Technical


We only have to look at many of the turf diseases and disorders that prevail in our industry nowadays to see that many of the problems are of our own making


are equally as susceptible to such devastation - we only have to look at many of the turf diseases and disorders that prevail in our industry nowadays to see that many of the problems are of our own making. A vicious circle has been created, and it will never be solved by adding to it. The environmental issues are beyond dispute - the question therefore is, are we willing to acknowledge the part that we play in these issues, and seek alternative methods, or are we to bury our heads in our rootzones whilst we strive for the perfect playing surface, irrespective of the cost?


I know what my stance is, and the fact that I


went to the trouble of writing this series of articles alludes to which side of the fence upon which I sit. We have seen an awful lot of debate in respect of the natural vs synthetic turf industry in recent years, with many passionate groundsmen launching a staunch defence of natural turf and, whilst I agree that high quality natural turf is something to be valued and held in the highest regard, I have to ask the question, how natural are we talking here? A close look at the inter-related industries would suggest that we are operating in a far from natural manner. I believe the line


”


between natural and artificial turf is becoming more blurred by the day. In the next, and final piece in this series of


articles, I will raise the issue of the long term sourcing of phosphorus, and will offer my thoughts on what alternative products are available now, and perhaps in the future, in addition to what alternative management strategies could be deployed to aid with maximising the biological cycling of phosphorus in soils.


PC APRIL/MAY 2015 I 135


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  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156