distributors can deliver within days, so use this and try to keep your inventory as low as is practical.
Out of date products
What’s lurking at the back of your store? If you have anything that is older than two years it’s not worth the risk of using it. Your grass is just too precious, and an out of date product can cause chlorosis (yellowing) or worse. The best solution is to get rid of old products by using a licensed waste contractor. This will cost money for disposal, but the benefit of this is will be cheaper and a lot less time consuming than repairing any damage and explaining what went wrong.
Clearing up
Every so often human nature means that things get spilt. It’s serious when pesticides get spilt as they absolutely must not get washed away as they will contaminate surface water. This must be prevented and handling spills properly is easy. Inside your store keep some sand (Greenkeepers may be ahead of the game here) or vermiculite. If you have a spill then simply surround it with sand and then pour more over the liquid. This will absorb it. Then shovel the contaminated sand into a robust plastic bag. Brush up anything that is left and put that in the bag too. Keep the bag and its contents in the store - and again, get in touch with a licensed waste contractor to help dispose of it.
Empties
Using pesticides inevitably creates waste in the form of empties. The number of empties can be reduced by using more modern low dose products. Empties can be classified as controlled waste if they are un-rinsed. If they are triple rinsed then they lose this classification and can be safely disposed of with normal everyday waste - check with your waste handler to make sure they are able to take the plastic containers of this kind, though there should be no problem.
Used empties can pose a risk to water courses. Any undiluted product that is left in the container can be washed off by rain and seep into ground waters. Keep your empties under cover or inside, and keep them secure. Triple rinse them as soon as possible, this way they pose a far reduced risk to the environment before they are disposed of.
In the office
In addition to your inventory, it is also good practice to keep the information you have on the products up to date. Occasionally labels change and records must be kept to reflect this.
Keep a file with a specimen label of each of the products you use. This means you can refer to it without getting the keys to the chem store out and checking the label attached to the can. With the
USED MACHINERY
labels
keep the MSDS (material safety data sheet) for the product. The MSDS is an essential part of performing the COSHH
assessment for the use of the
product. LERAPs are
now part of the DEFRA statutory code of practice for the use of pesticide products.
Up to date LERAP
LERAP means Local Environmental Risk Assessment XXXX. If you manage an area that has a water feature or water course running through it then you need to perform a LERAP to assess how close you can spray to the water body. LERAPs need to be kept as part of your spray records and need to be reviewed periodically. Each product you use will require a separate LERAP as each has a rating of A, B or C depending on its risk to aquatic life. ‘A’ indicates there is no LERAP requirement. ‘B’ means there is a standard five metre buffer, though you can reduce this if you have means of limiting drift through low drift nozzles. Category ‘C’ products must have a five metre buffer. This cannot be reduced. There is an excellent guide to LERAPs available from the PSD website at
www.pesticides.gov.uk.
The dark days of winter are an ideal time to perform LERAP if you haven’t already, or review the ones you have done. If you do, record that you have reviewed it.
You can store up to 200 litres or 200kgs of professional products at once without registering your store. If you store more than this at any one time then BASIS can provide expert advice on what you need to make sure your store meets the legal requirements. More information is available at
www.basisregistration.co.uk. Anyone who is responsible for a store of this size needs to have completed a BASIS storekeeper’s course. BASIS can provide details on this.
With the short winter days, when work outside becomes less of a pleasure, it makes sense to sort out your chem store and get your records for the year in order. This means you can get ahead of the game when spring comes around, and you can spend more time enjoying the vigour that great grass can have when the days get longer.
BACK ISSUES are available by emailing
mail@pitchcare.com or tel: 01902 824392 We can send out individual copies of Pitchcare -T
The Magazine
on request for just £5.95 each, this includes p&p. Here is a brief summary of some of the main items in recent issues:-
Issue 10 - Mead the new boy; When the heat is on; The Future is Green; A load of rubbish; Conkers under threat; Preparing for the Poms; Aintree to York; What makes good topsoil?; Do you need an agronomist?; Sustainable Golf; A secret of success; Wilde about recycling; Big Boys!
Issue 11 - Staying in Toon at Newcastle United; Augusta Syndrome: Roll On; Beneath the Surface; Spring Renovations; Sudden Oak Death; Tree Selection on Golf Courses; Agua Issues; Timing Matters in Turf Culture; Keeping within the Boundary; Drought and Summer Stress
Issue 12 - In the Grove, Creating future classics; The Perfect CV for a Groundsman; Bard Day at the Office; Manana Menorca; Meet the Ellesmerian; Talking Rot; In a Festive Mood; What a State to get into!; Bad Press; What’s your problem? Slit Drainage; Yorkshire CCC Academy
Issue 13 - Perfect makes practice; Interesting Reading; Being bunkered; Turfing Flemington; Wells Cathedral School; Communication; Renovating Wolves; Matters Arising; Know your enemy; What Sand?; Rootzone analysis; Education supplement; Aquatic Weeds
Issue 14 - Croke Park, At Her Majesty’s Leisure; Blot on the landscape; What bowls?; Get Real; Loch Lomond; Concert Compaction; Rubbish Tips; Boom Time; Jump to it; The Last Priority; Pathogen Infection; Brownfield Sites: Kircudbright Golf Club
Issue 15 - Clontarf, the Home of Irish Cricket; Roots; The Belfry; Automatic Watering Systems; Polo in Mint Condition; Defining Quality; Pesticide Debate; The green green grass: What’s in a name?; Great green; Bird’s Nest Snoop; Perth Racecourse
Remember, by subscribing to the Magazine, you help us to provide Pitchcare Online for free.
Issues 1, 2, 5, 6 &8 *Sold Out*
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