TOP DRESSING
Delivering the magic combination
he unique blend of cultivars in
T Johnsons Sports Seeds J Tee mixture is delivering the magic combination of rapid establishment and high wear tolerance required at Cardiff ’ s Wenvoe Castle Golf Club . Head Greenkeeper Lucy Sellick cites the small tees and the sustained high levels of play as a major maintenance challenge , overcome with this mix incorporating tetraploids and a little extra spring ‘ kickstart ’ with DLF ’ s ProNitro ® seed coating .
A team of four assists Lucy with the maintenance of the 18-hole parkland course , labelled as ‘ one of the finest challenges of golf in Wales ’. “ The big challenge for us is finding seed that can germinate and establish quick enough to cope with the high number of rounds ! I ’ ve been greenkeeping for a long time , and for our site , I ’ m yet to find anything that can compete with the establishment and consistency we get with the Johnsons mixtures .”
Johnsons J Tee incorporates 40 % tetraploid ryegrass , in the form of Fabian and Tetragame , delivering significantly improved disease tolerance , shoot density and recovery , even under close mown conditions . It also incorporates Sabrena RSMG – which germinates like a ryegrass , has the fine leaf and density of a bent grass and delivers outstanding wear tolerance , even in shady conditions . “ We ’ ve been using J Tee for the last few years now and continue to see germination in under two weeks , even in the cooler conditions with the J Nitro Tee option .” Featuring both fast and slow-release nitrogen , ProNitro improves nutrient utilisation during the early stages of plant growth for each developing seedling .
“ We sow J Nitro Tee at the start of the season , when everything is a bit slower to give the seed a bit of a head start . We then switch to the regular J Tee in the middle of the season , and have achieved fantastic results .” Lucy adds , “ We also use Johnsons J All Bent on our greens which , again , is great for high wear tolerance . The high wear areas around the perimeters of the greens are predominately Poa , but the combination of Arrowtown and Manor outcompetes that and helps us to achieve faster greens with improved disease resistance .”
“ Another great thing about the Johnsons range from DLF is the fact that it ’ s backed by science . You know that behind every formulation are years of research and trials which for me is a big advantage .” She concludes , “ The team , including my Regional Technical Manager Ian Barnett , are always on hand with the latest information and findings which reassures me that I ’ m always making the right choice .”
www . johnsonssportsseed . co . uk
GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | May 2022 13