News

United Utilities has announced that it has lifted its hosepipe ban as of 19th August 2010. The TGA urges consumers to continue to their responsible use of water and to refrain from watering established lawns. For tips on maintaining lawns during the summer, please visit the Lawn Watering section of this website.

The Turfgrass Growers Association has received the following information from United Utilities concerning the hosepipe ban imposed in areas of the North West of England on 9^th July 2010.

‘We have made a concession for the watering in of newly laid turf as per your advice which is used in the UKWIR guidance. As such the use of a hosepipe within the United Utilities region is permitted where there is a contract in place to lay the turf and water it in for the period of 28 days.’

The TGA welcomes United Utilities’ concession.

For information about the hosepipe ban or to check if you live in the area covered by it, visit www.uuplc.co.uk. The TGA urges all consumers to refrain from watering established lawns during hot, dry weather. Further information and tips on laying and maintaining lawns in the summer can be found in the Lawn Watering section of this website.

Turf experts are advising homeowners to avoid watering established lawns after the driest start to the summer in more than four decades put pressure on water supplies.

The Turfgrass Growers Association, whose members produce more than 70% of the turf grown in the British Isles, says that during hot weather, the watering of established lawns is, in most situations, wasteful and unnecessary.

“Our message to homeowners is not to worry if your lawn goes brown during the summer”, says its Chief Executive, Tim Mudge. “Going brown is the natural survival mechanism of grass. When water is in short supply grass responds by shutting down. The brown colour shows that it has stopped growing until more favourable conditions return. Grass is remarkably resilient, and as long as you follow a few basic rules, most lawns will recover completely when the rain finally arrives.”

• Increase your mowing height to 35-40mm – this creates deeper roots and more shade and shelter from higher temperatures
• Try not to concentrate wear in one place – move barbeques and toys like slides around
• No need to feed as grass will not be growing during hot, dry weather
• Avoid blanket weedkillers as these may damage the grass – use a spot weedkiller if necessary
• Keep mower blades sharp as blunt blades bruise the grass leaf and it loses more water
• Apply a light dressing of compost to help keep moisture in the soil and protect the grass from higher temperatures
• Scarify your lawn once a year to remove matted and dead growth – if allowed to build up this acts as a barrier to rainfall

Tips for looking after established and newly-laid lawns during the summer are available from the from the association’s website at www.turfgrass.co.uk.

The Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) has welcomed grass seed breeder, producer and supplier Euro Grass B.V. as a new affiliate member.

Euro Grass is an international company which is active in turfgrass breeding and production in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. New to the British amenity market, its aim, through the recent appointment of Simon Taylor as UK Sales & Marketing Manager, is to offer a portfolio of amenity grasses that provides high level seed cleanliness and unrivalled cultivar performance for turf production. The company already has a number of cultivars established on the STRI/BSPB seed listings.

Simon Taylor explained: “Our membership is very important as it enables interaction with grower members and to present Euro Grass and its products on a professional level. We are looking forward to working with the association and turf growers to tackle some of the challenges which face the industry in current times.”

The Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) has announced that J & B Farnaby will host its 2011 Turf Show.

The biennial event will be held at the 500 acre turf farm run by husband and wife team Jeff and Barbara Farnaby along with son Paul, situated just off the A1 at Scotch Corner on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th June 2011.

Focusing on all aspects of turf production, the show attracts growers from as far afield as Italy, Slovenia and Norway who visit to see demonstrations of the latest machinery and product innovations used in the growing and harvesting of quality cultivated turf.

TGA Chief Executive Tim Mudge said that he was pleased to see the show move north for 2011: “The Farnaby’s have a superb site at Scotch Corner and planning is already well underway for the event. We always ask for feedback after our shows and have made a few changes to the format following the 2009 event at Q Lawns. We’ll be having a half day preview the day before the show itself to enable people to view machinery before the show demonstrations get underway. The main draw is undoubtedly the opportunity to see specialist equipment at work and we’ve also extended the demonstration programme so visitors will be able to see machinery working throughout the second day.”

Full details will be available shortly from the show website at www.turfshow.co.uk or from the TGA office on 01507 607722.

The Turfgrass Growers Association has welcomed three new members.

Family-run South Yorkshire Turf Supplies who have grown turf since 1945 and Northallerton-based C&K Farnaby have joined the association which comprises more than 60 members and affiliated companies collectively responsible for producing approximately 70% of the cultivated turf grown in the British Isles. Northwest Turf have also rejoined after a short absence.

The association’s notable achievements in recent years, including a series of successful turf shows and the inclusion of its quality standards in the landscaping contracts for the 2012 Olympic park, have been driven by its dedicated and highly effective council. At the recent members’ meeting, three new council members were appointed for a three year term – Jeff Farnaby from J&B Farnaby as a grower member and Richard Brown from British Seed Houses and John Bailey from Cargotec, who become the first affiliate members to sit on council.

During the meeting, TGA Chairman Tim Fell presented a decanter to David Davies who has stood down from council after 13 years’ service. David, who retired from turf production last year, now runs Early Turf Systems, a distributor of Conwed turf netting and will continue his involvement with the association as an affiliate member.

The association’s Chief Executive, Tim Mudge, commented: “We’re delighted that the association continues to expand. The inclusion of two affiliate representatives on the TGA council means that turf industry companies who make such a significant contribution to both the advancement of UK turf production through their work with growers and to the association, have their say on the way the association moves forward.”

“We’re sad to see David Davies stand down from the council. He’s made a significant contribution to its work over the years, especially to our soil project which included research with Royal Holloway and Cranfield Universities into the effects of turf production on soil structure. We’re pleased he’ll retain his involvement as an affiliate member. ”

David said that he had gained a great deal of knowledge through his involvement with the TGA and had always found its meetings, shows and visits extremely interesting and enjoyable. “I believe that all turf growers and associated businesses benefit from membership of the TGA through the shared knowledge, co-operation and excellent promotion of the turf industry. I would urge all turf-related companies to consider joining.”

Staff from amenity seed supplier DLF Trifolium hosted the Turfgrass Growers Association’s spring members’ meeting at their site at Inkberrow, Worcestershire recently.

The day began with a tour of the company’s seed trial plots before delegates heard a series of presentations, the first from host Derek Smith who introduced the growers and affiliates present to iSeed, DLF’s patented seed coating that focuses on improving nutrient utilization during the early stages of plant growth. The coating contains 20% nitrogen and 4% phosphate, the N being both fast acting and slow release. As the fertilizer is coated onto the seeds, the germinating and developing seedlings receive the benefit rather than the surrounding plants.

Next to speak was Simon Quinton-Smith from Property and Business Consultancy firm, Quinton Edwards. Simon spoke about company takeovers, outlining factors which are barriers to a purchase and offering advice on preparing a company for sale.

Soil and Landscape Consultant Tim O’Hare then took to the floor to talk about the manufacture and variety of topsoils, emphasising the importance of quality and compatibility.

Following his visit to American last year, TGA Vice Chairman Hugh Dampney gave an overview of the way turf businesses operated in the States and explained how their turf industry has been affected by the recession.

Commenting after the meeting, TGA Chief Executive Tim Mudge said: “We extend our thanks to DLF for their support and hospitality for our spring event. Our presenters all discussed issues relevant to both members and affiliates. It was the ideal way to kick off the growing season.”

Derek Smith, Amenity Sales Manager for DLF added: “We were very pleased to host the first TGA meeting in 2010 – the turnout was excellent despite the cold weather. We wanted growers to get an idea of the scale of our UK breeding and trialling operation with over 45 hectares of plots and 2 full-time UK breeders. We are confident this continued investment will yield new improved cultivars selected specifically with UK conditions in mind.”

“The response to our new nutrient seed coating, iSeed, was exceptional. Being able to produce an improved quality crop in a shorter space of time and therefore reduce input and land costs was of interest to the majority of the audience. The benefit of existing customer testimonials and proven independent trial results really gives people confidence. Many leading turf producers have placed orders following the event.”

This was the message from Mark Gregory, Vice Chairman of the Association of Professional Landscapers and Managing Director of Landform Consultants, to turf growers who had gathered for the Turfgrass Growers’ Association’s autumn members’ meeting in Peterborough recently.

Delivering vital feedback from the end-users of cultivated turf, Gregory also said that growers are generally doing a great job at growing a quality product and delivering it on time.

He added that turf has a great future in the landscape due to its unifying affect in a design and its beneficial environmental characteristics and suggested greater use of turf in sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS).

He also advised growers that that there was a need to train landscape staff in the laying and aftercare of turf to ensure its benefits are seen at their full potential when in situ.

Commenting after the meeting, TGA Chief Executive, Tim Mudge said: “We recognise that we can gather vital feedback from other organisations within the supply chain and this year’s speakers have really got their fingers on the pulse on key issues relating to turf. They opened our eyes to new opportunities and their presentations stimulated more debate and interaction than ever before. We are now looking to organise a seminar for landscape professionals next year in conjunction with the APL and BALI to address the issues Mark raised.”

The tender documents for the Olympic Delivery Authority specify, in reference to turf, that ‘the supplier shall be a member of the Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA), to TGA quality standards’, the association can announce.

Chief Executive, Tim Mudge said: “We are pleased that the work we’ve put in over the past three years has led to the TGA being recognised as the professional body for turf supplies to the Olympic Park project. The turf was specified by the parklands design team after recommendations were made by the TGA. As a result, the contractors delivering the parklands for the Olympic Delivery Authority will know that the turf they buy has been grown to meet the specific demands of the lawn areas in the park.”

Tim Mudge represented the turf industry on the ‘Greening the Games’ committee alongside the HTA, BALI and other industry partners who had pledged their support for the campaign to showcase and achieve a lasting legacy for UK horticulture.

The TGA is the only body in the UK and Ireland dedicated to the advancement of quality turf production. One of the main reasons the association joined the Greening the Games group was to have its quality standards recognised and included by the Olympic Delivery Authority.

John Hopkins, Project Sponsor for the Parklands and Public Realm at the Olympic Delivery Authority said: “We really appreciate the support of the Turfgrass Growers Association. Contracts are currently being or about to be let for soft landscape supplies and implementation across the park and we want to work with the best”.

Superb weather, impressive demonstrations and a positive turnout have given the Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) its most successful Turf Show to date.

The biennial event was hosted by member grower Q Lawns at its turf farm near Thetford, Norfolk on 24^th June.

As well as attracting growers from across the UK, turf producers travelled from as far afield as Slovakia, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany and Italy to give the show a European boost. In total, staff from 58 grower companies attended.

Machinery demonstrations ran throughout the day covering ground preparation, netting, harvesting, mowing, vacuuming and hands-free steering tractors.

TGA members and affiliates then gathered in the evening for a gala dinner at the Menzies Hotel in Cambridge.

Feedback from the event has been unanimous in stating that there was a huge feeling of optimism amongst those attending and exhibiting.

John Bailey, UK Sales Manager of exhibitor Moffett agrees: “As normal for us as a supplier the show was a great success. It gives us the opportunity to meet with old and new customers plus allows us to showcase new products. Overall, this year’s show was well organized and laid out. One point that I picked up on was the increase in overseas visitors, which for us as a company selling worldwide makes the event even more appealing.”

TGA Chief Executive Tim Mudge praised hosts Q Lawns for the superb site and those who exhibited and attended: “The TGA is extremely proud of its unique Turf Show and the quality of exhibitors is reflected in the high number of specialist producers, their staff and affiliated companies who attended this year’s event. An added bonus is the recognition by European and Scandinavian producers that this specialist show has so much to offer.”