Grass seed

Anumber of new and updated formulations have been announced with the launch of the Johnsons Sports Seed guide for 2022. Particular highlights include the introduction of new highly rated cultivars into the Johnsons J Links and J Rye Fairway fine turf mixtures, and a brand-new, first-of-its-kind mixture for sports turf – Johnsons J Premier 4Turf – delivering Brown Patch tolerance.

The 2022 formulation of Johnsons J Links is set to deliver improved salt and drought tolerance to those courses under links conditions thanks to the introduction of Absolom Slender Creeping Red Fescue. Absolom is a highly rated cultivar, offering exceptional disease resistance and tolerance for close mown management. Absolom joins Cezanne and Nigella in this pure Slender blend – backed by DLF’s 4Salt research, creating mixtures optimised for performance in saline conditions. New formulations of Johnsons J Fairway and J Rye Fairway are also available this year, with the inclusion of Esparina Chewings Fescue and Aniston Perennial Ryegrass respectively.

Also backed by research is the brand-new Johnsons J Premier 4Turf mixture. Following two years of trials into Brown Patch tolerant varieties, J Premier 4Turf takes full advantage of the findings – combining the outstanding wear tolerance and visual merit of the original J Premier Pitch mixture with 20% 4turf and the most tolerant diploid varieties identified in the study. Featuring 10% Fabian and 10% Tetragame tetraploid perennial ryegrass, J Premier 4Turf promises to become the ultimate football and rugby renovation mixture for diseaseresistance, rapid establishment and exceptional wear tolerance.

The larger seed and root system of DLF’s 4turf varieties deliver strong, fast establishment at temperatures as low as 4oC, as well as healthy plant development. Its improved tolerance of drought and disease means the sward retains better colour and recovers quickly from periods of stress. Because of their tolerance to challenging conditions and lower reliance on inputs, 4turf mixtures have become a popular choice with sports turf managers, with new formulations of both Johnsons J 4Turf and J 4Turf 100 available for 2022. n www.johnsonsportsseed.co.uk

The benefits of working directly with a seed breeder that create and develop new grass varieties is a key reason Ipswich Town Football Club has changed to Barenbrug’s grass solutions over recent years. Now, in preparation for the 2022-23 season kick-off, Grounds Manager Ben Connell is looking forward to reseeding the tricky-to-manage pitch at ‘The Blues’ 30,000-seater Portman Road Stadium with Barenbrug’s Elite Sport mixture, featuring the latest table-topping varieties.

“The pitch was constructed in the 1970s and lacks modern reinforcement, which makes it particularly difficult to maintain in prime condition,” Ben said. “We must be careful when aerating the turf and consider how much we consolidate it going into a match. The stadium surrounds the pitch on all sides, so light levels are lower during the winter and managing that as best as we can is a major challenge.

“The varieties of grass seed that we use play a big part in doing that successfully, and high wear tolerance are particularly important on what is the only soil-based pitch in the Football League. We started working with Barenbrug in 2015 to help us move forward and improve turf quality, initially using its varieties on our training ground, then the academy and first team pitches, before introducing them into the stadium pitch in 2021.

“The big attraction of dealing with Barenbrug is that they are a seed breeder, so we are able to collaborate directly with them, discuss any challenges and see the developments happening. The turf industry is changing quite quickly and the loss of chemicals that we once relied on makes it critical to have access to new grass varieties that are more resistant to disease, need fewer inputs and have greater drought tolerance. That is why we are so excited by the potential of the new varieties which Barenbrug have just launched and will use them when the Portman Road pitch is reseeded at the end of May.”

Newquay Golf Club is reaping the rewards from using three mixtures belonging to the MM grass seed portfolio.

Newquay may well be known more for its surfing and sandy beaches, but it also boasts a truly superb golf course. Located in the heart of the town, the picturesque 18-hole Newquay Golf Club is a challenging yet rewarding links course.

Dan Kendle, who has been a greenkeeper for the entirety of his career, moved to the Southwest seven years ago to take on the Head Greenkeeper role.

His attention to detail and his insistence on using only the best products certainly has helped maximise results. For the past two years he has been impressed with a range of MM grass seed mixtures.

“David Bevan, from Agrovista Amenity, recommended the MM brand to me, and I’m glad he did,” said Dan.

“I started by using MM13 on fairways and tees, and a little bit of MM50 on some high-wear areas, such as walkways. They have performed really well.”

As Dan said, MM13 is a high-quality traditional mixture for overseeding or renovating fine dense tees, fairways and roughs, particularly where maintenance and input levels are low. It has good winter colour and high disease resistance. MM50, one of the UK’s biggest selling grass mixtures, is also ideal for use on extreme wear areas and is fast establishing and resilient.

Dan and the team overseed the fairways and tees with these two mixtures twice a year in the spring and autumn but will also target specific areas as and when needed.

Based on the success of those mixtures, David decided to investigate which MM mixture would be beneficial to his greens. After consultation with Matt Gresty, from MM Seeds, and David (Bevan) he decided that the all-new MM Coastal mixture would be the way forward.

“We actually did some trial plots with the MM Coastal mixture and based on the results we decided to overseed the greens with it,” he said.

“It is a 100% slender creeping red fescue mixture which has a high salt tolerance. This is perfect for us because we are very exposed here. It is a dry site too so the fact that MM Coastal is drought tolerant, works very well for us.

“Germination is excellent and that is across all three seed varieties. You also get great colour from the mixtures all year round.

“On top of that, I get good support and backup from both Matt and David. I can always bounce ideas around with them and we enjoy discussing different overseeding techniques.” n www.mm-seeds.co.uk

One of the UK’s leading independent seed merchants and online seed retailers, Boston Seeds, has appointed George Wallis (pictured) as its new Managing Director.

After graduating from the University of Nottingham in 2008, George spent five years in FMCG with Asda in store management before joining Boston Seeds in 2013 as Business Development Manager. In this role, George led many important projects across the company before taking up his previous role of Commercial Director.

Current Managing Director, Andrew Wallis, is delighted with his successor.

“This appointment ensures secure and exciting times ahead. Boston Seeds has established a diverse product range as an agricultural seed merchant. Significant products include – linseed, environmental seeds, grass seed and wildflower seeds. Most of these products are available to consumers online, turf managers, as well as farmers.”

Commenting on his new role, George said he was delighted to lead the next phase of the company’s growth.

“I look forward to building on the success of the business, harnessing our unique market position to benefit the agricultural and amenity industries alike.”

In 2021, Boston Seeds continued their expansion, investing in new offices and a 25,000 sq/ft warehouse. “We have invested in both infrastructure and people” said George.