soft.
It is surprising how quickly the going can change, even during the period of the Festival;
XFi
The next generation of fast aerators has arrived!
The boundaries for deep and fast aeration have moved again with the introduction of the new TERRA SPIKE i-SERIES.
Three new machines, all featuring Wiedenmann’s revolutionary ATC technology combining fast, smooth and precise aeration with an extremely clean finish.
The new GXi is a compact fine turf aerator specially developed and designed from the ground up. Ideal for golf greens and sports turf.
Combining all the features developed for the GXi, the new XFi has a working depth of 220mm with productivity more than double that of conventional aerators.
For contractors andlocal authorities, the new XDi is a ground breaking machine: fast at 3.2 km/h with a working depthdown to 275mm.
All machines feature: • Advance Tine Control • Vibra Stop • TwinDrive
• Quick Set Heave • Quick Set Depth • Power Pack Quick Fix
Anthony has daily checks on the weather forecasts from his own weather station on the course and other national weather services. A few days of windy weather can soon dry out the course resulting in the staff getting to
This year a lighting rig has been employed to aid germination with the lights set to operate on a 48-h
hour rotation basis.
The width of all the fences has been increased to 60ft.
work with their rain gun irrigators. Each irrigator has the capability of applying between 8-12mm of water to the whole width of the track for one furlong. There are enough irrigators to water the whole course in a day. If watering is required during the Festival, the staff usually get to work straight after the last race, around 4.30pm, and often finish in the early hours of the morning.
The course has an
extraction licence to draw 13,000,000 gallons of water from their reservoir. Last year, between June and October, Anthony was losing, on average, around 3mm of water per week through evapotranspiration. However, they only waters
to keep the turf healthy and, more importantly, to maintain the course going. Once the racing season has finished, in May, Anthony will not water the course unless there is a desperate need to. Not watering the course in the close season achieves three objectives:-
• Reduces manpower required to manage the irrigators.
• Reduces the use of valuable water resources.
GXi
Pushing the boundaries of deep aeration
www.wiedenmann.co.uk
A member of the Fairways Group Ltd 36
• Allows the soil to begin fracturing, thus naturally aerating the soil structure.
There is a fine line to be drawn with aeration. The course only gets verti-drained every three years and is slitted throughout the season with a Sisis slitter. The aim is to keep the soil structure stable; too much artificial aeration may destabilise it, making it unsafe for racing.
Anthony tends to use granular products applying the usual spring, summer and autumn fertilisers to achieve healthy grass growth. The choice of materials is based a soil and turf analysis undertaken by Steve Gingell, the STRI Regional Advisor for the South West and South Wales. He provides an independent report on the condition of the course. Based on this information and the time of the season, an appropriate fertiliser product are applied. One of the following fertiliser products is applied:
Summer Fertiliser: Nitrophoska Perfekt 15:5:20+2mg, a granular outfield/racecourse fertiliser applied at a rate of 15 grams m2
using about 9 tons of products per application.
Autumn fertiliser: October time - a Sierrablen slow release 14:5:21+2mg at 35grams per m2 tons of material.
applying 20
Winter/Spring Fertiliser: Liquid iron as and when required along with another dose of Nitrophoska Perfekt 15:5:20+2mg.
Grass cutting is the most time consuming operation on the course. Summer height of cut (May-August) is maintained at 50mm. After August the grass is then left to grow to its racing height of 125mm. Having plenty of grass acts not only as a cushion for the horses but also helps prevent the soil from drying out too quickly. It takes three staff a whole day to cut the course using a range of machinery, including a Ransomes HR9016 Turbo bat wing rotary mower, John Deere 1600 turbo rotary deck
For more information or a demonstration, call
0141 814 3366
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