Vitax Amenity

TESTS NO TRIAL FOR AWARD WINNING FERTILISERS

Posted on May 17th, 2011

Since the launch of Vitax Amenity’s award winning Enhance R range of four-in-one fertilisers, Greenkeepers, Groundsmen and Local Authorities from across the U.K. have been putting the products to work with encouraging results.

Stuart Mottershaw, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor at Burbage Parish Council, the second biggest parish in the country, has had a problem with his main football pitch ever since he took over in 2007. “We had the pitch professionally drained but were left with very sandy soil which didn’t keep its nutrients,” he said.

Then, 18 months ago, with help from Vitax Amenity’s Andy Gurney, Stuart had soil samples taken which were sent away for analysis.

“The results showed that the pitch was deficient in almost all the trace elements and Vitax advised on how we could overcome this problem,” said Stuart. “We applied a selected Vitax fertiliser and then, in a separate application, applied Amino-Sorb bio-stimulant with great results.

“However, when Vitax launched Enhance R, the four-in-one fertiliser incorporating Amino-Sorb, we trialled its autumn/winter formulation. We immediately saved time and money because we able to combine two applications in one and the reduced application rates for Enhance R, means that it comes in smaller, 20 kilo bags which are easier to handle and save us storage space.”

Proof that the product had worked came from an elderly resident who had been instrumental in setting up the football club in the 1980s. “He stopped me and said he’d never seen the pitch looking as good,” Stuart recalls. “Now all the teams want to play on this pitch all the time.”

Further North, at West Bradford Golf Club, Head Greenkeeper Robert Cleisham applied Enhance R autumn/winter formulation to his greens last October, attracted by the 25% reduction in the application rates, (compared with parallel products) and the financial saving involved.

Although he feels that the fertiliser has not been given a fair trial due to the amount of chemical that was already present in the root zone, he was happy with the longevity of the product and found the colour of the sward superb. His greens also came out of winter free from disease, although he did still give the greens one application of fungicide. Robert is planning to use Enhance R again this year.

Tommy Cumming, Head Groundsman at Inverness Caley Thistle F.C. and winner of the IOG’s Scottish Football Groundsman of the Year, found himself with a pitch suffering the aftermath of a Rod Stewart concert held on July 15 which had attracted around 19,000 fans, which was closely followed by two pre-season friendlies and a cup tie.

“I was looking for a bit of colour and growth and nothing was happening,” he said. “Our first home league game against Celtic was coming up on the August14 and the pitch wasn’t reacting the way it should.”
Working with Douglas Hart of Terra Firma (Scotland), one of Vitax Amenity’s distributors, Tommy applied Enhance R autumn/winter formulation around the first week of August and got the response he needed.

“I got a quick reaction with an increase in both colour and growth,” he said “I’m happy with Enhance R and I’ll continue to use the product.”

VITAX SUPATURF HAS BIG PLANS FOR SALTEX

Posted on April 18th, 2011

Vitax returns to Saltex this year on the biggest stand it has ever had with the company’s Supaturf division planning to unveil a host of new products at the show.

Mike King, Vitax’s Sales and Marketing Manager says that as Saltex attracts both greenkeepers, groundsmen and a lot of Local Authorities it provides the ideal launch pad for the new products.

“The stand, which occupies a substantial 100 sq metres, will allow us to display all the products more effectively and enable visitors to get up close to the machines,” said Mike.

“Our new Briteliner Arrow transfer wheel line marker has already met with a very enthusiastic response and we need room to show it to its best advantage,” he continued. “It will be featured on the stand together with our ranges of line marking and fertiliser spreading equipment plus the new products, which we are keeping a closely guarded secret until nearer the show.”

A tradition for innovation

Posted on March 30th, 2011

While Vitax can trace its history back over 100 years, it has for the past 60 years been a highly successful, family-owned business and, as these pictures of some of the earliest pedestrian-operated sprayers demonstrate, the family has always had a hands-on role in running the business.

The family involvement started with Frank Henry Gooding, a chemist by training who, during the 1940s developed a passion for both tomato growing and the using chemicals to help increase crop yields. He put his private passion to practical use by joining Synchemicals, a business set up to develop horticultural chemicals and, by the end of the decade, he owned the business.

Synchemicals, which changed its name to Vitax Ltd after it acquired this business in 1988, continued to expand and develop under Frank Henry’s leadership and he was joined in the business in the 1950s by both his sons, Frank Brian and Douglas, with the former taking charge of finance and sales and the latter production and technical matters.

Through the 50s, 60s and 70s the company continued to expand its portfolio of products, through both in house developments and by acquiring other businesses and, in addition to chemicals and fertilisers, it looked for innovative ways to apply them.

These pictures, discovered recently in the company archives, show both sons demonstrating some of the earliest, pioneering forms of pedestrian sprayers at fine turf shows in the 1950s. The first picture shows Frank Brian Gooding with a very early model of a pressurised sprayer taken at Hurlingham Golf Club in the early 50s, while the second picture shows Douglas Gooding introducing later and much more sophisticated models at the Windsor Show.

Today, the family tradition is continued by Frank Brian’s son Paul Gooding, , the current Chairman of Vitax. “The ethos of the company built by my grandfather, father and uncle, was to develop products that would meet the needs of both the home and garden and professional market places.

“The ethos remains the same today and Vitax is continually developing products, such as the new Briteliner Arrow, that meet and exceed the expectations of our customers.”

Spring Maintenance Tips from Bill Riley

Posted on March 30th, 2011

Spring Maintenance Tips from Bill Riley, BSc Hons. Dip Geoscience.
Technical Manager for Vitax Amenity

Heavy demands are put on sports turf, be that on a football pitch or heavily used golf green. The turf must have reliable foundations from which anchorage, water, air and nutrients are supplied. These foundations are built from the growing media, soil or other material, the turf structure, particularly by the roots and perenniating meristems and by your management of the root-zone and crown by aeration, scarification, mowing, irrigation and nutrient inputs. No product or products can replace good turf maintenance carried out at the correct time. Good top dressing, fertilisers, wetting agents and pesticides are your essential tools.

Vitax have recently developed a new range of novel turf nutrient packages that take a step beyond fertiliser alone by combining conventional and organic nutrients with the added benefits of Amino-Sorb R, beneficial bacteria, plant vitamins and enhanced trace elements into one homogeneous mini-granular product. The Vitax Enhance range of products encourage deep, strong, stress and disease-resistant rooting, firm wear resistant leaf blades and compact overall growth with good colour. Vitax Enhance are conventional fertilisers with organic content providing a reserve of nutrients to carry over nutrient availability between applications avoiding peaks and troughs. Three Vitax Enhance products cover early spring to late autumn turf needs. All contain the Vitax Enhance added benefits with NPF variations to meet seasonal and weather needs. Vitax Enhance Prime, 5+0+10+4+2MgO+TE, contains low nitrogen content, zero phosphate and higher potassium to produce strong growth early in the season from the first application. Vitax Enhance Spring, 15+2+8+2MgO+TE, follows the Prime application to give more nitrogen to support growth as weather improves, provide low phosphate supply to service the energy transfer needs of the turf and moderate potassium to regular water uptake and sugar transport in the turf. In later, and at any time when firmer growth is needed, Vitax Enhance Autumn, 5+2+15+2MgO+TE can be deployed to maintain sward colour and health.

Vitax Enhance are homogeneous, micro-granular fertilisers ensuring even distribution of all nutrients at low application rates with reduced scorch risk. The even distribution permits low dose rates without speckling. The added benefits of Amino-Sorb R and beneficial protective bacteria permit 25% lower rates than is normal practice with still excellent performance. This saves cost and reduces fertiliser run-off. The low application rate is possible through the actions of both the amino acids and bacillus bacteria in Vitax Enhance. Amino-Sorb R enhances root length and root mass improving water and nutrient capture. Seed germination is improved in repaired areas and new seeding. Fungicides are able to have maximum efficacy. Discolouration is reduced when plant growth regulators are applied to turf. The bacillus bacteria naturally maintain root efficiency by re-cycling root exudates and blocking the approach of pathogens to the root. Enhanced zinc and iron levels in the trace element package harden and strengthen the turf giving maximum resistance to wear and stress. It is time to move on from fertiliser alone to growth enhancing products that really give far more.

Vitax Amenity plans a show double

Posted on March 3rd, 2011

Vitax Amenity has announced plans to exhibit at two forthcoming trade events.

The first is the Midlands Turf Management Show to be held at the Izaak Walton Golf Club at Cold Norton, Stone, Staffs on the 18th May. In addition to visiting the stand visitors will also be able to see live demonstrations of Supaturf linemarking machines and spreaders.

The second is IOG Saltex, to be held at Windsor Racecourse from September 6 – 8. Full details of the company’s plans for the show will be announced nearer the date.

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