Online Turf's Response To Drought Conditions NEW
Friday 20th March 2012
On 5th April, seven water companies will be introducing hosepipe bans in order to try and deal with the water shortages currently prevalent in some areas of the country. Online Turf shares many of the water shortage concerns with its customers, but has some news that will please anyone looking to lay a new lawn for the summer.
There are notes in hosepipe ban regulations advising exemptions in the case of newly laid lawns. Within the UKWIR Code of Practice and Guidelines on Water Use Restrictions (report ref. No. 11/WR/33/3), there is actually an advisory note to allow hosepipe watering of newly laid lawns up to 28 days after laying:
Page 28 Under “FLEXIBILITY” it states: Exemptions and Concessions
This activity has the potential to have a commercial impact. This could extend to garden centres as well as gardening and landscape firms. Suggested exemptions/concessions include
- The watering of newly laid turf for a specified period (recommended 28 days)
These are, of course, only advisory notes, and water firms do not have to honour them. However, Tim Mudge, Chief Executive of Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) points out that: “Private consumers also need to know that they can continue to lay new lawns and establish them”. South East Water has agreed to provide an exemption for any customers with newly laid lawns to be able to water them for the first 28 days after laying the turf. Other companies have currently not issued a blanket statement, but if there is any doubt, the best advice is to telephone your water provider and ask if the exemption is in place.
Online Turf is based in Lancashire, which currently has no water restrictions. Although the company works hard to ensure responsible water use on its farm areas, this means that the turf you receive will be well looked after, and will have the lush green appearance the customer would expect, as well as having some residual damp within each roll which helps ensure safe delivery for the product.
It is also important to note that many areas are not subject to the hosepipe ban. Whilst it’s important for everyone to pull together and try to preserve water for the good of the environment, where water is plentiful there is no reason not to water a newly laid lawn - unless of course it’s raining!
“It is vital that our customers know that many areas do not have hosepipe bans in place,” said Online Turf Managing Director Ian Mercer. “As such, if they want to buy new turf this summer there should be no disincentive for this. However, established lawns do not need watering with a hosepipe even in the hottest months, so by keeping this rule in mind we can all help reduce our water usage!”
The TGA has a Twitter account to help the general public with their water and turf concerns, TGATurfandWater. Online Turf will of course be on hand to offer advice to any turf customers who want to reduce their water usage and still make sure that they have a great lawn.
For more information on your local water company, visit here: http://www.water.org.uk/home/resources-and-links/links/water-operators
Posted by Colleen Cheetham-Gerrard
Easter and Royal Wedding Turf Delivery Days
Monday 28th March 2011
As the Easter break approaches with the extra bank holiday for the royal wedding we thought it would be helpful to confirm delivery dates at the end of April and early May:
Saturday 23rd April
Wednesday 27th April
Thursday 28th April
Saturday 30th April
Wednesday 4th May
Please be aware that for deliveries on Saturday 23rd April orders need to be placed before 1pm Thursday 21st and for deliveries on Saturday 30th April orders need to be placed before 1pm Thursday 28th. We are expecting a large number of orders during this time and have enlisted the help of extra vehicles to ensure all of our deliveries reach customers on time.
To buy turf or take an online quote click here
Posted by Kate H.McGreal
Seedbed Preparation
Thursday 3rd February 2011
The key to laying turf successfully is ground preparation and it is exactly the same for seeding turf. On our nursery in Lancashire we sow hundreds of acres every year which takes a huge amount of ground preparation. Every time before new turf is sown we must plough the field. Ploughing ensures that fresh nutrients are brought to the surface and any remnants of the previous crop a deeply buried so that they can be broken down.
A ploughed field needs a considerable amount of working to flatten and compact it sufficiently to seed for a turf crop. Normally this takes several passes with a power harrow which is a time consuming process. However, we have arranged a demonstration of a French made machine called a Lemken Kompaktor, is five meters wide and features an additional front press which is coming to the farm this March. We have high hopes that this machine be a great asset to our turf production.
Posted by Rodney Riley
Mower maintenance
Wednesday 2nd February 2011
We are getting ready ourselves this week for the mowing season. Keeping our nursery mown during the growing season is a major undertaking and requires that our machines run for more than 10 hours a day when the weather is fit. As you’d imagine all of our mowers are tractor implements. Each of our tractors is fitted with special tyres to help spread the load and avoid causing unnecessary damage.
We have three x 11 gang mowers, two x 3 gang mowers and a nine gang mower. All of them will be going through the workshop this week having their blades sharpened and any difficult to get at bearings greased.
Our turf vacuum will be in the workshop next week. We use it to clear any excess clippings helping to avoid the build up of thatch that can occur if they are left.
Posted by Rodney Riley
Turf quality update
Tuesday 1st February 2011
Our turf is looking fresh, green and strong - a product that we can be really proud of. Given the harshness of the winter we have just had this is very encouraging and we are looking forward to the year ahead.
Although it is still very early in the year with mild weather set to continue it is not a bad time to get back into the garden to carry out repairs to your lawn using turf. It is still a little early if you are planning to use grass seed in your garden however - we suggest waiting another couple of months.
Posted by Rodney Riley
Getting ready for the spring
Friday 28th January 2011
As we approach the lighter days of February, you may be wondering what the next steps are to ensure your turf regains its green and luscious appearance over the coming months. Although it may look as though your lawn could benefit from some attention, don’t be tempted to feed it just yet. It is best to keep lawn maintenance to a minimum at this time by simply ensuring any leaves and debris are removed from the area and keeping off the turf should it become frozen or waterlogged. If your turf needs reseeding, it is best to wait until about April after growth of the turf has been stimulated and you have begun to mow your lawn once again.
Whilst there may be little you can do for your lawn at the moment and the days of getting back to maintaining its luscious appearance lie ahead of you, now is the best time to devote a few spare hours to looking after your lawnmower. It is an ideal opportunity to change the oil, clean the air filters and replace the blades if necessary. Once the better weather arrives, and with it the chance to resume your mowing routine, you will then be ready and raring to go.
Should you wish to lay turf at this time of year it is safe to so and our turf is available for purchase.
Posted by Gemma Smith
Happy New Year!
Monday 24th January 2011
After one of the hardest Decembers in living memory we are back in the business of cutting and supplying turf. Extremely cold weather is the only thing that brings our harvesting operation to a grinding halt; if the ground is frozen solid or buried under a layer of snow it becomes impossible to lift the turf.
However, the enforced break gave us a great opportunity to service our harvesters ready for the coming spring which is always a busy time! Cultivated turf survives the cold winters well and now the snow and ice have cleared away we can see that it still looks just as lush, dark green and strong as it did before November.
If you are looking for things to do around your garden now is a good time to ensure your lawn mower is serviced and ready to go as soon as the grass starts growing again.