The International hub for greenkeepers, groundstaff, turf managers and volunteers
The International hub for greenkeepers, groundstaff, turf managers and volunteers
On May 28th, 2024, we conducted our 3rd masterclass for our Wiltshire College & University Centre sports turf students at Reading Football Club. The day involved a visit to the stadium, where James Stabler, David Newell, and Sam Ampleford introduced the students to the unique challenges of maintaining a top-tier football pitch. We then relocated …
Within the turfgrass industry the term carrying capacity (or sustainable use) can be defined as the maximum level of surface use, or activity on a turf surface before unacceptable levels of deterioration begin to occur. Potential carrying capacity is what could have been achieved given optimum use and management strategies being implemented. More of a …
In short, a wetting agent is a substance that lowers the surface tension of a liquid therefore increasing its penetrating and spreading qualities of previously water repellent surfaces. Wetting agents are from a class of chemical compounds known as surface active agents or ‘surfactants.’ Which you may also see them called as. What are they …
To the human eye, grass leaves in general look pretty much the same. However, under a microscope is where the differences become apparent, especially between warm and cool season grasses. Leaves of warm season grasses have thick walls around the vascular cells. Leaves of warm season grasses have thick walls around the vascular cells. These …
We all know of the numerous myths and tricks about at the moment on ‘how to properly sterilise equipment’. Some are pretty solid, while others are outright hazardous to health or inflict damage to the surfaces they are used on. What is sanitising? In short, it means to ‘make clean and hygienic’. There’s a common …
Now this is one of those topics in greenkeeping that is site-specific due to the large amount of variables, including grass type, weather, region, budget, staff and everything in between. However there are some important rules of thumb to keep in mind, the biggest one being to avoid cutting off more than one third or …
Despite being the fundamental basis of some sports, parks, and lawns, the meaning of the word ‘grass’ never really gets much thought. Even by qualified turf managers! So what is grass? ‘Grass is a monocotyledon plant, herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base.’ Vague, right? That’s because grass actually has many different species, …
Poa Annua (Annual meadow grass) is a common grass that is part of the Poaceae family. This family of grass provides staple foods, from domesticated cereal crops such as maize, wheat, rice, barley, and millet, to feed for animals. For some, Poa is a turf manager’s daily grass; for others it may be their enemy. …
Improving soil aeration and decompaction is a huge part of maintaining any turf surface, but especially sports turf surfaces. This can be achieved using a variety of methods including slit or knife tines, soild or spike tines, or hollow tines. Today’s topic is hollow tining (coring). These tines physically remove a core of soil from …
Its no hidden fact that to achieve the highest possible mowing quality, a cylinder mower is the best. Their clean scissor-like cut makes them the perfect choice for sports turf surfaces, high-quality lawns and recreational areas. The basic design hasn’t changed since Edwin Budding developed the first machine in 1830. The point of cutting is …