OK winter 2005/6 will probably not go down in the record books as being overly severe, overly cold or overly snowy. The scare stories and the overblown forecasts that came from another place appear to have come to nothing -a


did not spend a fortune preparing for the Armageddon that never arrived. So the question now is where do we go from here? The first things to say is that there is


plenty time yet for a wintry backlash, indeed late February and the first half of March are renowned for their Arctic blasts and my own expectation is one where I think this is almost a cert. However, the good news is that such blasts tend to be short-llived -1 main -t


1, 2 or 3 day affairs in the though troublesome they can be.


Indeed, a little known fact but true nonetheless, white Easters are more common than white Christmases, so now is not the time to put away the grit and snow shovel !


Of course the other main talking point is and let’s hope you


the lack of precipitation this winter - indeed the lack of wet stuff goes back far beyond the winter, across much of last year. The recent return of Atlantic frontal systems and their rain bearing fronts may well be welcomed in many parts, but will it last? I have to say that I feel that we will be in


and out of such zones for what remains of the winter and probably the early part of the spring. That will mean more of the wet and windy stuff than we’ve had for the past 3 months but less than we might need in prone parts of the country such as Southeast England. However I’m a big believer in the equilibrium theory and whilst I know many of you would prefer a warm sun on your back as we move into April and May, the statistical evidence suggests a high likelihood of copiously wet weather, perhaps even record breaking at times. That doesn’t of course mean it won’t be


All eyes on Lateral THINKING


Tom Fernyhough looks at the technique of lateral soil decompaction


THE choice of equipment available to the greenkeeper or groundsman for decompaction and deep aeration, still seems surprisingly limited these days. There are basically two schools of thought on the subject (leaving aside air injection systems) as far as the manufacturers are concerned, either tines or knives. The reciprocating tined system is well established of course with famous names like Verti-D


Drain


and Wiedenmann well to the fore. The race is now on with these two companies to produce the fastest machine on the market, as Wiedenmann throw down the gauntlet with their latest super speedy Terra Spike XF. Not everyone wants or needs


Ferrari performance however, or the relative maintenance costs associated with more complicated high speed and high stress products. A purchase price of up to £21,000.00 may well be a consideration too, as the average prospective purchaser scans the seductive glossy brochures and sighs despondently, before turning off the bedside light, to dream the dreams of the just and honest. Unless of course he visited the “Pink Pony” Girlie Club in Atlanta USA recently!


Golfer friendly machinery…


Not every manufacturer has nailed his colours to the mast of tined aerator/decompactors however. One such company is


warm or even very warm at times -iit will, undoubtedly. Indeed, one reason for not taking in harsh winter predictions were that that current climate cycle is as warm as it’s ever been and that kind of masks all the other transient factors. So warm and wet may not be the most


welcoming of long term outlooks, but it the meteorological runes are stacked up correctly then it’s what to prepare for (but don't forget that cold blast first!).


Jim Dale International Risk Meteorologist British Weather Services 01494 715115 www.sixthsenseweather.com


SPRING


Imants BV from the Netherlands whose proud slogan at Harrogate Week was “Golfer friendly machinery.” Imants have taken a different more unobtrusive and altogether quieter approach than most other makers when it comes to compaction busting. When Imants first introduced their rotary decompactors to the UK market in 2000 they were


known simply as the Earthquake. The name has since evolved to become the evocative “Shockwave Revenge.” Available in 1.55/2.1 and 2.2 metre configurations, the Revenge range of machines have one major thing in common, they all decompact and aerate by lateral soil movement.


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