TRAINING & EDUCATION PLANT-SOIL ECOSYSTEM A multifaceted, interconnected, cause and effect environment


professionals in the turf sector are ‘just about managing’, what I am employing this example for is by means of illustration. The suggestion is, that to be in charge or control of a multifaceted, interconnected plant- soil ecosystem, when it is underpinned by the fundamental principles of cause and effect, which then leads to an incredibly complicated and diverse environment, is not necessarily as helpful as it could be, in assisting someone to conceptualise how to most appropriately manage a turf ecosystem in an integrated way. The use of the word manage, to suggest we are in control, or maintaining order is flawed. Rather the truth is; that at any one time all we can ever realistically hope for is to be just about managing to keep the ecosystem in line as best as we can to achieve our


desired outcomes. Of course, the way to keep the ecosystem in line as best we can is to seek a greater level of precision by gaining a greater level of understanding and appreciation for the interconnected nature of the detail. If manage in the form of definite control is not helpful, may I suggest the word responsible is a more fitting way to describe the role of a turf manager. This suggests a person who is under obligation to be responsible for understanding and making decisions relating to the maintenance of a plant-soil ecosystem; with the aim of facilitating a surface for play. Of course, Turf Responsible is not really a term likely to roll off the tongue and head up job descriptions any time soon.


Perhaps Head Custodian is a more fitting


job title for the most senior person within our grounds and greenkeeping teams.


custodian noun


“a person with responsibility for protecting or taking care of something or keeping something in good condition.”


Change verb


“to make or become different”


“to form a new opinion or make a new decision about something that is different to your old one”


As alluded to earlier, change is the greatest representation of permanence in existence; without it, this planet and the life upon it, would never have come to be. Change was the premise upon which the BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme existed. And, whilst many of the universal truths of sports turf maintenance will not change as we enter the year 2020, it is accurate to state that change is the greatest challenge society and sports turf


What is your mindset to change and what is your plan to meet the challenges arising from it?


138 PC February/March 2020


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