Educational Establishments
“
We now leave a one metre uncut strip around the whole facility which has created a wildlife corridor
Weed control on the pitches is undertaken every two years
recognised health and safety standards. We always buy the machinery from local dealers. However, we are not necessarily loyal to any one brand or manufacturer. We look at each piece of machinery and choose the one which suits our needs best, irrespective of manufacturer.” “One of the more recent machinery
What’s in the shed?
Massey Ferguson 240 tractor Massey Ferguson 1547 tractor John Deere X740 ride on mower Major Deck 6ft Blec Ground Breaker Kawasaki TH43 strimmer Honda HRX 476 pedestrian mower Hayter Harier 48 pedestrian mower Ransomes Superbowl 51 ATCO Z4E Sisis spiker Sisis Rotorake Line marker GMX Bowcom Vitax TXE 505 linemarker Stihl BR600 backpack blower Kawasaki KBR 400B backpack blower EV-N-Spred walk behind spreader Hardi 400 litre sprayer
purchases for the college grounds was the Blec Ground Breaker. It has helped significantly on those pitches which are heavy loam or those suffering from compaction due to overuse. In the past, we have hired in a Shockwave machine and operative to relieve deep compaction on a number of pitches.” “All of our machinery servicing is carried
out externally by dealerships specific to each piece of machinery.” Peter has his own wish list when it comes
to new machinery he would like for the grounds. “We are always looking at ways to improve our equipment within the confines of our budget,” said Peter. “However, I would like a ride-on triple cylinder mower to enhance our mowing regime. I would also like to replace our older Massey Ferguson tractor. This also would help improve our day to day maintenance.”
The Methody playing fields, like many
others, succumb to pests and diseases, but Peter and his team try to keep on top of them. “Due to budget restraints, we carry out weed control on the pitches every two years. Like most places, we suffer from red thread, which we treat through our fertiliser programme.” “We are quite lucky here as we don’t have
many pests like rabbits, badgers, foxes or geese, but we do have a few gulls that like to land here.” The environment and ecology forms an
important part of Peter’s programme and the team are introducing new methods to increase their floral content. “The environment is very important to us,” Peter confirms. We now leave a one metre uncut strip around the whole facility which has created a wildlife corridor.” “We have a number of small wooded
areas which are maintained to ensure good undercover growth. Bird boxes and feeders have been placed throughout the grounds. Leaf fall in a number of areas goes unlifted to encourage worm activity.”
A recently purchased Blec Ground Breaker helps to relieve compaction on the rugby pitches 60 I PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016
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