TOPDRESSING
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This switch has given us everything we want in terms of performance , but more than that , has moved us towards a lower input sward which is more sustainable to manage .
droughts experienced in the UK , in the summer of 2022 !
“ We opted to switch from the 100 % diploid perennial ryegrass mix to Johnsons J 4Turf 50 , sown in May 2022 , and we couldn ’ t have been more impressed with the results .” J 4Turf 50 incorporates 4turf ® tetraploid perennial ryegrass , a larger seed with higher energy reserves to deliver deeper rooting , better establishing plants – including in cooler temperatures – with enhanced colour , disease resistance and drought tolerance . The 2023 formulation contains 50 % 4turf ® tetraploid rye and 50 % diploid perennial ryegrass .
“ The J 4Turf 50 established well before the hot conditions arrived . We were limited on how much water we could get onto the pitches and were thinking we would need to do a lot of recovery work ahead of the new season , however after the rain returned , the pitches recovered amazingly ! We didn ’ t need to do any additional overseeding or fertilising , we relied on mother nature and the seed to do what it promised it would , and it did exactly that .”
Pete continues , “ As the season progressed , the J 4Turf 50 coped with the high wear , recovered fast and remained strong enough that we saw no disease activity at all last year . In fact the pitches looked so good , we were able to wait until after Christmas to put a feed down .” He adds , “ This switch has given us everything we want in terms of performance , but more than that , has moved us towards a lower input sward which is more sustainable to manage .”
www . johnsonssportsseed . co . uk
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GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | March / April 2023 45