The production and maintenance of high quality sportsturf is an area that has seen a huge increase in research and technology in recent years. Gone are the days when television pictures showed football teams playing in a mud bath in the winter months.

Sport has invested considerably in high-level research, resulting in new pitch constructions, speciality root-zones, dedicated seed mixes and proven maintenance regimes

Technology has been developed to not only make the life of a groundsman easier (some would argue that a miracle would be required for that) but more importantly to make his hard work even more effective.

AQUAFLEX is a new breed of turf management tools.

AQUAFLEX sensors installed in the root zone of a sports pitch provide the groundsman with up to the minute information about the conditions in the rootzone.

Often a groundsman is being pulled in a number of directions as he determines the correct course of action for a particular situation.
He must ensure that the grass receives sufficient irrigation for healthy plant growth but at the same time has to control this to ensure the roots continue to penetrate deep into the ground in order to provide the lateral stability that is required to withstand to forces of player's boots.
And in inclement weather, the pitch drainage system must be able to cope with the worst-case scenarios. (Which is quite a feat in the UK!)

Whilst caring for the needs of the plant, the groundsman must have in mind the requirements of the team manager, many of whom demand that water is sprayed on the pitch shortly before the start of a game in order to create a "slick" playing surface.

And in the UK, every top-level football club must have under-soil heating installed below the pitch. This is intended to minimise the possibility of matches being postponed due to frozen pitches, particularly where preparations for television broadcasts are involved.

Since under-soil heating warms the roots from beneath, it is critical to control it effectively otherwise damage can be caused to the roots. Similarly, with the latest positively pressurised drainage systems that can actively draw moisture from the root zone, control is critical to optimise the efficient use of energy.

AQUAFLEX measures both moisture and temperature and is an effective tool for the modern groundsman.

It provides the groundsman with information about his ground conditions, it provides him with moisture and temperature knowledge when he needs it and gives him back-up records when he wants them.