It's a turf life made easy...

Three massive turf-cutting and lifting machines have swung into action on Rolawn's 3,000 acres of cultivated grassland throughout the Vale of York.

The American machines, costing the Elvington company more than £200,000 each, are helping to fill 200 articulated lorries a week to meet the almost manic demand from the nation's gardeners which bloomed in the recent sunshine.

Many of the carpet-like rolls of greenery are being sent to 14 Rolawn depots and a network of distributors and more than 100 stockists throughout Britain.

Or famous golfers could be treading on it at Carnoustie and Loch Lomond - among many courses where Rolawn has contracts. But most of the rolls will also be unfurled on new housing sites springing up all over the country.

The turf cutters, seen lately on meadowland at Escrick Park, are made in Montana, but adapted by Rolawn for its use.

Paul Dawson, Rolawn's managing director, said; "European options were considered, but there was nothing to compare to this American version, which can each cut and lift up to 3,000 sq metres per hour - equal to 30 average-sized back gardens."

The turf harvesters illustrate just how high-tech Rolawn has become. Pardon the pun - but the 28-year-old company has to literally maintain its cutting edge if it is to keep its reputation as the largest producer of high-quality cultivated turf in Europe, employing 130 people.

To that end it has spent millions of pounds and some of the money has resulted in breakthrough technology for which the company has already applied for international patents.

One of them, which arose from initial research by plant biologists at the University of York, has resulted in extending the short shelf life of turfs through precise cooling..

The problem is that should there be an order for turfs from a house builder in, say, Southampton, the grass must be harvested in the Vale of York and planted at its destination within 24 hours - a huge logistical task.

The solution: Rolawn has designed eight giant turf chillers, each of which can store 320 sq metres - or three back gardens' worth - extending the life of the turf by up to a week, depending on the season.

"The university established that temperature control was the best way forward and we designed and built the chillers, which we are now patenting.

"We have yet to assess the financial impact they will have, but they will be based at key depots and will give stockists a greater window of opportunity to sell."

Updated: 09:08 Tuesday, April 22, 2003