Sand Mick Higgins Technical Sales Manager Gresskurs Seminar 11th January 2015 Mick Higgins Technical Sales Manager Sports & Leisure (Northern Europe) mick.higgins@sibelco.com

Mick Higgins 1979 - Engineering / metal fabrication / foundry 1989 - Technical and Quality Manager (Competitor sand quarry) Introduced “Dunlop Sports Sands” in UK 1997 - Technical and Quality Manager (Rufford) 2001 - Technical Manager Sports & Leisure (Sibelco) UK 2014 - Technical Manager Sports & Leisure (Sibelco) N Europe Russia – Australia – USA – Brazil – Asia ….

Selection of rebuild projects UK St Andrews – (Castle Course) St Andrews Bay Loch Lomond The Belfry Queenwood Wentworth (West Course) Royal Mid Surrey St Mellion Long Ashton Roehampton Astbury Hall Okehampton

Selection of rebuild projects UK Manchester United FC – (Old Trafford) – main pitch and training facility Manchester City FC – (Etihad Stadium) - main pitch and new +£250M training facility Arsenal FC – (Emirates Stadium) – main pitch and training facility Wembley Stadium - main pitch London Olympics 2012 Twickenham RFU – main pitch Milton Keynes FC – (MK Dons) - main pitch Burnley FC – (Turf Moor) - main pitch Aston Villa FC – (Villa Park) main pitch and training facility Huddersfield Town FC – (John Smiths’s Stadium) main pitch West Bromwich Albion FC – (The Hawthorns) main pitch and training facility Leicester City FC – (King Power Stadium) main pitch Tottenham Hotspur FC – (White Hart Lane) - main pitch + Training facility Chelsea FC (Stamford Bridge) – Main pitch and Cobham training facility Newcastle United FC - training pitches Everton FC – (Goodison Park) main pitch and training pitches Liverpool FC - training pitches QPR FC – (Loftus Road) – main pitch and training facility Hamilton Academical FC – (New Douglas Park) main pitch Celtic FC – (Celtic Park) main pitch Rangers FC – (Ibrox Stadium) main pitch Hull Kingston Rovers – (Craven Park Stadium) main pitch

230 Sibelco manufacturing sites worldwide

Sands are not all the same

Sand

Sand Beer glass / beer bottle / windows Bricks Concrete Cement manufacture Roads (Asphalt) Airport runways Foundry (metal casting) Water filtration Electrical cables Fibreglass Insulation Paint Toothpaste Train and trams Oil and gas extraction Sports & Leisure

What is sand? Inorganic mineral fraction 2.0mm and 0.063mm (irrespective of mineral composition) 2.0mm and 0.063mm Gravel > 2.0mm Sand < 2.0mm and > 0.063mm Silt < 0.063mm and > 0.001mm Clay < 0.001mm Specification = 0 - 2mm ?

Sand, silt and clay Sand (2.0mm - 0.063mm) Increasing sand content can : Reduce water retention, increases water movement, help in achieving firm stable surface and reduce compaction Silt (0.063mm - 0.001mm) Increasing silt content can : Increase water retention, reduce water movement and increase compaction Clay (< 0.001mm) Increasing clay content can : Greatly increase water retention, severely reduce water movement and increase compaction

Sand grains under a microscope

Sand grains under a microscope

Grain shape

Particle Size Distribution Analysis Category size (mm) Very coarse sand + 1.000mm Coarse sand 0.500 - 1.000mm Medium sand 0.250 - 0.500mm Fine sand 0.125 - 0.250mm (150-250) Very fine sand 0.063 - 0.125mm (0.053-0.150) Silt/clay - 0.063mm (0.053) If sample contains clay and/or organic material then it must be washed before sieving

Sand grain sizes Reducing diameter by half reduces volume by 8 times

Finer particles control performance The pore spaces are all connected to form tunnels or channels It is these channels which allow water and air to move through a rootzone

Sand particle distribution uniform distribution mixed particle distribution This can be measured using “D” Values Lower values = more uniform

D Value D90 = 0.440mm D10 = 0.187mm D90/D10 = 2.4

Number of sand particles in 1g category size particles Very coarse sand 1.000mm 90 Coarse sand 0.500mm 720 Medium sand 0.250mm 5,700 Fine sand 0.125mm 46,000 Very fine sand 0.063mm 722,000 Silt 0.002mm 5,766,000 Clay < 0.002mm 90,260,853,000

Porosity (volume of space between particles) Which has the highest porosity? Gravel Fine Sand

Importance of porosity size Macropores (>75 microns) air-filled Micropores (<75 microns) water-filled It is important to have the correct balance of air filled to water filled porosity Grain size and particle distribution will dictate pore size

Golf putting green rootzones

What is the ideal rootzone mix ? 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, USGA ?? Coarse Sand, Medium Sand, etc… Physical properties to meet expectations Maintenance budgets Compatibility / consistency Other amendments…

Golf Putting Green - Rootzone Construction method - gravel carpet - drain lines USGA Rootzone Alternative Rootzone mixes Types of organic amendment - Peat - Compost - Soil

Importance of correct pH pH range 1 to 14 - below 7 is acidic - above 7 is alkaline - 7 is neutral Microbial activity is reduced when pH is outside “ideal range” for fine turf - approx 5.5 - 7.0 Thatch will take longer to breakdown if pH is outside ideal range Most common turf diseases are more active at higher pH levels - Take-all Patch Disease (Gaeumannomyces graminis) - Fusarium Patch Disease (Microdochium nivale) Lime (Calcium) will increase pH Plant nutrient availability is affected by pH

pH and nutrient availability

Summary The smaller the pore size the more tightly water is held Reduction in rootzone depth increases water filled porosity at the surface It is the grain size and distribution of sizes which effects the porosity Compaction reduces pore size Blend ratio should not be relied upon to determine suitability for use Proper maintenance is essential A typical USGA golf green can hold over 60 tonnes of water when saturated