The Green Green Grass by Carliona Trocina

The use of grass seed at sports stadiums has, in the last 20 years, become an exact science. Much research has been done into the growing of a suitable product that will give durability, easy maintenance and a 'fresh' look, even after a lot of use.

One of the most famous sports teams in the world, Manchester United, are supplied by a company who specialise in seeding sports stadiums. DLF-Trifolium have developed a seed called Microclover which provides big advantages to the everyday wear of heavily used sports fields.

Inspections show that Microclover closes gaps in the turf quickly and survives heavy use. Heavy training sessions during the wintertime have taken place on these pitches and according to players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, the turf is better than ever.

These seeds provide a layer of tiny clover plants just under the grass which has a number of benefits.

It keeps the grass green all year round, the clover fixes nitrogen feed to the soil and it's deep roots reduce the need for watering as well as suppressing weed growth at the same time.

Such is the quality and denseness of the grass that from a few feet away it looks like a normal 'grass only' lawn. New microclovers have achieved the smallest leaf size ever seen in commercial White Clovers.

These small leaves give the desired impression of a "grass lawn" rather than a Clover lawn.Ordinary large leaved White Clover often appears in older lawns. They tend to be patchy and give a very uneven look to the lawn. This is the reason why white clover has been seen as a weed until recently.

New microclovers grow short and spread evenly in the lawn with turf grasses, thus giving a perfect "grassy" look to the lawn.

As well as providing seed for Manchester United at Old Trafford, DLF-Trifolium also provides products for Aston Villa at Villa Park, Crvena Zvezda Stadion (FC Red Star Belgrade), Serbia and Ascot Race Course.