FAQs

General

1. I have a very low budget for turf maintenance, what can The Great Turf Company do to help?
   The good news is that our products and service packages can actually help organisations to save money. Our natural solutions are focussed on reducing the costs of managing turfgrass surfaces. For example, our treatments and products vastly reduce the need for expensive fungicides. Also, our nutrient programmes do away with the need for costly synthetic fertilisers.
2. My organisation is not part of any of the industries mentioned on this site, am I still eligible to use The Great Turf Company’s products and services?
   Yes, The Great Turf Company can provide natural turf care solutions to any sector. As long as you have turf (no matter what grass type, quality or area) or you are planning to lay turf, we can treat it, or advise you and help you to manage and maintain it.

Consultancy

1. What areas of turfgrass management does The Great Turf Company consult on?
   All and any. Golf courses, rugby and football pitches, bowling greens and cricket, and from domestic lawns to large estates. We can provide a service for any turfgrass area.
2. I understand the benefits of natural turf care but my staff are not convinced, how can The Great Turf Company help?
   The Great Turf Company Directors, Andrew Turnbull and Ian MacMillan, both have extensive experience in lecturing on agronomy and providing work-based training and education on turf care and the science of grass. Both are well placed to incorporate education and training on Natural Turf Care as part of our Consultancy package, so that employees understand the benefits and are committed to the project.
3. Besides visible results on my turf, how will I know how effective the consultancy programme has been?
   As part of our Consultancy packages we take initial measurements to determine the current condition of your turf and soil, and then will continue to measure and monitor changes to these conditions over the duration of our service. We use 2-dimensional colour charts of geo-referenced data to provide a powerful visual image of variability across the site. This process of continuous monitoring enables our clients to see proven results from the treatments, services and advice we provide. Coupled with our range of environmentally friendly natural turf care solutions, our technological approach to turf analysis is what provides us with a competitive edge in soil management; our clients benefit from accurate data and results that they can see for themselves.

Products

Carbohydrate Nutrition Products:

1. Where can I use The Great Turf Company’s Products?
   They can be used on any turfgrass surfaces – golf courses, football and rugby pitches, cricket fields, bowling greens, lawns… the list goes on.
2. Can I replace my granular fertiliser?
   Yes. If you follow our recommendations for using our products you will see a significant reduction in the amount of synthetic fertiliser you need to apply to your turfgrass surfaces, and often even eliminating the need for it. The reductions will depend on the grass species, quality of surface, usage, size, and level of improvement that is required.
3. What will happen if I overdose the quantities?
   You cannot overdose if the products are mixed with water to the correct rates. If you spill any concentrate on turf, your grass will not be harmed if you remove as much as possible and water in any excess. What could happen, however, is that the soil microbes will go into a frenzy and feed on the carbohydrate alone: no nutrients will be mineralised and ammonia gas will be released.
4. When is the best time of year to spray carbohydrates?
   You can apply MolTurf at anytime of the year. However, avoid applying in frost, frozen ground, heat or drought stressed soils. MolTurf is best used in autumn, before turf renovations and cold weather, and in spring, before spring renovations and summer heat. Apply between these periods at reduced rates to maintain plant carbohydrate levels.

The Varietas System (Compost Tea)

1. What is Compost Tea?
   Compost tea is a water solution containing high concentrates of beneficial soil microbes. It is produced by extracting suspending good quality compost in water and aerating with a pump.
2. How does Compost Tea work?
   Compost Tea inoculates your turf with billions of beneficial microbes. Altering the brewing time and frequency provides different ranges of microbes for nutrition and disease protection benefits. The soil microbes provide a range of nutrients to the turf with the added benefit of naturally produced growth auxins.
3. What are the benefits of using Compost Tea on my turf?
   Compost Tea produces a range of benefits related to the vigour and health of turf.  Cost benefits are seen with a reduction, or even elimination, of the use of fungicides and reduction in the use of fertilisers. The risk to users of the turf from harm related to pesticides and synthetic fertilisers are vastly reduced, and also to turf practitioners who will not have to be exposed to pesticides.

Services

1. Do the services come as part of a package or are they sold as individual jobs?
   We can both supply services on a job-by-job basis or we can offer complete service packages – it just depends on your turf requirements. All our services are entirely bespoke for individual clients.
2. Does The Great Turf Company supply the equipment required for the job?
   Yes, we have a full range of top quality equipment as well as skilled operators ready to renovate your turf.
3. Who carries out the services?
   We can supply equipment with an operator who will work with your staff, or we can carry out all the required work. We have a fully skilled workforce, including experienced greenkeepers and groundsmen, ready to transform your turf.
4. My organisation has already employed groundsmen, can The Great Turf Company help to improve their productivity?
   Yes, we can work with your staff to educate and train them on Natural Turf Care principles and practices, so they understand the benefits and are committed to the project.
5. Besides visible results, how will I know how effective the work has been?
   The latest addition to our service offerings involves the use of state-of-the-art turf analysis technology which we use to take initial measurements to determine the current condition of your turf and soil, and then will continue to measure and monitor changes to these conditions over the duration of our service. We use 2-dimensional colour charts of geo-referenced data to provide a powerful visual image of variability across the site. This means you can see for yourself the amazing transformation brought about by our services.

Policies and Procedures

1. What procedures does The Great Turf Company have for quality control?
   The Great Turf Company operates a Quality Management System in line with the requirements of ISO 9001, demonstrating our continued commitment to customer satisfaction.
2. Does The Great Turf Company have an Environmental Policy?
   Yes, we are 100% committed to being environmentally friendly. We have been operating an Environmental Management System for the past six months and we are working towards achieving ISO 14001. Click here to view our Environmental Policy.