To advertise in this section contact
Peter Britton on 01747 855335 email:
peter@pitchcare.com
Mowing Classifieds STRESS BUSTING DRAINAGE
Philip Dixon Contractors Ltd Established 1978
Sportsturf Drainage Specialist Drainage Construction Renovation Miles Drainage Limited
Quality Land Drainage Systems for Sports Pitches, Golf Courses and other Amenity Areas
Slitting Banding Maintenance
Tel 01772 877289 (Preston, Lancs) Email:
info@dixondrainage.co.uk www.dixondrainage.co.uk
•Advice, design and installation •Piped systems •Sand Slitting •Gravel Banding
Tel: 01359 259424 Fax: 01359 258073 Web:
www.milesdrainage.co.uk
Email:
trenchers@milesdrainage.co.uk
Traditional drainage and Lytag banding of greens and fairways
Tel: 01785 812706
E:
NSIrrigation@aol.com www.northstaffsirrigation.co.uk
Appley Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire WN6 9DT
e
t 01257 255321
Mowing practice to de-stress your turf. By Conor Nolan, STRI Turfgrass Agronomist for Ireland
of grass surfaces for sports use. It is generally regarded as the most influential treatment affecting both the playing quality of the surface and plant health. However, although being an essential process that prepares playing surfaces for users, one must not forget that, at the same time, it can damage the grass which, in turn, can result in the turf being vulnerable to other stresses. Mowing often results in the
M
significant removal of a large proportion of leaf tissue that would otherwise be used by plants to convert solar energy into chemical energy. Mowing reduces the rate of photosynthesis and, in doing so, reduces the ability of the plant to produce carbohydrates which are necessary for growth and survival. The challenge for the turf manager, therefore, is to balance playability with turf health. This article aims to look at some aspects of mowing that help the turf manager favour the health of the turf, particularly at the lower end of the mowing tolerance range for grasses.
Plant physiology
Help us to help you! When responding to advertising please mention that you ‘saw it in Pitchcare’
DRAIN TODAY - PLAY TOMORROW
SPORTSTURF DRAINAGE
CONTRACTOR Tel: 01430 430762
Email:
sales@sweetingbrosltd.co.uk www.sweetingbrosltd.co.uk
Phone: 01507 578288
Fax: 01507 578790
info@sheltonsdrainage.com www.sheltonsdrainage.com
Hire and contracting services 118
Machine sales
Manor Farm, Cotness, Laxton Howden, Goole
East Yorkshire DN14 7YE
www.pitchcare.com
It is well documented, but worth repeating, that the changes occur as a result of varying heights of cut and increasing mowing frequency that is invariably necessary for preparing playing surfaces. As the mowing height is adjusted to the optimum for each turfgrass species, in general the following changes can occur:
• Carbohydrate synthesis and storage are reduced
• Leaf width and root growth are reduced
• Shoot density is increased • Shoot growth is increased • Chlorophyll content is increased • Tissue succulence is increased
As the mowing frequency is increased, further changes occur:
• Carbohydrate storage reserves are reduced
• Root, rhizome and stolon
owing is the most widely used maintenance
development are reduced operation in the preparation
• Leaf width and elongation rate are reduced
• Shoot density is increased • Tissue succulence is increased Mower type/configurations
Careful selection and manipulation of mowing height and frequency are very important considerations for the turf manager. Recognition of the mowing tolerances of grass species, the use to which the turf is put, as well as environmental stresses need serious consideration. Currently, in putting green situations, the role of mower type and roller configuration has taken on great importance, especially in the US. At the better US golf courses, greens mower configurations are applied to match the circumstances. Mowers are invariably pedestrian, reel type cylinder mowers at such courses. The configurations range from fixed head pedestrian mowers with grooved front rollers, to pedestrian mowers of floating or flex reel arrangements with solid front rollers. If turf is growing vigorously, then the more aggressive mower combination of fixed head and grooved front roller are often chosen. Early research findings by Rossi & Thurn (2004) indicated and supported the notion that all pedestrian cylinder mowers are not alike in their effect on turf quality and anthracnose disease occurrence at the same height of cut. Somewhat controversially perhaps, it was noted that there was significant difference between fixed head mowing units. Whilst some of the better resourced UK and Irish courses may use pedestrian mowers on their greens, there is normally less variation of set-up to suit circumstances. Good quality fairway type turf can be produced with ride-on 5 unit mowers, but, even here, there are options for mower configuration.
Mower set-u up
Further Rossi & Thurn work indicated that the positioning of
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132