Aitkens has helped to improve the greens at Barnsley Bowls Club with a tailored cost effective programme that has strengthened the sward and tackled the issues of dry patch and weak turf colour.
The two bowling greens are under the stewardship of head greenkeeper, Eric Phillips, and sit within the Shaw Lane Sports Complex in Barnsley, which also hosts athletics, archery, cricket, rugby, hockey and other sports.
Both bowling greens are currently treated with Award Ultima fertiliser, Award Nutri-Pro, Surf To Turf liquid fertiliser, Award Osprey Active and Blade 2 grass seed. Both greens have vastly improved since the regime was implemented, drawing praise from home and away players alike.
The combination of fertilisers – both liquid and granular – grass seed and wetting agents has tackled the issues Eric faced, with the head greenkeeper of ten years previously not happy with the condition of the greens. Aitkens sales manager Peter Fell was on hand to advise the best route forward and together they have turned the bowling greens around.
“The greens looked weak and the colour wasn’t strong, which is something I was very keen to address,” Eric explained.
“We also had some bare patches where the grass wasn’t growing because of dry patch, so it was important that when Peter was here we talked through how we were going to sort out these issues.
“We built up the programme by addressing the main areas, like using the Osprey Active wetting agent for the dry patch, and we’ve had a lot of success. Opposition teams love coming here and are very complimentary because the grass cover is strong and they are both great greens to play on.”
Eric’s use of the Award Osprey Active wetting agent addressed the dry patch issue by forming strong bonds with hydrophobic soil particles and allowing moisture back into the rootzone. The Amino Acid package has provided the conditions for improved seed germination, root development and vigour, whilst helping to prevent stress associated with heat and drought.
Peter’s recommendation to use the Award Ultima fertiliser, Surf To Turf liquid fertiliser and Blade 2 grass seed was based on the primary aims of making the turf more durable whilst bringing back a strong colour.
The outlined objectives had to be met whilst also considering the budget at hand. To that end Eric was very pleased with the precise nature of the suggestions made, and the ground work put in that ensured he would get the results with his available budget.
“Peter is very thorough in his approach and incorporates quantitative measures, such as soil samples, so he can give specific advice on what we need.”
“That side of it is very important for us because of costs. We wanted a top quality programme that we could sustain, and Aitkens has provided us with that.
“Being able to tailor a regime of products that really works on our budget only comes from working closely with Peter. He has a great knowledge of the products and knows exactly what they can do.”
