Why it’s important to clear a golf course of fallen leaves
By Alistair
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Your course is a living organism that requires both air and sunlight to create food and grow.
Therefore dealing with the fallen leaves is of vital importance. Allowing thick piles of leaves to gather on your course will not only prevent sunlight from reaching the surface, it creates a micro-environment which is warm, dark and damp and conducive to disease occurrence.
When the ground is softer, it is important to avoid excess contact with the sward which will only further enhance stress and potential damage. Equipment from the Trilo range of blowers and collectors can provide greenkeepers with the tools for effectively dealing with fallen leaves.
A Trilo blower, such as the B7, is a lightweight yet effective method which can be used to move the leaves to an area off the course. The B7 leaf blower is a compact, low weight blower with a large capacity, suitable for tractors from 30hp.
The gauge wheels and anti-scalp roller ensure the blower follows any contours of the soil perfectly to prevent damage to your spout and turf. The reverse spout (standard on the B7A-version) can be hydraulically operated from the driver’s seat. By setting the spout downward, the B7 will clean both sides of the path simultaneously.
The risk with using a blower independently is that any wind may blow the leaves back onto the course, which is obviously not ideal. Once cleared to a surrounding area, a heavier vacuum collector such as the Trilo S3 can then be used, without causing damage to the surface. The S3 vacuum sweeper is a versatile and adaptable machine to easily collect leaves as well as grass clippings and litter, and finds a natural home on the golf course.
Designed in direct response to industry demands for a lightweight unit, it works at a respectable 1.5m wide and weighs only 1200kg meaning it only needs a mid-range 35hp+ compact tractor. The vacuums power is provided by a 700mm, 4-bladed fan which lifts the material, which is then removed and collected into a 3m3 hopper. This can be emptied via a 1.6m high tip facility. The S3 also features a 5m long, 200mm diameter wander hose to allow for easy cleaning of confined or restricted areas such as bunkers, shrubberies or refuse bins.
Over at Northenden Golf Club, course manager Robert Cleisham calls their Trilo S3 a ‘revelation’, making the job of leaf collection a task which his team now enjoy. “Seeing the improved course presentation once the leaves are collected is quite rewarding” says Robert.
“The wander hose is particularly useful for getting down into the ditches, taking even wet leaves easily in its stride. Thanks to the S3, the job of clearing long stretches of ditch, which used to take the best part of a day now takes just an hour or two.”
By Alistair
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