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EDITOR'S BLOG

LETTING THE GRASS GROW . . .
Not always a great solution
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

I believe there is a real need for councils to re-evaluate their mowing and maintenance strategies to deliver a safe and environmentally acceptable urban space environment.

It was at last year’s SALTEX at the NEC I managed to persuade Derek Smith from DLF to donate some wildflower seed for me to create a wildflower area in my daughter’s back garden - on the understanding I would write about my experiences of creating a wildflower area.

He kindly gave me a bag of Colour Boost mix of wildflower seed and the relevant instructions for sowing the seed. So last September myself, and my son in law Kyle, took it upon ourselves to create a wildflower area.

Having dug some foundations for his garage, we were left with a few tons of clay and subsoil to get rid of and came up with the idea of creating a banked feature in the garden.

After a few days of moving this soil about we finally manged to landscape the garden to create a lawn and wildflower banking backdrop to the garden.
It was on these banks that we would so the wildflower seed, hopefully seeing the fruits of our labour the following summer.

I’m glad to say we were presently surprised at the success of the planting and have seen a transformation of the garden.

There were several unwanted weeds we removed and left the rest to mature and flower.

Come autumn we will wait for the wildflower seeds to re-disperse and then come March / April time we will cut down and collect arisings and leave to regrow, looking forward to a second year of flowering.

Rewilding

The sowing of wildflower seed mixes and the planting of perennial flowers have become popular in recent years - with many local authorities turning transforming their parks and open spaces into swaths of colour.

The popularity of this regime has been endorsed by many local authorities as part of their rewilding strategies. We are now seeing vast areas of grass verges and parks being turned into wildflower areas.

The effect of rewilding is changing the way we manage parks and public open spaces. Gone are the days where we regularly mow grass verges. We are lucky now, if they get mowed at all.

With many councils facing bankruptcy and drastic funding issues, plenty are now having to find new ways of managing their landscaped assets.

Few councils are now box cylinder mowing their grass areas weekly - more likely cutting every 3-5 weeks with flail mowers and leaving the clippings to fly.

Having recently driven through Birmingham and other towns where they are leaving the grass to grow, I’ve found it can often lead to other worrying issues in terms of sight lines, litter, rubbish and possibly fire risks.

I often wonder if there were to be a major fire incident, councils would have to rethink this policy of allowing these swathes of grass verges to grow unmanaged.

I believe there is a real need for councils to re-evaluate their mowing and maintenance strategies to deliver a safe and environmentally acceptable urban space environment.

I am sure monies can still be saved, and efficiencies improved, if we were to relook at the way we maintain and manage our parks and urban grass verges / open spaces.

I personally believe that we have the machinery, technology and endeavour to rethink the way we manage our landscape assets.

We need to ensure these areas are safe and managed in a way to keep them looking tidy and manageable.

A combination of grass mowing regimes can be implemented along with rewilding and the planting of perennial and annual planting schemes to enhance and improve the aesthetics of these areas.

I agree in the past many local authorities were cutting too large expanses of grassed areas on a regular basis. But I firmly believe, with a change in approach, we can still reduce costs and enhance the environmental value of the green space we are managing.

We should be retaining the horticultural skills we have acquired over many years and implementing these with the new ideas we have seen in recent years in terms of tree, shrub and floral and rewilding plantings.

There is still a place for regular mowing of grass areas along with formal spring and summer bedding schemes, sitting alongside new perennial planting and annual seed flowering schemes. We just need to consider the right maintenance regimes for any given area.

NEWS

OVERSEEING GREENKEEPER TRAINING
Responsibility for managing technical elements

GTC's new learning & development manager

In our first WEB ONLY story, BIGGA has appointed an experienced turf educator and golf course manager to a key role.

ERNEST DOE AGREES TO ACQUIRE TWO BRANCHES
Purchasing from another dealer

Ernest Doe has agreed to acquire two branches

In our next WEB ONLY story, the deal will see Ernest Doe expanding its trading area and welcoming additional people to its family.

CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED
For GMA's awards

The Association has confirmed the categories for their upcoming Awards - and have opened nominations and entries.

The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has announced that nominations and entries are now open for their Industry Awards.

The Awards will take place on Thursday 13 March 2025 at Anfield Stadium, home of Liverpool FC.

With 17 categories spanning the entire sector, the categories are:

Young Groundsperson of the Year
Newcomer of the Year
Volunteer Groundsperson/Team of the Year
Community Groundsperson/Team of the Year
Best Managed Artificial Surface of the Year
Environmental and Sustainability Impact Award
Bowls & Croquet Groundsperson/Team of the Year
Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year
Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team of the Year
Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year
Professional Rugby League Grounds Team of the Year
Professional Rugby Union Grounds Team of the Year
Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year
Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year (Elite)
University & College Grounds Team of the Year
Independent School Grounds Team of the Year
GMA Grounds Manager of the Year

Sarah Hunter, Head of Events at the GMA said, “The GMA Industry Awards are a fantastic opportunity for individuals and teams to gain the recognition they deserve for their vital work across the grounds care industry. I urge everyone to get involved and submit their nominations."

Turf professionals can now nominate someone deserving, or enter themselves, by visiting here.

Award Nominations close on Friday 13 September 2024 and final entries close on Friday 27 September 2024.

THE SEARCH IS ON
For Amenity Sprayer Operator of the Year

Competition is seeking the UK's most professional sprayer operators in the sports turf, amenity and landscape management industries.

The search is on to recognise the UK's most professional sprayer operators in the sports turf, amenity and landscape management industries.

The Amenity Sprayer Operator of the Year (ASOOTY) Awards highlight best practice and experience in the challenging role of ensuring accurate application on all amenity surfaces.

The Amenity Forum competition, supported by ICL and Syngenta, seeks to share guidance and advice that will raise the standards of spray application across the amenity industry.

The Awards’ finalists will be announced at the Amenity Forum Conference on 10 October, with the overall winner presented at the BIGGA Awards ceremony at BTME in January 2025.

All ASOOTY applicants will also be entered into a competition to win one of five Syngenta Sprayer Calibration & Application Kits. BASIS CPD points for participating in the awards have been applied for.

Along with assessing operators’ skills of spray application and use of products, the ASOOTY judging panel also now incorporate the importance of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach to any issues involving turf and landscape maintenance.

Announcing the opening of the ASOOTY 2024 Awards, Amenity Forum chairman, Ian Graham, said, “This competition seeks to highlight the remarkable talent that exists within our sector, and I encourage as many spray operators as possible to engage with the process.

“Our industry has many highly skilled spray operators working within it, using a diverse range of products accurately applied through a huge range of complex application equipment. The environments in which these applications take place can also be varied and are often challenging.”

Amenity businesses and sports turf managers are urged to actively encourage their sprayer operators to enter the awards this year. “Past winners have ably demonstrated the professional approach to meeting these challenges, and I very much look forward to meeting the finalists at the Amenity Forum Conference.”

This year the entry process aims to test sprayer operators' broader knowledge of issues and solutions faced across the amenity sector through an initial on-line question form, including questions to assess an individual’s experience and approach to dealing with challenges.

Entries to the ASOOTY Awards 2024 close on Friday 13 September. The online entry form is available here.

PRO DEALERSHIP EXTENDS PORTFOLIO
Addition to machinery offering

Dealer describes their newly acquired franchise as "the missing piece of the puzzle."

Operating on an 8-acre site in Carryduff on the outskirts of Belfast, Cyril Johnston say they are proud to welcome the Yamaha franchise to its portfolio of brands.

The recent appointment will allow the business to offer its customers a full range of machinery for a variety of needs.

Managing director,Tom Black, said, “Yamaha is the missing piece of the puzzle for us. The appointment has come with a lot of excitement for the team as it gives us the addition of the golf vehicles and ATVs that we haven’t had before. Brian Mitchell our head of groundscare and retail along with Ian Ellis, our sales manager have both been instrumental in the appointment and I am very grateful for the work they have put in to this new partnership.

“As a rule, we don’t like to hold brands that clash with each other, so we have been missing this type of product. The team are looking forward to getting out and speaking with customers about the new product range.” Tom continued.

Gareth Sloane, manager, Power Products, Yamaha UK added, “Cyril Johnston has a long-standing reputation for providing excellent customer service and expertise in the power equipment industry, and we are confident that they will be a valuable asset to our network. We look forward to working with them to bring the Yamaha ATV range to even more customers in Ireland.”

MANUFACTURER NAMED ONE OF WORLD'S MOST SUSTAINABLE COMPANIES
By TIME and Statista

The recognition follows a rigorous evaluation process that assessed the world's 5,000 leading companies across various sectors.

Husqvarna Group has been acknowledged by TIME and Statista as one of the world's most sustainable companies in their 2024 ranking.

Calle Medin, head of sustainability at Husqvarna Group

When TIME and Statista acknowledged the 500 companies Doing best for the Earth in 2024, Husqvarna Group achieved a ranking of 183rd. The recognition follows a rigorous evaluation process that assessed the world's 5,000 leading companies across various sectors.

To qualify, the companies at the top of the list have signed on to some of the most respected climate programs, including the 1.5°C target from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and receive high scores from CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project). TIME and Statista’s ranking of the world’s most sustainable companies aims to identify organisations making substantial progress in environmental sustainability. The ranking evaluates companies based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collected in, among them Scope 1 and 2 emissions and energy consumption relative to company size, emissions reductions, and proportion of renewable energy used by the company’s operations.

With more than 90% of its emissions originating from end-users, Husqvarna Group recognises the critical importance of electrification in reducing its overall carbon footprint.

Calle Medin, head of sustainability at Husqvarna Group explained, “Reducing carbon emissions is essential for combating climate change. Our dedication to sustainability drives our innovation and transformation, ensuring we provide low-carbon and resource smart solutions to our customers. Husqvarna Group is proud to be one of the highest ranked companies in the world, showcasing leadership and dedication to sustainability on a global stage.”

Husqvarna Group say they have made remarkable strides in their sustainability journey, reducing emissions by 51% since the base year 2015, while also achieving a 47% growth in business. The company say they are actively transforming their business model by shifting from petrol to battery-powered products. As of 2023, 43% of Husqvarna Group's motorised products are electrified, up from 11% in 2015. The Group aims to electrify two-thirds of its motorised products by 2026.

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