The Roskilde showground, 20 miles west of Copenhagen is one of the most used summer venues in the country. Numerous summer events include Roskilde Dyrskueplads, the largest Agricultural and Country Fair in Northern Europe and Roskilde Dyrskue, an equestrian festival that sees eventing and horse drawn vehicle displays and races all taking part in the main ring. And if that was not enough to turn the ring into a mud bath, it is followed by the Roskilde Music Festival, a Viking run and a Hawker’s Market (Country Fair).
So how is the showground’s main ring able to withstand all this wear and tear, particularly in the extremely wet June and July it has had to endure in 2012?
“We have to make sure, that the grass in the main ring is resilient enough to host all these events in succession,” says Camille Mortensen of contractors OK Grøn Anlæg. “This means we have to select grasses that establish quickly and can regrow following intensive wear.”
The grass mixtures chosen for the task were supplied by DLF-TRIFOLIUM. OK Grøn Anlæg began the preparations for this summer’s hardships in spring by an initial thorough aeration of the ring. Next, the surface was overseeded using the grass mixture Turbo Masterline. A key to this mix is its 50% content of Axcella, a new type of Westerwolds annual ryegrass, Lolium westerwoldicum, which has the ability to grow at lower temperatures than other types of grass.
In the cooler than average summer in Northern Europe this year, this enables the grass to establish very quickly. But that is not all. It also has rapid recovery, enabling it to re-establish itself fast in areas of wear and tear. Other varieties within the Turbo Masterline mix compliment the Westerwold grasses, enabling the main ring to recover rapidly following periods of intensive use.
“Hot on the hooves of heavy bulls at the Country Fair, the showground had to endure over 100,000 rocking feet from the music festival. This requires hard-core grass!” says Stig Oddershede, Communications Manager for DLF-TRIFOLIUM. “Should you be unfortunate enough to spill your beer you need not worry about the grass. Turbo Masterline likes a drink and is ideally suited to all types of festival.”
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