IN ACTION
No competition Clipless NT from Headland Amenity has helped Trent College improve its success with seeding Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) are a long-standing programme component for those maintaining all types of amenity grassland and managed amenity turf. Clipless NT from Headland Amenity is a Trinexapac-ethyl PGR, which is typically applied from mid-April on outfield or course turf and midlate May on fine turf. PGRs can contribute towards a sward that requires less frequent mowing and are often used by grounds keepers to increase the density of a given area. They have also been shown to optimise the conditions for seeding. With the regulated growth and lower energy consumption of the existing plant, nutrition from the soil profile is optimised for germination and establishment of the new seedling.
Inverallan Landscapes’ Pellenc equipment range includes everything from chainsaws to grass strimmers and mowers
Cleaner and greener Inverallan Landscapes is increasing its range of Pellenc equipment as part of a longterm plan to drop fossil fuels
32 GROUNDS MANAGEMENT | MAY 2020
Clipless NT has been effective at controlling growth on the cricket facilities at Trent College
At Trent College in Nottingham, head of gardens and grounds Peter Flewitt trialled Clipless NT in this capacity, on the site’s four cricket squares. “In our environment, we are able to renovate the squares much earlier in the growing season than perhaps other local clubs or the county grounds would. We applied Clipless NT at the end of July, a week before we started our renovations and we nicknamed this area our ‘old grass’. We were interested to see if by regulating the growth here, the new seed sown in the vicinity would germinate better due to lower competition – and it worked well.” Peter continues: “We left the ‘new grass’ to grow through and the difference in their comparative
growth speeds was evident – particularly when we mowed the new grass for the first time when it was just this new grass being cut. With the Clipless NT, used in conjunction with H-Cote (slowrelease fertiliser) we were able to then manage and sustain the healthy, dense sward we achieved in our renovations through the autumn and winter period when our workload focuses on our winter sports areas. With the wet winter we had, the Clipless NT application kept growth in check meaning we didn’t have to take any mowing equipment out onto the soft ground at any stage.”
Inverallan Landscapes has taken one more step in its quest to become fossil fuel-free by expanding its Pellenc portfolio with the purchase of two Rasion Easy self-propelled mowers and a set of Airion blowers. Managing director John Maxwell said: “We want to be the first landscape contractor to operate battery-only, so during the past three years we have been upgrading our tools and equipment to the equivalent battery models, as well as installing solar panels at our business unit.” The company first became acquainted with Pellenc equipment in 2018 after purchasing a set of Helion 2 Compact hedge trimmers. After reporting excellent results, it continued to invest in Pellenc equipment and two years later, Inverallan Landscapes now boasts an impressive portfolio which
includes chainsaws, blowers, hedge cutters, pole saws, road sweepers, grass strimmers and mowers. John has particular praise for the Rasion mower, claiming that it has enhanced the team’s grass cutting operations: “It’s a brilliant machine and it has more advantages than a petrol mower. It is so much lighter and from our point of view up here in Scotland, with the amount of rain we have, the ground can quite often be saturated. If you go onto that ground with a petrol mower, you are adding a lot of weight and you find yourself sinking into the ground. With the Rasion mower we have been able to get onto those saturated grounds and we can tend to grass that we might not have previously been able to cut.”
For more information visit www.headlandamenity.com
For more information visit www.pellencuk.com
