I personally enjoy this time of the year, with so much going within the sports turf industry. It has been fantastic witnessing the climax of what has been an incredible football season with four English clubs making the finals of both the European cup competitions, and the culmination of the head to head race for the premier league title between Man City and Liverpool. Also seeing the conclusion of the Rugby seasons’ league and cup competitions has been superb.

Now it is full on with a wonderful explosion of cricket, watching the start of the county cricket games and then next week, the ICC Cricket World Cup kicks off. And finally, what a great start to the golf, with Tiger Woods winning another Green Jacket at this year’s Masters.

Spare a thought for the topflight groundsmen and greenkeepers who are tasked with preparing these ever-challenging playing surfaces. I would like to congratulate Karl McDermott who this year started his new job at Lord’s. It’s quite a baptism of fire for Karl, who is preparing wickets for both the World Cup and the Ashes during his first year in charge.

As editor of TurfPro, I consider myself privileged to be able witness the hard work and dedication of these professional groundsmen and at the same time meet so many other people and companies who support and supply machinery, resources, products and services to enable them to do their job.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to attend a Campey Turfcare renovation day at Newcastle Town FC where the company, along with Dennis and Sisis, were demonstrating a whole range of renovation techniques to a number of invited guests. These included local grounds staff, schools and local authorities plus a delegation of turf professionals from Madrid and Denmark.

A full renovation of the Newcastle football pitch was being carried out allowing the visitors to see at first hand the efficiency and precise detail of what is involved. Andy Walker from Dennis / Sisis was on hand to demonstrate their range of maintenance equipment that included the G860 range of mowers and cassette systems, the Quadraplay, outfield spikers and the Javelin Aer-Aid 1500.

Richard Campey gave a talk on the merits of the machinery and new techniques he has introduced over the years that, without doubt, has revolutionised the way we manage and maintain our playing surfaces.

Best of all, I enjoy meeting and talking to many of the delegates who attend these events. The opportunity to catch up with such a diverse group of people and to hear about what’s going on is essential in my job. Often it leads to other opportunities to market and promote our great industry.

Attending the day was Kevin Moult and his son, a local fine turf contractor based in Telford, who has just invested in a Campey AIR2G2 to increase the range of work he can offer in and around Shropshire. Kevin currently carries out a lot of work maintaining bowling greens and recognised the benefits this machine can bring to his customers, while at the same time providing an opportunity to provide this service to other sports clubs (golf, cricket, football) within his area.

Barely a week later I found myself attending a Fleet Line Markers day at Malvern Rugby Club where Fleet had invited a number of contractors, local authorities, club groundsmen and trade press to see a demonstration of their full range of spray jet line markers.

After a brief introduction and presentation about the company by Iain Courage, Fleet’s sales director, we then went outside to see for ourselves the diverse range of products on offer. On show was the Kombi Classic and the Kombi Orange that boasts all the features of the Kombi Classic with added power and resources that includes a removable heavy-duty lithium battery and 80 PSI pump giving it twice the power of other sprayers.

Also, on show was the renowned laser guided Beamrider, their latest MAQA GNSS guided line marker that has pre-programmed pitch dimensions to allow you to mark out a sports pitch without the aid of string lines and measuring tapes.

Fleet also have both the E-Roc and the Fastliner ride-on line markers, that are designed for larger multi sports facilities. They have become very popular with schools, universities and local authorities. However, Fleet were keen to demonstrate the versatility of the world’s first reusable line marking paint system, affectionately called The Cog. The company have developed a unique reusable container system that fits neatly into the integral chassis of the marker.

I also manged to catch up with several attendees who spoke of their own experiences using Fleet products. Dan and Chris Cope, sports turf contractors from Telford, were keen to praise the performance of the MAQA system which they use to mark out sports pitches in a number of Telford school sites. I was allso pleasantly surprised to see Kevin Haynes, contracts manager for Birmingham City Council, an old work colleague of mine, who I had not seen for many years. Kevin is responsible for managing a number of parks and amenity sites in and around Birmingham and wanted to see if any of the fleet products would fulfil his requirements.

In fact, it has been a few years since I last used a Kombi line marker and I was intrigued to see the technological improvements that have been made to the spray technology and mechanisation of these new models of the Kombi.

The machines are now easier to clean, have much improved pump pressures and greater variety of paint products to allow marking of several different surfaces. It is this versatility that makes the Kombi a popular product with many grounds professionals.

I was impressed with the MAQA and how easy it was to use and could see the potential of the reusable COG system. I am sure Fleet will continue to develop their flagship range of markers and no doubt keep up with this ever-changing line marking technology.

The Emergency Authorisation for the use of the Syngenta insecticide, Acelepryn, for the control of chafer grubs and leatherjacket has been reapproved for the 2019 season.

The request was applied for by ICL, on behalf of the amenity industry.

Leatherjacket

Chafer grubs and leatherjackets cause damage to turf through extensive feeding on roots, which can be severe in localised patches. Furthermore, say Syngenta, extreme damage can occur when badgers, birds and other foragers root through turf in search of the grubs.

The Emergency Authorisation permits Acelepryn use in situations where there is an acknowledged instance of economic damage, or risk of bird strike on airfields, and where the product has been recommended by a BASIS qualified agronomist.

This season, ICL’s work has seen the authorisation extended to permit limited use on affected fairways, as well as greens, tees, horse race tracks and airfields. Acelepryn can be applied up until 30 September 2019, to cover the key chafer grub and leatherjacket treatment timings that coincide with egg hatch and initial larval activity.

‘”Since the withdrawal of effective insecticides, economic damage from chafer grubs and leatherjackets has been of major concern,” reported ICL technical manager, Henry Bechelet. “Obtaining this Emergency Authorisation of Acelepryn enables us to manage the most damaging effects of these soil pests as part of an integrated turf management programme.”

Chafer grub

The authorised label permits application at the rate of 0.6 litres per hectare, applied in 600-1000 l/ha water and, ideally irrigated in after application. Acelepryn is supplied, through ICL, in one litre and 0.6 litre containers. One application per year is permitted, with the latest time of treatment being 30 September 2019.

This season, an on-line turf pest ID guide, to aid the identification of adult stages of key target soil pests and target application timing, is now available on the Syngenta GreenCast website, along with Best Use Guidelines and application advice.

Turf managers or owners who believe they have suffered economically damaging effects of chafer grubs and leatherjackets are advised to contact their ICL area manager or BASIS-qualified agronomist/distributor in the first instance.

The new Turf Pest Tracker says it will follow the timing and movement of the adult life cycle stages of key turf pests this summer, to get a better picture of when and where the pests are flying.

The GreenCast website enables all turf managers and agronomists to report activity of the main chafer species and crane fly, using their phone, tablet or computer. Sightings are instantly recorded on maps, giving the chance to visually check out the level of pest presence reported in any local area.

Turf Pest Tracker is supported by an on-line pest identification and lifecycle guide, along with information to tailor an effective Integrated Pest Management programme.

Chafer grubs and leatherjacket soil pests can result in severe damage to turf roots and surface quality, along with extensive damage from their predators uprooting turf.

Highlighting the value of Turf Pest Tracker for the industry, Syngenta Technical Manager, Glenn Kirby, said: “Accurate identification and knowing your target soil pest life-cycle is essential for an effective integrated control programme and optimum timing of controls.”

He believes live tracking of adult pest activity will give a valuable early warning of potential soil pest activity and where problems may strike.

“Changing climatic trends have blurred the historic east/west split, which typically saw chafers more prevalent the east and leatherjackets more common in the west.

“Also, changes in weather patterns – along with the adapting life-cycle of the insects - have further complicated predicting pest activity.”

Glenn pointed out that last season, for example, the intense heat and dry conditions appeared to delay the emergence of crane fly - the adult stage of leatherjackets - for up to a month later than the July/August norm. Crane fly were even reported emerging and on the wing in October, making it difficult to target control of resulting larvae.

“The more people that get involved with Turf Pest Tracker, the clearer the picture the industry will have to tackle the issues,” he added.

The Turfgrass Growers Association have issued a statement commenting on the effect which last year's extreme weather conditions had on turf production and what this year may hold in store for producers.

The statement said, "2018 saw the UK exposed to extremes in weather; beginning with the 'Beast from the East' which hit the UK in early March, followed by a prolonged cold and wet period for the remainder of March and early April. As if this wasn’t challenging enough, the UK then headed into a record-breaking hot summer-the average temperature beating that of 1976.

"As with the majority of agricultural industries, the turf industry faced yield losses across the country due mainly to the late spring, coupled with higher than normal irrigation requirements. This inevitably led to a shortage of turf in many areas of the UK.

"The winter was possibly the least extreme of all the seasons and the mild weather allowed the UK’s turf growers some respite with good winter growth and minimum disruption to harvest operations.

"Heading into 2019, growers across the UK are relieved that they have not witnessed another 'Beast from the East'. There has however, been lower than normal winter rainfall which may have a knock on effect if rain is not forthcoming, and we witness another prolonged dry spell this summer.

"British turf growers continually strive to ensure they produce quality turf to TGA standards for their clients throughout the year, so hopefully this year shows less extremes in weather and allows our turf producers to continue to supply their turf and mitigate any possible shortages in the coming year."

Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council’s Street Scene team say the levels of savings in time, resources and therefore money forecast by the investment in Rigby Taylor’s robotic TinyLineMarker (TLM) line marking machine will not only see them achieve a return on investment measured in months, but the new-found efficiencies will also enable the operation to offer line marking to sports facilities currently outside of the council’s remit.

L-R: Darren Bisby, Street Scene Operations Manager; Andy Rutherford, Head of Street Scene and Highways Operations; and Doncaster CC councillor Joe Blackham meet with staff from Doncaster Council

With the maintenance of 92 pitches under their care, the Street Scene team - led by operations manager Darren Bisby - was formerly taking four man-hours (two men) to initial line mark each pitch (predominantly football) each week with the conventional 3/4/5 triangle method and string, using a total of eight men in four vehicles.

Now, with TLM, one man is able to deliver the borough-wide service for line marking, taking just 20 minutes to mark a pitch - and Darren even suggests that a standard pitch can now be mowed and marked in less than an hour.

So, with 2,392 scheduled overmarkings across the pitches, 797 man-hours will effectively be put back into the Street Scene operation. With teammates released to perform other income-generating duties, the TLM operator can also now get on with other tasks during his visit - such as litter picking, goalpost strimming and divotting - while the robot is in action.

In addition, one vehicle has been removed from the fleet - saving several thousands of pounds on lease costs and around £900 on annual fuel plus any maintenance and repair costs.

TLM utilises the latest GPS technology with RTK receiver and antenna that connects with global satellites and mobile network connections. It takes the input of pitch line dimensions and multiple pitches via an App and re-positions them to best fit the site using Google Maps. Once stored, the lines are never lost, even if they disappear if a pitch is not used for any length of time.

Initial marking of a standard size football pitch (by the Street Scene operator) takes less than 20 minutes, including all perimeter lines, penalty boxes, the ‘D’, centre circle, corner angles and penalty spot all with just one touch on the tablet control. Even pitches with fixed post sockets can be marked.

TLM is able to mark football pitches (any length/width), and rugby union and league pitches as well as multi-lane athletic tracks, tennis, lacrosse and American football pitches.

Today, each Street Scene pitch is marked every fortnight, with the paint being applied to grass rather than a burned-in line. “Because with TLM the lines will never be lost, a pitch can be rested or a line can be ‘mowed out’ without the need to re-string and measure and mark from scratch,” says Darren.

“To be confident of achieving the quality of line to fit our business model, we are now using a different paint dispensing nozzle (orange) to deliver 2.37 litres of paint per standard pitch based on 12 minutes spray time. This is more paint [approximately 25%] than before (using a red nozzle) which, depending on operator speed, used around 1.5 litres of paint.

“However, the red nozzle was applied when weekly marking burned-in lines – so, it is much more cost-effective to apply the paint at a higher rate to achieve a fortnightly schedule.

“We are continuing our use of Rigby Taylor’s ready-to-use Impact paint, which has proved that it produces bright white lines that last longer than other paints.”

“In the future,” Darren concludes, “TLM will likely also be applied to running tracks and for marking out our summer sports events (for example, javelin areas) and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be offering line marking to other sites on a commercial basis.”

Oldham Council were one of the first local authorities to purchase Mean Green Mowers to work in their cemeteries and have now purchased additional units.

The council say the SK-48 stand-on mowers were initially purchased for their health benefits to the operators by reducing the hand arm vibrations and fumes and for the wider benefits to the environment of low noise and zero emissions.

A further consideration they say were the low running costs - during the course of a 12-month period the only cost to the council was electricity to charge the mowers, there were no replacement parts needed.

As a result, Oldham Council say they had no hesitation in purchasing another two identical mowers from groundscare dealers Stuart Taylor International to increase their battery powered fleet, to ensure that the people of Oldham can visit their cemeteries in peace.

With changes in pesticide legislation having an ever-deepening effect on sportsturf quality, the drive for turf managers to shift their nutritional and mechanical maintenance to a proactive approach has never been more important.

Graham Wallace, Golf Course Manager at the Bank House Hotel’s Bransford Golf Club, is doing just that and has recently invested in a Graden CSI from Charterhouse Turf Machinery to help them produce strong greens.

“The course has sand-based greens but, due to the poor quality of sand used during construction, are unfortunately susceptible to holding water,” explains Graham, who is supported by a greenkeeping team of five.

“With the upcoming changes in fungicide regulations it is becoming essential to keep the surfaces dry, and the plant healthy, as much as possible to prevent disease from taking hold.”

To help improve drainage, Graham has conducted in-house drill ‘n’ fill across the 18 greens for many years, followed by passes with the Graden CSI to keep channels open.

“We were lucky enough to borrow a CSI from another course, but last year this was not possible, and we noticed a real difference on how wet the greens were compared to previous years.”

Graham put a case to the owner and was successful in purchasing his own unit, from dealer Tallis Amos in February 2019. “Now we have our own machine, we can look to get out with the machine more frequently and can trial various depths and settings to achieve maximum impact with minimal surface disruption.”

Graham is hoping to employ the CSI at least twice a year, working at depths of up to 40mm to simultaneously scarify and backfill the grooves with better quality sand. “I made the decision last year to not spray any fungicides, with mixed results. I was hugely thankful that the members and club management understood it could be a challenging time to keep surfaces first-rate. These last few months certainly haven’t been easy however, by using our CSI in conjunction with overseeding and the correct fertiliser programme, we are in a great place to push ahead with our proactive approach and produce a strong plant in the on-going fight against disease.”

Pellenc UK has launched a brand new dedicated interactive website which showcases its range of battery powered equipment.

The company says the new look website will be the online reference point for all things Pellenc.

The range of products from chainsaws, pole saws and hedge cutters to grass strimmers, brushcutters and mowers are available to view in the product section, providing a detailed view of each product.

Users of the site can find news, price lists, developments and events from Pellenc, as well as being able to find their nearest dealer.

Customers can also access brochures, product tips, spare parts information and how-to videos.

To view the site visit www.pellencuk.com

Pellenc products are exclusively distributed in the UK by Etesia UK

EDDIE SEAWARD
Death of Wimbledon’s influential grounds manager

MAJOR NEW IRRIGATION PROJECT
At Top 100 classic Berkhamsted Golf Club

NEW HORIZONS FOR THE HATTERS
Investment paying off at Kenilworth Road

ELIZABETHAN RESTORATION
At Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

WHAT IS BIOPHILIA?
The vital impact of parks and green spaces on health and well-being

WORM CONTROL
Without carbendazim

THE TRUE COST OF PETROL
Battery-powered outdoor power tools are now turning the heads of professionals

SANDS OF TIME
Sand-based pitches are now the norm in professional sports

WHY DO WE DO THE RIGHT THING?
We must maintain industry standards

CHASING GRASS PERFECTION?
11 things you need to know . . .

MAINTAINING STANDARDS
Q&A with BASIS ceo, Stephen Jacobs

STRI RESEARCH DAY 2018
Hosted at research trial grounds in Bingley

THE MECHANIC
Leicester City FC invest in new role

LORD'S 'GRASS-GUVNOR' TO RETIRE
Mick Hunt bows out after 49 years

HOLLOW CORING & DEEP SCARIFICATION
Is it really necessary?

OBESITY MEASURES
Turf professionals have a vital role

TIMELY ADVICE
Rugby renovations

PLANNING AHEAD
Renovating grass surfaces

FROM WINTER TO SUMMER SPORTS
April is a busy period

THE VALUE OF TREES
Trees bring real benefits to our cities, health and well being

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Choice of fertiliser products will be influenced by many factors

A WONDERFUL INDUSTRY
But we need to be encouraging the next generation

THE VALUE OF PARKS
Facilities must not be taken for granted

A VERY BUSY MARCH
Plenty of work for turf professionals to be getting on with

SHARING KNOWLEDGE
At the Dennis & Sisis groundcare seminar

INSECT DECLINE
A cause for concern

HELP IS AT HAND
Seek advice from industry bodies

SPRING RENOVATIONS
February is a good time to start planning

BTME 2019 REPORT
Great start to the year

BTME WEEK IS HERE!
Harrogate time again

THE VALUE OF PLANNING
Benefits for pitch sustainability

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Opportunities & challenges in 2019

View all of 2018's blogs here