Commercial turf production – capital items

The following equipment is likely to be required for small- to medium-scale production of warm-season turf grasses. The capital items required will vary with the systems and extent of operations adopted by individual enterprises.

General

• Tractor
• Chemical store
• Irrigation system, e.g. centre-pivot or travelling irrigator
• Irrigation infrastructure (supply lines, pumps and fittings)
• Machinery shed
• Fencing
• Office with a telephone, facsimile, computer and/or printer
• Staff toilets and lunch room

Specialised machinery

• Mowing equipment
• Turf cutter
• Heavy goods vehicle and forklift for bulk delivery and unloading at the customer’s site
• Compost spreader
• Spray equipment (separate tanks for herbicide)
• Fertiliser spreader
• Cultivation equipment for land preparation and levelling
• Roller
• Pallet system

References

These are only a small selection of the publications available.

Aldous, DE, Haydu, JJ and Satterthwaite, LN 2007, ‘Economic analysis of the Australian turfgrass industry’, Project TU06004, Horticulture Australia Limited.

Department of Employment, Economic Developmment and Innovation 2009, Prospects for Queensland’s Primary Industries 2009-2010, Queensland Government, Brisbane.

Beard, JB 1973, ‘Turfgrass: Science and culture’, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA.

Handreck, KA and Black, ND 2002, ‘Growing media for ornamental plants and turf’, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.

Spencer, J 2002, ‘The definitive guide to Australian turfgrass pesticide management’, Glenvale Publications, Melbourne.

Turgeon, AJ 2008, ‘Turfgrass management’, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA.

Other organisations

• Turf Queensland (formerly Queensland Turf Producers Association)
• Turf Australia (formerly Turf Producers Australia (TPA) Limited)
• Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association Ltd (AGCSA)
• Lifestyle horticulture contacts directory