create a well maintained and attractive green space environment for when public come for treatment or to visit, and for the members of staff," says Malcolm.

“We’ve had a long association with Fairways GM purchasing a range of products, but the first machine we brought was the Iseki SF300 in 2003. Due to the superior build quality and service, the mower has lasted the test of time. We haven’t purchased that many new pieces of equipment, until now,” he explains. “Iseki build is renowned; the SF300 has been super reliable so it’s testimony to its excellent quality that it is still going strong.”

According to Malcolm, the SF450 has the adaptability his team requires: “We’re hoping it’s as consistently reliable as the last. Our previous out-front Muthing Flail proved its worth on our Ransome HR 300 so the new cut and collect facility on the ISEKI SF450 will be a big plus for us. The engine is more

NHS Tayside gardener, David Laing, left, with Fairways GM’s, Commercial Sales Manager, Bobby McDougall, with the new Iseki SF450.

powerful, so more able to deal with wet and longer grasses when needed.”

Bobby McDougall, Commercial Sales Manager for Fairways GM adds: “The out-front flail deck gives a very impressive striped finish. Presentation must be on point for Malcolm’s team, but now they have the flexibility of being able to cut longer grasses with pristine results. Throughout the year, they use other attachments and implements for gathering leaves or clearing snow, so this Iseki, with 48 hp, will be of enormous help.”

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Headland saves the day

ICL delivers a one stop-shop

Warwickshire’s 18 parkland Welcombe Golf Club delivers undulations which are a challenge to player and greenkeeper alike. In charge of the maintenance is golf course and estates manager Richard Sheldon who, with a rather aged fleet of equipment at his disposal, has turned to a combination of TriCure AD™ and Terafirm™ from Headland Amenity to tackle the issue of water management.

Richard’s first task when he joined the club in January 2020 was to assess his inherited fleet of machinery and spotted the notable absence of a deep aerator. “Our greens are constructed using rootzone and have the ability to drain well but due to the lack of deep aeration we were getting very shallow rooting caused by a pan layer, which also affected the distribution of moisture through the profile,” explains Richard, who is assisted by a team of three. In addition, when Richard decided to fire up the club’s irrigation system during the first national lockdown, he found that around 90% of the tee sprinklers were broken. Thankfully, his knowledge and experience of Headland’s TriCure AD™ saved the day.

“It was a really hot period and we were seeing a loss of coverage on both the greens and the tees very quickly. We began using TriCure AD™ on the greens, which helped to retain any moisture near the surface, and in turn the roots, but this also penetrated through the pan layer and in just twelve months, the pan effect has gone. Our recent soil samples showed new deeper rooting through the profile. We also used TriCure AD™ on the tees and, alongside getting the sprinklers replaced, this undoubtedly saved the tees.”

TriCure AD™ multi-molecular soil surfactant improves soil surface dry-down and prevents hydrophobic conditions. Its three different active surfactant chemistries mean that it can treat all types of rootzone particles and

Before and after treatment at Welcombe Golf Club

can be applied at much lower rates (like for like) than competitor surfactants. “We are now applying TriCure AD™ on a monthly basis throughout the summer, on all greens, tees and approaches. In the winter we switch over to monthly applications of Terafirm™ advanced soil penetrant which has been really impressive.”

“Because we try and keep inputs to a minimum as part of our organic matter control, you can just begin to tell when the Terafirm™ is reaching the end of its field longevity and then, after spraying, the difference is quickly noticeable - the greens are firm, dry and free-from puddling. We had some lovely feedback from local course managers on the condition of our greens, even following the heavy rainfall we saw in January of this year.”

ICL’s ProSelect grass seed supported by a monthly nutritional programme has resulted in Bradford City’s pitch being in the best condition ever – according to Head Groundsman Mick Doyle.

He has been working the pitch at the club's Utilita Energy Stadium for 14 years and kept the pitch in excellent condition. However, he claims that the bar has now been raised and that it all started with ICL’s ProSelect grass seed.

“The bottom line is that I needed a new seed,” he said. “The seed I used previously just didn’t work for me - it was patchy and did not germinate. Therefore, when it came round to pitch renovations last year, I used ICL’s ProSelect 1 Premium Pitch which I had first heard about at an ICL educational day and after speaking to other groundsmen.”

Combining four top-ranked perennial ryegrasses, ProSelect 1 Premium Pitch, provides a fast-recovering, dense, hard-wearing surface. Furthermore, Mick decided that he would like to explore a full ICL nutritional programme because in his words, it would be a “onestop shop which could deliver on all fronts.”

Prior to sowing the ProSelect seed, Craig Lalley, technical sales manager for ICL visited Mick at the stadium and took some soil samples. He then proceeded to devise a plan tailored to Mick’s environment – taking into consideration his stadium, his machinery, his staffing levels, his time restraints and put a programme together based on what Mick was trying to achieve.

“My biggest concern was that I could never get any root down but Craig assured me that I would with his

programme,” says Mick. “True to his word – he was absolutely right.”

The key was getting the pitch off to the best possible start. After sowing the ProSelect grass seed, Mick immediately followed with 10 litres of H2Pro TriSmart, in a bid to absorb more moisture around the seed and aid germination.

It turned out to be a winning combination: “The seed was coming up beautifully in just six days,” exclaims Mick.

On that sixth day after seeding, and based on Craig’s advice, Mick went one step further by applying Sierrablen Plus Renovator 20-20-8 at a rate of 35g/m², the mini-granules ensuring even distribution for young seedlings while its high phosphate levels encourage strong root growth.

Since then, the nutritional programme has been based on providing the right nutrient at the right time, according to Craig. “A lot of the programme has been designed to really focus on root establishment to assist with pitch playability. Therefore, Mick has been using Vitalnova SeaMax (seaweed extracts) and Vitalnova Blade along with Primo Maxx II growth regulator,” he explains.

“Mick has produced a great surface this season and that has carried through the challenging winter months. To work alongside his good cultural methods over this testing period, Mick incorporated H2Pro FlowSmart into his monthly ITM programme. This is a superb penetrant

ICL is the ‘one stop-shop’ for Bradford City

to help with water percolation through the profile.”

In agreement Mick adds: “The pitch is holding up incredibly well and you can hardly tell that players have been on the pitch after a game. In years gone by where we have had shallow rooting a lot of remedial work was needed following fixtures. This is no longer required so we are saving time and benefitting from good plant health.

“The programme is very straight forward to follow. Overall, I’m incredibly pleased that I decided to go down the ICL route because it really has made such a difference to the pitch - not just aesthetically and from a playability point of view, but also from what is going on below the surface.”

High tolerance fungicide

Managing a high wear pitch, on a relatively tight budget is par for the course for most non and lower league club grounds managers. For Eastleigh FC Head Groundsman Dan Barnes, the task is made slightly easier by getting the right seed in the ground first. He turns to Johnsons J Premier Pitch, for both its superior wear tolerance and its resistance to disease. Dan has only applied fungicide once in the past four years.

The Hampshire football club moved to their home at the Silverlake Stadium in the 1950s and limited investment since then has resulted in a pitch that struggles with drainage and requires thoughtful management. Taking up the challenge four years ago, with no previous Groundsmanship experience and only volunteers to assist, Dan explains: “In those first few months I spent a lot of time undertaking qualifications and networking with other groundsmen as I sought to build a bank of suppliers. When it came to seed, after I tried Johnsons J Premier Pitch mixture, I’ve never wanted to use anything else.”

“Despite our challenging ground conditions, this mixture delivers on all of the key performance characteristics – it’s hard-wearing, gives us fantastic visual merit and has demonstrated fantastic tolerance to disease. In four years, we’ve had just one Fusarium outbreak, which we could attribute to the use of pitch covers.” Due to budget constraints, Dan has to be creative when it comes to seeding, usually applying 50g per m2 during summer renovations and then overseeding at 25-30g per m2 in the autumn and again in the spring to see them through to the end of the season.

Last winter, Dan supplemented Premier Pitch with Johnsons J 4Turf to benefit from the lower temperature germination of DLF’s tetraploid ryegrass. “This gave the pitch a real boost through the winter and undoubtedly helped us get through a fixture pile-up we had in February 2021 where we hosted five games in a 19-day period. The increased root length we get with the J 4Turf mixture provides great additional strength and, along with J Premier Pitch, recovers brilliantly.”

Sand solution for worm casts

Can sand dressing provide a solution to worm casts?

Mansfield Sand has revealed that an increasing number of sports turf mangers are relying on a sand dressing as a solution to earthworm casting.

“After over three decades of greenkeeping and a few years of winter sports turf management, I am fully aware of the frustration caused by worm casts,” says Gary Cunningham, football and golf sales representative for Mansfield Sand.

“Whilst most earthworm activity goes unnoticed and has a role to play in soil management, its activity can have a detrimental impact on managed amenity grass surfaces. Besides being unsightly, it can lead to the deterioration in playing surfaces - allowing weed infestation, less resistance to turf disease and damage to mowing equipment. All of these inevitably also lead to increased management costs.”

Historically, surface casting was controlled by various chemical solutions. However, over recent years these options have been withdrawn from the market due to environmental protection concerns. This has left turf managers looking for alternative solutions to an age-old inconvenience.

There are several great articles and studies which have been published, and in each situation, sand dressing is shown to supress casting worm activity to some extent on managed areas.

Whilst this is not a quick fix and does depend on several factors such as local climate, soil temperature and time of year, what is apparent is that a sustained programme of sand dressing problem areas does reduce casting worm activity. In turn, casts become a sandier loam which can be easily dispersed without any smearing. This will also lessen the material buildup and not cause any issues with mowing equipment.

Mansfield Sand provides two well-known grades of silica sand to the sports market, MM35 and MM40 – which are sourced directly from the company’s Two Oaks quarry in Mansfield.

“Regular topdressing with MM35 or MM40 can help to manage casting worm activity,” continues Gary. “It can certainly help to make it easier once you build up the level of sand in the rootzone.

“Furthermore, using the right grade of high-quality sand is vital to the overall health and performance of a managed sports surface. Therefore, sports facilities that regularly apply sand dressings as part of their management programme, benefit from improved rootzones leading to better drainage and plant health.

“We may never be able to supress casting earthworm activity completely, but more and more turf managers are significantly reducing them by topdressing with sand.”

From winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas – Mansfield Sand has a solution for all, and the products have long been relied upon at stadium and training ground facilities; championship golf courses and world class show jumping arenas.

Synthetic pitch solutions from Redexim

A recent purchase of a Verti-Groom EV and Dragmat from Redexim has given Bonnyton Thistle Football Club flexibility and control over the maintenance of their full-size synthetic pitch. Having previously hired in subcontractors, the switch to an in-house programme has not only saved the club money but has improved the condition of the playing surface.

The synthetic surface was installed at the Scottish club in Kilmarnock three years ago and hosts training for all age groups from seven upwards, along with matches at the weekends. The pitch is inspected regularly against the FIFA standards by Sports Labs which was the first port of call for Ian Higgins, who manages the pitch maintenance to discuss the purchase of equipment.

“The results we were getting with our contactors was not up to the standard we were looking for, so Sports Labs pointed us in the direction of Ian Lauder at Redexim,” explains Ian, who has been involved with the club in various capacities since 1978. “We decided on a Dragmat which we’re using for the regular brushing three times a week, and a Verti-Groom EV to conduct a deeper, more thorough brush once a week.”

“In a short space of time, these two machines have already improved both the visual appearance and playability of our pitch. Before, we had issues with fibres laying flat causing the ball to ‘slip’, not to mention the potential hazard this posed to the players. Now the fibres are upright improving not only the safety but the look of the pitch.”

The Redexim Verti-Groom EV features a combination of tines and brushes to decompact, redistribute and level the infill. Its 2.0m working width means surfaces can be covered quickly, with the working depth of up to 5.5mm easily adjustable to suit conditions.

Says Ian: “Hamilton Brothers supplied the equipment and delivered fantastic product training at the installation. Now that I’m on my own with it, I’ve had no issues whatsoever, it’s all nice and straight forward to set-up and use.”

SISIS Supaturfman to the rescue

SISIS Superturfman to the rescue at Mladon Bowling Club.

An aeration machine, the SISIS Supaturfman, has made a remarkable difference to the historic Maldon Bowling Club claims greenkeeper Mark Piper.

The Essex club was originally maintained by the local council for several years, but the green was beginning to suffer and is now looked after by a small group of dedicated club members.

“Unfortunately, the council couldn’t dedicate enough time and it was affecting the playability of the green,” explains Mark, who took on the responsibility at the start of the year and identified which tasks required immediate attention.

As the green lacked aeration throughout the winter it began to suffer badly from moss.

After researching various aeration machines, Mark came across the SISIS Supaturfman.

“I really liked the sound of the machine, but I wasn’t too sure if we could afford it. After speaking to Dennis and SISIS, they pointed us in the right direction so we could obtain a funding package. I was obviously delighted, and it was part of an exceptionally good service from Dennis and SISIS,” explains Mark.

Mark received the necessary funding from SUEZ Communities Trust to purchase the SISIS Supaturfman.

Aeration is important for improving drainage, reducing turf compacting, thatch build up and for generally increasing the health of lawns, and this independently powered heavy-duty aerator is ideal for the job at Maldon.

Furthermore, it has a maximum working depth of 10cm (4 inches) and a choice of interchangeable tines to provide excellent lawn care when aeration is needed.

“In just a short amount of time, the Supaturfman has made a huge difference to the green,” says Mark. “It is extremely easy to use, and will be used throughout the season for aeration. When I attach the slitter – not only is it quicker than tining, but it also provides aeration with the added benefit of keeping the Poa Annua down – which we normally get a lot of in spring. I would say that I use the machine a couple of times a month, alternating between the solid tines and the slitter every two weeks.

“As the season approaches, I am planning on using the pencil tines once a month and we also bought the hollow tines should we need to do coring in the autumn.”

For those all-important autumn renovations, Mark also purchased the SISIS Truspred – a versatile hand operated spreader and top dresser for the accurate, even application of grass seed or top-dressing material.

With his new SISIS equipment, Mark now feels that the green is currently in its best ever condition.