When considering grass seed cultivars or mixtures, Horse racing provides a unique set of challenges. In contrast to golf and football, where fineness of leaf are top of the list, racecourse managers will require mixtures that offer fast establishment, greater density, good wear tolerance and rapid recovery. DLF’s Northern Regional Technical Manager John Hughes looks at the recent development in ryegrass technology and how tetraploids are becoming the number one choice for the renovation and repair of natural and hybrid grass surfaces.

In Russia's top football stadiums, the grass is growing. Across the world the fans are waiting. The countdown has begun. When the referee blows the starting whistle on the opening game, the world will discover the strength and resilience of DLF's latest turf varieties.

Five grass varieties from DLF Seeds have been added to the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists for 2018/19

The inaugural Turf Business summit will be a unique event, like no other before in the turf industry. Here we will bring together 50 elite turfcare professionals to the home of one of the most iconic teams in world sport, Real Madrid.

The challenging weather of 2017 has left a legacy of unsown autumn reseeds and badly damaged grassland on many farms creating potentially serious shortages of forage acres in 2018.

New for 2018 from the Masterline range are 3 exciting new ‘Colour Boost’ flower mixture formulations designed to create enhanced, attractive amenity spaces. Available in the UK through DLF Seeds, the range also provides an essential food source and habitat for many species of animals and invertebrates, especially pollenating insects.

While winter still sends its cold breath across Northern Europe, the countdown for this summer’s world-class football in Russia continues. Among pitch managers and chief groundsmen, expectations for perfect tournament pitches are sky high. The organisers, the players, and billions of football fans across the world expect nothing less than beautifully green and hard-wearing grass; the groundsmen will do their utmost to make it happen.

British Groundsmen In Europe: Amid the spending spree since Qatar Sports Investments bought Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, the signing of a 35-year-old Northern Irishman might not have made many headlines but he arrived to huge promises from the club’s owners.

The recent institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards ceremony at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham hosted by talkSPORT radio presenter Mark Saggers, saw DLF’s Derek Smith and Alan Prickett from Ransomes present the Groundsman of the Year Award in front of an audience of almost 700 of the UK’s and Europe’s leading groundscare experts, as well as dignitaries from the governing bodies of sport and influential sports administrators.

Seed producers in northern Europe had a mixed season. Early spring was good all round and in Denmark the good growing weather lasted till harvest. Unfortunately the weather broke in Denmark just as the harvest began. An unstable mixture of sunshine and rain made harvesting difficult. In the Netherlands the latter part of the growing season was very dry, resulting in a low filling of seeds.

Farmers who are getting ready to drill oilseed rape should consider using less expensive conventional varieties to increase the seed rate and counter establishment challenges.

We are excited to be talking about maximising energy outputs at the UK AD & Biogas and World Biogas Expo 2017!

Sean McLean, Links Superintendent at Princes Golf Club, has months of careful preparation ahead of him. June 2017 sees his club join with Royal St Georges to host the 122nd Amateur Championships once again this year. Whilst Sean admits he likes to trial new products, he intends to rely on Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures for his course preparation.

Beaufort Polo Club in Tetbury is the foremost centre for the development of Polo in the Cotswolds. With 90 acres of fields and grassed areas and just a small team around him, Head Groundsman Wlodek Sterkowicz needs a maintenance regime that’s simple but that can cope with the demanding conditions that Polo brings. It all starts with the right grass seed, and for this Wlodek turns to DLF cultivars.

Kingsdown Golf Club in Wiltshire recently took the initiative to show children from a local primary school how environmental stewardship, sports turf management and the game of golf are positively linked. Tom Freeman, Deputy Course Manager, coordinated the event and was supported by DLF Seeds who donated wildflower seed for the children to sow around the course.

DLF Seeds are proud to support the BGS Grassland Farmer of the Year competition and events

We hope to see you all there

Together with some key distributors and customers, DLF Seeds recently hosted a groundsmens trip to the Emirates Stadium in London. Delegates were treated to a stadium tour, a look around the maintenance sheds and discussed how the Johnsons J Premier Pitch mixture has played a fundamental role in the recent re-build of the stadium pitch and the results it has already delivered.