gets - LJN Blog Posts - Landscape Juice Network2024-03-28T09:31:39Zhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/getsWould-be County Ground Gets ‘Full Pitch’ Machinery from Dennis & SISIShttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/would-be-county-ground-gets-full-pitch-machinery-from-dennis2014-03-13T10:10:56.000Z2014-03-13T10:10:56.000ZFusion Mediahttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/FusionMedia<div><p>A cricket club in Kent with both history and ambition is using a combination of Dennis and SISIS turf maintenance equipment in its aim of becoming a county cricket venue.</p><p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314195884?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314195884?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400" class="align-left"/></a>The Cheriton Road Ground in Folkestone has been staging cricket matches since Victorian times and for many years until 1991 was a regular venue for Kent matches. Two years ago responsibility for upkeep and development switched from the local council to the Cheriton Road Sportsground Trust.</p><p>Financial support from former Saga owner Roger De Haan meant a fresh start for the newly named Three Hills Sports Park, a huge upgrade in sports facilities and for the cricket club, a new pavilion and its own groundsman and equipment. It was a real springboard for getting back on to Kent’s home game itinerary.</p><p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314195573?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314195573?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400" class="align-right"/></a>Australian born Josh Bryen is now in his second season as the club’s groundsman and getting regular support and advice from key members of the Kent Cricket Board Groundsman’s Association, is an indication of how seriously the County regards the future of the Folkestone ground. The move to a higher status is already in motion with the staging of the Kent Second Eleven Twenty20 games later this season.</p><p>One of Josh’s first jobs last season was to assemble the correct set of turf maintenance machinery to nurture the impressive 25-strip square, re-laid as part of the redevelopment programme and the focal point for over 40 games a season.</p><p>The Trust gave him a machinery budget and he researched the market thoroughly, using the ECB advice document on equipment essentials for quality pitches at club cricket level as his template. His visit to a cricket seminar staged by Dennis and SISIS at the Essex Chelmsford ground last spring was what impressed him most and this was followed by pre-season demonstrations of their respective machines at the Folkestone ground.</p><p>Josh wanted to purchase a specific cricket wicket mower and chose the 22-inch Dennis Razor Ultra with 11-bladed cylinder to give a sharp, even cut. Three tractor-mounted machines from SISIS completed his armoury. For aeration work and scarifying he chose the multi-use Rotorake TM1000 with debris removing nylon brush, which Josh particularly finds useful ahead of cutting. For top-dressing he went for the Powaspred with rotating brush for even distribution, and for seeding, the Variseeder 1300 with studded seedbed roller.</p><p>“Buying all my cricket pitch maintenance equipment from a single source made good sense,” said Josh, who is also the club’s playing captain.</p><p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314198947?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314198947?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400" class="align-left"/></a>“One contact point for everything - help, advice, spares, servicing is a major benefit. Dennis and SISIS are more than just cricket-friendly - they really do know about the game and what is needed to get quality pitches.</p><p>“Now that the re-laid square is bedding down nicely and I’ve been using the new quartet of machines for a season and a bit, pitch quality is really on the move. Everyone that plays here, including the Trust, are really pleased. Being a wicket keeper I get a close-up of how a pitch is performing, and I can honestly say the machines we bought are making a telling difference.”</p><p>For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and SISIS @SISISMachinery. You can like the Facebook page – <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK">www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery">www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery</a>. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/DennisMowers">www.youtube.com/DennisMowers</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery">www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery</a></p></div>Bowcom Line Marker Gets a First at Cambridge Collegehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/bowcom-line-marker-gets-a-first-at-cambridge-college2013-07-09T12:27:10.000Z2013-07-09T12:27:10.000ZFusion Mediahttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/FusionMedia<div><p>Pembroke College Head Groundsman Trevor Munns has chosen a Bowcom GMX machine for all line marking at the college sports ground.</p><p>The 12-acre sports ground at Pembroke College, Cambridge University’s third oldest seat of learning, provides year round sport to students and a number of outside interests, including a prominent local football club, who use the facilities for pre-season training.</p><p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314123965?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314123965?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350" class="align-left"/></a>Upkeep is a testing job, especially as it is carried out almost single-handedly by Trevor, who has been Head Groundsman at the college for 24 years. An item of equipment he has recently switched to has made one aspect of his work - line marking - that bit easier.</p><p>As well as having to keep the two football and rugby pitches in his charge efficiently marked over the winter months, Trevor’s biggest marking demand is tennis. There are eight grass courts at the Pembroke grounds in regular use throughout the summer and he regularly uses his Bowcom GMX line marker to get them ‘match fit’ for a local Tennis Club, who plays there twice weekly.</p><p>A combination of the revolutionary Bowcom GMX and Bowgrass Supreme Plus paint offers the ultimate in precision line marking application; the GMX incorporates a number of comprehensive, flexible spray options including fully adjustable line width, central or off-set spraying, protected, quick release spray head assembly, optional twin jet nozzle and optional side marking arm.</p><p>Trevor now uses Bowcom’s battery-powered spray applicator exclusively for all marking jobs, winter and summer.</p><p>“Apart from being comfortable and easy to use, there are three things I particularly like about the GMX line marker,” said Trevor.</p><p>“Keeping it clean is very easy. All you have to do is run a little water, stored in a separate tank on the sprayer, through it after use, that’s all. It couldn’t be easier, and it’s put away, with no paint in the pipework, clean in no time at all.</p><p>“I like the fact that you can readily switch the battery off so that there’s no loss of charge when not actually marking. The simplicity of width adjustment means that for the football and rugby pitches I can ensure lines are highly visible even when the elements are against you. The paint quality means I certainly don’t have to re-mark pitches as often as I used to.”</p><p>The Bowcom GMX precision line marker with adjustable operator handle and 25-litre paint tank comes with a high capacity battery and easy access charger.</p><p>Bowcom products are available exclusively throughout the United Kingdom from Sherriff Amenity. For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or email info@sherriff-amenity.com</p><p>For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity.</p></div>The Threat of Phytophthora gets worse - Time to turn to the practitioner for help.https://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/the-threat-of-phytophthora2010-11-06T18:00:00.000Z2010-11-06T18:00:00.000ZPaysage Durablehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/PaysageDurable<div>This is a scary time for European trees, since it was first discovered, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pramorum"><i>Phytophthora ramorum</i></a> and some of its <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.scientificsocieties.org/aps/proceedings/sod/Papers/Brasier/default.htm">relatives</a> have not abated. The spread of the disease has not been halted despite some serious investment and efforts by the FC and DEFRA in the UK and their European counterparts. Recent news that the spread is as a result of sporangia in Larch plantations is a massive new problem.<div>With most EU countries now adopting austerity measures or cuts to public spending, how much will the budgets of the organisations dealing with this problem be affected. This is already answerable and we know that funding has been dramatically reduced and will continue to be reduced.</div><div>However how much are the public involved in the assistance to halt the spread of the disease and also how much are the practitioners involved? How much are the nursery and horticultural industry responsible for the outbreak of <i>P. ramorum</i> and other diseases in the first place? And as such what measures should we in the industry be taking.</div><div>The FC have produced guidelines and introduced what appears to be an excellent and comprehensive package - advocating increased vigilance and following discovery serious efforts to curb spread through cleaning of tools, clothing, vehicles and staff. Following removal of the infected plants, r<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcreplantingrecommendations.pdf/$FILE/fcreplantingrecommendations.pdf">eplanting instructions</a> are provided. Financial aid is also given to landowners who have large outbreaks.</div><div>This does not alleviate the frustration many practitioners and owners must feel about being unable to stop the spread of the disease in the first place.</div><div>It was evident to some that an outbreak of <i><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2008/12/map_of_the_week_killer_fungus.html">P. kernovia</a></i> in Cornwall was spreading in localised areas away from land that saw public access on a large scale but that <i>P. ramorum</i> seemed to occur in areas which did see significant public access. On one plant I saw that had been affected it was evident that the Rhododendron in question had been clipped for cuttings by someone who did not work on the estate in question. Dirty secateurs by a cutting thief? The suggestion for controls to persons, animals and vehicles moving in and out of areas with the disease has been suggested plenty of times but restrictions have not been forthcoming in any tangible amount.</div><div>Media reaction has been largely good, the fear and horror angle of these diseases appeals to the public and consequently much has been written - surely aiding those tasked with trying to halt the diseases. Or maybe the cynics amongst us will think that this publicity was counter productive, media hype about a threat that is hardly the end of the world, leading to a slow down in funding.</div><div>With the recent news about the spread and the fact that budgets will certainly be lowered now it is surely the time to trust the practitioners to do more than just report on the disease and clean their boots regularly.</div><div>The current position of the UK land industry is well placed to assist: It is largely made up of smaller, localised but highly knowledgeable professionals. Many of whom are trusted by their clients to a degree unseen in many other industries. With a threat as great as this it is surely essential to arm those already trained in horticulture and land based industry with more than a 'mopping up' information sheet. The practitioners could already be out there helping to ensure; new planting is carried out to minimise the risks; checking up on the supply chain of plants; removing highly susceptible plants from contact with important native and ornamental trees and other significant specimens; warning clients directly; testing products and having the right to impose restrictions on high risk areas when concerned without waiting in consultation, etc.,</div><div>Quangos have frequently kept operations to themselves, but with these new threats and with the budget cuts looming it is surely time to allow the practitioners to relieve some of the burden of the work ahead in fighting these diseases. Indeed the existing base of practitioners, their knowledge and access to materials and different techniques specific for different regions is surely a good place to look for potential solutions or experimentation in reducing the continued spread.</div><div><br/><div><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.paysagedurable.com">Paysage Durable</a></div><div><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314154662?profile=original">pressrelease_forest20110307.doc</a></div></div></div>