IN ACTION

from Grounds Management - Summer 2022

RAISING THE GAME

IN ACTION CASE STUDIES

Maintaining sports grounds across the UK

Four organisations explain how they utilise industry products and services to ensure their grounds and facilities are kept in top condition

FERRO IS TOP CHOICE FOR JORDANS

Jordans Sports Ground Solutions has reported excellent results after applying COMPO EXPERT’s Ferro Top specialty fertiliser on the stadium pitches at Gillingham FC, Dartford FC and Ebbsfleet United FC, and on croquet lawns, tennis courts and a cricket square at Dulwich Sports Club.

Jordans Sports Grounds Solutions provides a range of sportsturf services throughout the South East, and owner Ian Jordan carefully selects the products used by his team of 11.

He says: “We always do the best we can for our clients and choosing the correct products for their turf within their budget is crucial.”

Last year, with a harsh winter approaching, Ian was looking for an iron-based product that would harden the sward and give colour through the winter. “I came across Ferro Top on the Agrovista Amenity website and discussed the product with amenity specialist Andrew Norman,” he says.

Agrovista Amenity is the UK’s exclusive national distributor of COMPO EXPERT products and is witnessing an increasing demand for the innovative fertilisers. Ferro Top is a popular choice, as it’s an iron specialty fertiliser with high levels of potash and magnesium, as well as manganese, which promotes quality, resistance and colour. The fine granulation ensures perfect sward penetration and quick greening without a flush of growth, displaces moss and protects against new settlements.

“Approximately seven to 10 days after we applied it, the grass went ‘whoosh’ and the colour was fantastic. It also kicks back into life after the turf has been cut,” Ian says.

Jordans Sports Ground Solutions uses Ferro Top fertiliser to give colour to sportsturf over the winter Lincoln City FC’s head groundsman Craig Hounlsey is delighted with the results achieved with ICL products

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compo-expert.com ICL PRODUCTS AID LINCOLN CITY’S PITCH CONSTRUCTION

ICL products have helped Lincoln City FC’s new Fibresand pitch get off to the best possible start after the LNER stadium pitch was completely rebuilt. The pitch project included a new gravel carpet, a drainage system, multiple sand layers and the amelioration of Fibresand.

As a new Fibresand construction can take time to settle, head groundsman Craig Housley wanted to concentrate on achieving good rooting to aid playability and recovery, so he spoke to ICL technical area sales manager Craig Lalley, who recommended incorporating Sierrablen Plus Turf Starter with Pearl into the growing medium. “The organic acids that are produced by the rooting utilises the phosphorus and the magnesium from the Pearl technology, which aids early establishment,” he explains.

H2Pro TriSmart wetting agent was then implemented. Its three water-management technologies provide greater water penetration through the rootzone and improve the water-holding capacity of sandy rootzones.

Four weeks later, Lalley suggested ICL’s Vitalnova Links biostimulant, which comprises Vitalnova Blade and SMX. Vitalnova Links was tank mixed with TriSmart to aid microbial stimulation, reduce biotic stresses and develop the rooting. TriSmart manages the moisture so the pitch doesn’t dry out in warm temperatures.

“It takes a while for a new Fibresand pitch to grip itself together, but I have been surprised at just how good the pitch has been in its first year,” says Housley.

n Find out more at: icl-sf.com

TURF TANK MAKES SHORT WORK OF LINE MARKING AT ETON

Grounds management at Eton College provides a unique challenge. As one of the most recognisable names in education with great historical significance, the school’s reputation, from students to sports pitches, is paramount.

Since May 2020, Eton’s 38 winter sports pitches and 1,500 acres of land have been under the control of grounds manager Lee Marshallsay. He manages a team of 30, including 11 grounds personnel – two of whom are dedicated to line marking.

Last year, the line-marking duo spent six to seven weeks marking out football and rugby pitches ready for the commencement of the school year, and repeated the task in November. On checking his Turf Keeper records, Lee discovered they spent over 850 hours marking, so looking for alternative options he turned to the Turf Tank One robotic line marker.

“I didn’t want the team to feel under pressure all the time,” Lee says. “Using the robot we can now do the same job in just one week, which frees up two people to help on the additional in-house projects and with regular aeration, cutting and finessing.

“The Turf Tank ticked a lot of boxes for us. We tried other machines a week apart on the same pitch. We looked at line quality, how much paint it was putting out and how quick it was to set up. There were similarities, but Turf Tank gave us that bit more flexibility,” he says.

“The support from Alex Robinson and the Turf Tank team has been exemplary, and there is a full-time service engineer if I need assistance.”

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turftank.com

The Turf Tank gets to work at Eton’s sports facilities, taking the pressure off the two line markers

GREENMECH 220 TMP: THE ‘MASTER’ OF HIGHOUTPUT 9IN CHIPPERS

When tree surgeon Paul Cutler needed a new woodchipper to handle large-scale domestic treeworks, there was only one machine he felt fitted the bill – a ChipMaster 220 TMP from GreenMech. Paul took delivery of his machine in January 2022, and he’s already used it for large conifers and other bulky material.

Paul has used various woodchipper makes and models over his 35-year career, with a 4in and 6in road-tow machine currently on his fleet sitting alongside a second-hand 6in PTO unit that began costing Paul more than it was earning.

“I had purchased some other equipment from our local machinery dealer, Thurlow Nunn Standen, and they mentioned they were becoming GreenMech dealers and invited me along to an open day,” Paul explains.

Impressed with the build quality of the machines on show, he explored further, before settling on the ChipMaster 220 TMP. “It has a huge 9in capacity, which is fantastic for productivity and only requires a 60hp tractor. The infeed chute is really wide, which means we can put in large branches without needing to trim them down.”

The ChipMaster 220 TMP is the ultimate ‘maximum output, minimum investment’ machine. It fits the threepoint linkage on tractors between 60hp and 80hp, with the feed rollers powered by the tractor’s hydraulic system. The ChipMaster has been designed to deliver the perfect combination of strength and performance, promising the free flow and high throughput of bulky materials.

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