Nursery after application of sand
“Growing Poa-free turf is a very, very tall order for any grower but, aside from a tiny spot here and there which we pulled out by hand, it was as specified”
the sand damp to ensure quick, even germination.
Once established, the turf was maintained at a height of 13mm for the first six weeks, then gradually reduced to 6-7mm. It was verti-cut regularly to control lateral growth and topdressed every three weeks with the MS35 sand at 2kg/m2
. The topdressing was Early plant emergence
important to achieve density of sward and to dilute organic matter accumulation. Throughout the growth period, Chris
Ocober 2008
Kennedy made regular visits to monitor its progress, as did others involved in the project, including George Shiels, the STRI agronomist, the rootzone supplier and Nick Martin from Scotts whose fertilisers provide the nutritional element of the TurfStart rootzone used on the greens. Tim continued: “Although southern England seemed to have an early spring this year, the east was blighted by constant winds off the North Sea, which kept temperatures down. It was only well into May that growth really
took off. This caused us some sleepless nights because we knew we were up against a very tight time frame. The original intention was to bring the height down to 5mm, but we decided to keep it at 7mm to eliminate any possible stress.”
Almost a year to the day from when it was sown, the first batch of turf was harvested in standard, one metre square rolls and sent on its journey south. The daytime temperature was reaching the mid 20s, so the turf was lifted in the early hours of the day and put straight into refrigerated transport at 4°C. Upon arrival on site it was offloaded by the contractor and laid immediately. “We were very pleased with it” Chris
Kennedy confirmed. “Growing Poa-free turf is a very, very tall order for any grower but, aside from a tiny spot here and there which we pulled out by hand, it was as specified.”
The turf supplied for the green
surrounds was Tillers Arena, a mixture of ryegrass, fescue and smooth stalked
1 machine – 2 methods of application
New rotary atomizer Technology - 80% of spraying can be carried out at low volume
One tank fill-up covers 20 hectares Also has conventional hydraulic nozzles Flexibility - 2 sprayers in one John Albutt, Past Chairman of the Amenity Forum said “Now – this is the future of spraying”
26
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