Electric shock makes short work of weeds on artificial grass

Artificial grass taut and weed-free for longer

Anyone who thinks you still have to remove weeds on artificial grass by hand is completely mistaken. With Wimmersson's eWeeding Roller, all you need is electricity to eliminate stubborn greenery down to the roots. “Brushing, hot water or burning? That damages the artificial grass and a few weeks later the weeds are back,” says Bart-Jan America of Luijten Groentechniek. “For clients like football club Roda JC Kerkrade, we prefer to take a sustainable, future-proof approach.”

Sleek green pitches are every football club's dream. But artificial grass is less low-maintenance than it seems. “When overseeding natural grass, some seed always blows into the artificial grass,” says Bart-Jan America, project manager at Luijten Groentechniek. “Airborne weed seeds also find their way to open areas, especially around sprinklers and control pits.” The result is more than an aesthetic problem: weeds erode the substrate and stability, providing an ideal breeding ground for even more growth.

That used to mean a lot of manual work. “Labour-intensive and not very effective,” America points out. “The eWeeding Roller works differently: the machine resembles a lawnmower but has electrically charged blades. On contact, the weeds receive a shock deep into the root and die.”

Electric and safe

Electricity on artificial grass? No problem. “Weeds conduct electricity, artificial grass does not. So no melting spots can occur,” says America. The eWeeding Roller fits perfectly with Luijten Groentechniek's sustainable approach. The machine runs on batteries charged by its own solar panels. It is CO2-neutral, quiet, odour- and dust-free. The working speed is 1 to 1.5 km per hour. “Not fast, but the effect lasts up to seventy days. That halves our working time,” America explains. “Compared to burning or hot water, where you have to treat each plant for three seconds, we are still faster.” Everything hinges on the right timing, though. “We get the best results on dry spring and summer days. Wet conditions reduce
the conduction.”

Ergonomics and ease of use

At 80 kilograms, the eWeeding Roller looks like a hefty lawnmower, but its caster wheels make it effortlessly manoeuvrable. “You push it forward with two fingers, so to speak,” America laughs. “Our employee who operates it is in the autumn of his career and is happy to be able to maintain the fields so easily.”

Cooperation with Wimmersson has also been smooth. “They personally trained our team and gave clear safety instructions. It's still electricity, so we always wear insulating safety boots.”