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Welcome to Aitkens.co.uk!

News

Richard Aitken (Seedsmen) Ltd Find A New Home!

2007 was a very busy and exciting year for all of us here at Aitkens. Our business has

continued to grow after the successful acquisition of our main competitorin Scotland, Stewarts Seedmen Ltd. 2008 is looking equally positive, with various new distribution deals in place and a variety of great new products - this year our commitment to bringing our customers the very best we can promises to be stronger than ever.

To mark that commitment and ensure that last year’s trend for good business development continues, we’ve started 2008 by relocating our Glasgow depot and investing in larger premises. We’ve still got the same enthusiastic, expert staff and we’ve kept the same phone numbers so contacting us won’t be a problem. However, these new 13,500sqft premises will bring a range of new benefits to our customers - we’ll be able to keep more stock, giving you greater choice, helping with availability and cutting delivery times. Our warehouse also has a fully compliant chemical store. The expanded office space will allow us to create dedicated training areas for our sales staff enabling us to deliver

even greater levels of expertise and even better customer service.

NEW Glasgow Depot address:

Richard Aitken (Seedsmen) Ltd
20 Robert Drive
Glasgow
G51 3HE

Tel: 0141 440 0033
Fax: 0141 440 2744

Innovative New Rootzone Launched

TurfStart™ is an innovative new rootzone system from Rufford, pre-blended with Scotts latest controlled release fertiliser technology and lignite from our Devon reserves.
Independent trials conducted by the Sports Turf Research Institute demonstrated that grass seed grown in TurfStart™ germinated considerably faster than grass grown using a conventional construction technique, produced a root mass 60% greater and increased the rate of ground cover by 60%.

Product Information Sheet

New Fungicide Launched

DEDICATE® is a new contact and systemic turf fungicide which both cures and prevents Fusarium Patch (Microdochium nivale), Red Thread (Laetisaria fuciformis), Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa), Anthracnose (Colletotrichum graminicola) and Rust (Puccinia cynodontis) in managed amenity turf, at any time of year.

DEDICATE® may be applied to turf areas which include golf courses, institutional, commercial and residential lawns, sports fields, parks, bowls and cricket pitches, municipal grounds and cemeteries.

Aitkens awarded Rufford distributorship.

Ruffords are the markets leading manufacturers of top dressings, rootzones and sands who have been supplying the trade since 1987. Ruffords were purchased by WBB Minerals with whom Aitkens sell the ProSport range and have been successful with. In recognition of this Aitkens have been given the Rufford range of products to sell as well as the existing ProSport range.

Some of the well known products sold by Ruffords are:-

Rufford No.1, No.2 & No.3 Top Dressing
Rufford 1742 Top Dressing, Rootzone & Sand
Rufford Classic Rootzone & Top Dressing

Ruffords have nine CICS Quality registered silica sand quarries across the

and have access to the finest natural materials. Central to all of this is the extensive research and development work of our in-house laboratory, a member of the USGA-PT programme (and also CICS Quality registered.)

Moneystone (OMR) Bunker Sand Is Still Available!

Contrary to some rumours being spread in the industry. Moneystone Bunker Sand (OMR) is still available and will continue to be available for the next two years.

Moneystone Bunker Sand is angular-shaped and specifically graded to prevent ball bounce or plugging. It's made from high purity silica sand which means it's chemically stable, hard wearing and also drains exceptionally well with a low crusting potential. Which is probably why it's been so popular with courses the length and breadth of the UK for the past 17 years..... and will undoubtedly remain so.

Product Specification Sheet.Pdf

NEW Contract Spraying Service

Aitkens have provided the turf manager with the best pesticides and chemicals over the years. We now offer a contract spraying service to offer the turf manager the complete package. By using fully accredited spray operators and officially approved products we offer a service second to none.

Spraying Services Offered:-

Selective Weed Control
Total Weed Control
Pest Control
Disease Control
Moss Control
Grass Growth Regulation
Sports Turf Nutrition
Aquatic Control
Invasive Weed Control
Turfgrass Amendments

Advantages Of Using Our Service:-

Professionally Approved Spray Operatives
Approved Amenity Products
Designed For Amenity Conditions
Incorporating Low Drift Technologies
Removal Of Containers
Broad Range Of Equipment
Amenity Specialist
National Coverage
Aitkens are your "One Stop Shop"

New Products

Please click on some of the links below to find out more information on some of our new products:-

Aitkens High Iron (4-0-10) - Fine turf fertiliser

Aitkens High K (4-0-24) - Fine turf fertiliser

Sierrablen Plus - The new generation of Sierrablen outfield fertiliser

Sierraform GT - An improved version of the familiar Sierraform fine turf slow release fertiliser

Terralift Quadrop - A liquid additive to improve irrigation water quality

Aitkens purchase Stewart & Company Seedsmen Ltd.

Richard Aitken (Seedsmen) Ltd has recently annonced it has purchased the Sports and Amenity Business, Stewart and Company Seedsmen Ltd. from Stewartsturf Ltd.

These two old rivals formed in 1964 and 1894 respectively have been the mainstays of the industry in Scotland for generations.

Richard Aitken said "He was delighted to have purchased Stewarts with all the connections, history and relationships involved. We can now move forward expanding the quality of service that we offer to our customers in Scotland and England"

For his part, Graeme Forbes of Stewarts said "Following our decision to concentrate on our turf growing business we have already enjoyed a successful management buyout of our contracting business. We could not have found a more appropriate buyer than Aitkens for whom we have always had great respect both for the business and the family."

ECOZONE & ECODRESS

EcoZone & EcoDress are innovative new blends of sand and green compost, ideal for use as a rootzone material or fairway / pitch dressing or fineturf construction areas. It’s easier on the environment than conventional rootzones as it utilises a sustainable organic amendment in a place of soil. Green compost provides a range of other benefits over and above soil. To begin with it has a higher organic matter content and provides more nutrients, especially nitrogen and potassium. Its microbial activity helps to suppress certain turf diseases and it can also improve water holding capacity (very useful if you’ve seen the weather forecast lately.) And finally, green compost is manufactured which means greater predictability and consistency.

Consistent quality year round
Helps suppress disease
Improves water holding capacity
Helps seed germination
Ideal for Local Authority recycling targets

Ecodress - For dressing fairways, football pitches, tees and any other non fineturf area.

Ecozone - For use in construction of fineturf rootzone playing surfaces.

EcoTop Dressing - For use as a top dressing on golf and bowling greens.

Product Leaflet .Pdf

FLEXSAND™

FLEXSAND™ is a newly developed product for use as dressing for grass where wear is a problem. The product consists of special graded silica sand coated with a proprietary kind of rubber.

FLEXSAND™ is characterised by a smooth surface based on the shape of the grains and the special type of rubber which gives a high level of flexibility.

The rubber coating is green, which blends perfectly with natural grass - an advantage for the public and on television. Environmentally, FLEXSAND™ is a big improvement as it is totally free from any pollution from heavy metals. The specialty rubber is UV-resistant and does not become hard or break down during the years of use. FLEXSAND™ eliminates dust derived from sand fracturing. It is also fire resistant, making it highly recommended as infill material for indoor arenas.

The product and the process are patented and the product name FLEXSAND™ is registered.

Increases turf life in heavy wear areas.
Good particle bulk density ensures sand falls to the soil surface.
Uniform particle size distribution.
Helps eliminate compaction.
Good drainage and aeration.
Grass recovery is much faster.
Green colour helps blend in bare areas.
Free flowing particles for ease of application.
UV - resistant.
Eliminates dust.

Product Leaflet .Pdf

Product Feature

A UNIQUE SOIL SURFACTANT FOR UNIFORM TURF WITH THE ADDED BENEFIT OF ROOT STIMULATION

Osprey is a water management product for routine and curative treatment of Dry Patch & Hydrophobic Soils that has preventative and turf reviving properties, delivering exceptional turf safety.

Once soils have developed the tendency to exhibit localised dry spot or dry patch, it
is recognised that the use of soil surfactants is the only sure way of maintaining uniform
soil moisture. Not all surfactants are the same; this is attributed to the different molecular structure of the products. Some surfactants will enable the soil to wet up quickly, they act as penetrants, getting water into the soil but often taking the water further down the soil profile than needed. The water also takes the path of least resistance, which will often leave patches of the soil untouched by the surfactant.

OSPREY is a brand new surfactant, which encourages uniform wetting of the soil profile, its molecular structure enables it to form strong and lasting bonds with hydrophobic soil particles, this is due to the molecular structure creating a strong bond between the water and the waxy coatings of the soil particles. The waxy coating is hydrophobic (Non-Polar) which repels the water. OSPREY has a Hydrophilic (Polar) water loving end and a non-polar hydrophobic end. The non-polar end attaches to the non-polar waxy coating of the soil particle, while the polar end pulls water to the surface of the soil particle. The whole soil profile returns to and remains water receptive for some time.

OSPREY is backed by university & field trials, here in the UK and USA; its exceptional ability to adhere to the soil particles ensures that its properties remain active in the root zone between routine applications during the growing season.

By maintaining uniform moist soils the whole environment is able to function at its full potential, the soil micro organisms and fungi work together with the plants root systems helping to produce uniform healthy turf. The turf is able to withstand heat stress as a result of stronger deeper rooting.

OSPREY has the added benefit of stimulating root growth. Incorporated in the chemistry is a rooting agent that encourages the development of more vigorous roots, increasing both depth & density, resulting in plants that are better able to withstand drought, absorb greater quantities of nutrients from the soil and are more wear tolerant than shallow rooted turf.

OSPREY now has an increased level of penetrant in the formulation. This has been added to improve performance for turf managers who do not routinely use a programme of surfactants. However in research it has been proven that a programmed regime works best for the plant, as the turf will not have been put under any stress in the first instance.

OSPREY offers the turf manager many significant benefits over conventional wetting agents:-

• Both preventative and increased curative properties
• Consistent moisture in the root zone
• Improved root growth and vigour
• The ability to optimise the use of water
• Reduce water loss due to evaporation and run off
• Improved drainage avoiding waterlogging
• Better soil to water and air ratio
• Dew dispersal post application
• Exceptional turf safety, non scorch
• Low water volumes required for application

OSPREY Is available in:-

Osprey Liquid
Osprey Granules
Osprey Hose End Tablets
Osprey Irrigation Tank Tablet