W
hen asked last year what he hoped the trials would achieve,
Mark Dempsey said “The regulator slows the growth of the apical meristem but greatly increases the root biomass and depth of penetration by, we calculate, up to 40%. The bigger, stronger rootzone can tap into readily accessible water sources deeper down. It’s the best of both worlds - slowing the rate of cell elongation above ground, while bulking up the root biomass, so energy supplies to the turf are going downstairs not upstairs. The result, we hope, will be shorter turf and a darker green, tougher sward that will retain its colour for longer into the year.”
The trials, using
PrimoMAXX, began last spring and were duly completed in four phases, spread throughout the year, despite the torrential downpours witnessed last summer, which saw the surfaces partly flooded. After fully assessing the test data, a jubilant Mark proclaims: “The trials were a success. Everything that we wanted to do has been achieved and, what’s more, the bowlers are delighted. We now plan to roll out the application programme to all twenty greens in the borough.”
Last year, we reported on trials due to be run by Mark Dempsey, Parks and Street Scene Central Support Manager for Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, and his team, to explore the effects of a growth retardant on the condition of two bowling greens in Wellholme Park, Brighouse, headquarters of Woodvale Bowling Club.
As TOM JAMES reports, the trials have more than proved their worth
GAME, SET and MATCH
In the trials, the team were looking to see if the regulator would reduce the frequency of mowing and the amount of grass clippings. Calderdale Parks and Street Scene Technical Officer Samantha Ward states: “Well- managed and properly maintained bowling greens are valued, respected and regularly used by people of all ages, backgrounds and genders and have many social, health, economic and environmental benefits. Calderdale is strongly committed to the management and development of these areas, recognising their importance and the need to ensure that they meet the demands of today’s visitors and users.” “The regulator functions by
redirecting plant growth, inhibiting vertical growth and diverting plant growth downward into the root system to produce increased food reserves and lateral stem development. It temporarily inhibits synthesis of gibberellic acid - the hormone needed for plants to develop and form stems and seed heads. This process produces shorter internodes and leaves without preventing photosynthesis, with the surplus energy used for rooting.”
Mark continues, “Our team is committed to following up
new developments and improvements to Wellholme Park and its bowling greens, so we embarked on our own trials of the regulator. We recorded our findings from initial application through to grass cutting and then, most recently, on to our soil sample findings and grass sward results.” Councillor Amanda Byrne endorsed the trials. “The overall aims of the project were to prove the positive effects of using a growth regulator within an integrated environmental management system to save fuel, water, fertiliser, pesticide, reduce green waste, time and costs, while also improving the quality of the playing surface.” The recommended application rate for the regulator is 400ml per 10,000m2
and with the size of 1,400 m2 per bowling green
this equated to an application rate of 56ml per green. The completed timescale for the trials stretched from the first application in April to last application in September. A repeat application every
three weeks was planned during the season, keeping a close eye on ground temperatures. “If they exceed 22O
C, the regulator’s effectiveness would be reduced,” Mark stresses. “This didn't prove a problem in 2007, however it did the previous year when we ran a pilot.” The team anticipated a total of 11 applications, at £3.02 per time, giving the estimated total of £33.22. “Given the projections and targets we set, we were looking for savings of around £1,000 a year to maintain the greens at Wellholme, which would come from reductions in green waste, water savings, fuel, labour and fungicide usage reduction,” says Mark.
Core soil samples and grass sward
The method used for taking core samples was the traditional ‘cheese corer’, although Mark found that there was no precise way in which to split up a bowling green for such sampling. To obtain a good representation of the whole site, an imaginary ‘W’ was followed
and samples taken along a diagonal line as shown. Three core samples were
taken from each of the three greens on site, (two crown green and one flat green) a number we thought to be representative of each of the
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