COMPANY PROFILE

Company profile

Gilba Solutions Pty Ltd are Sydney based independent Australian-owned sports turf consultants and independent turfgrass agronomists. We operate in Sydney, NSW, and the ACT.

With a head office in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney we are close to the sand belt golf clubs of Sydney and are only 25 minutes from Sydney airport.

Since being established in 2013 we have had one philosophy. Happy customers are the best customers. That’s why most of our business is from repeat clients and referrals. This company profile explains in detail our history and what we do. 

What is a turf agronomist?

A qualified turfgrass agronomist has a University Degree in agricultural Science, Soil Science or Agronomy. Turfgrass agronomy considers all the factors that impact on turfgrass growth and relate to its performance.

A turfgrass agronomist:

• Is Knowledgeable in all turfgrass varieties and cultivars and how best to manage them;
• Has good knowledge in the formulation, manufacture and use of turfgrass fertilisers;
• Is able to identify turfgrass diseases and pests and how to manage them;
• Understands the principles of soil physics
• Does not promote products or services unless they are what’s required;

We have over 30 years of experience in Australia and the UK with companies ranging from Yates, Samsung, and the Sports Turf Research Instutute (STRI).  

As a result we are in a unique position to offer you the best possible independent agronomic advice. This includes:

• Turfgrass maintenance programmes;
• Turfgrass and grass seed selection and maintenance;
• Turfgrass chemical usage;
• Turfgrass fertiliser selection;
• Choosing and using the right soil wetting agent;
• and wetting agents and adjuvants.

We take immense pride in being the premium turfgrass agronomists in NSW by providing economical and practical solutions.

Examples of our work include:

• Introducing the first LED turf light rigs for shade management into Australia. These have been in place since 2021 at Comm Bank Stadium;
• Writing overseeding guidelines;
• Developing Vertmax Duo® the most advanced turfgrass pigment on the Australian market.
• Producing a turf specific Insect resistance Chart.
• A guide to managing scarab beetles in turf.

Check out some of our services that we offer as turf agronomists.

Company profile – Our History

The founder Jerry Spencer has a Hons Degree in Soil Science from Newcastle Upon tyne University and a Grad Diploma in something he didn’t like.

He started Gilba Solutions to meet the need for a truly independent Sydney based sports turfgrass agronomic extension.

The cornerstone of this approach has been and always will be the customer. Being able to provide innovative turf-specific solutions is something we feel we are uniquely able to achieve.

This approach has led to Gilba Solutions growing rapidly from operating solely in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney to operating throughout NSW and the ACT to recently commencing exporting to NZ and the UK. 

In 2019 we launched the Omne Turf wifi system which is able to real time monitoring of PAR light, soil and air temperature, soil pH and can utilise up to 200 different sensor configurations. This is already in use at Bonnie Doon Golf Club.

In 2020 we became the Australasian agent for SeeGrow Developments who manufacture the worlds most advanced LED turf grow lights and turf fans. These were recently installed at Comm Bank Stadium.

We are proud sponsors of the IGFH 2024 Turf Pesticides manual.

Jerry Spencer has written over 100 articles and two books that have been published in the UK and Australia on topics ranging from turf fertilisers and aquatic weed management to using turf pigments and explaining why turf herbicides sometimes don’t work He also regularly publishes a turf blog. The most recent blogs discuss the impact of Climate Change on Weed Control, the science of soil aeration , how salicylic acid in plants can help you fight stress and how common household items can be used for DIY pest control. We also have a Case Study section on this site that showcases some of our more recent projects.

Weed ID

Recently we have ben developing weed ID and management Info sheets and amongst these are teh following:

• Horse Purslane.
• Bittercress.
• Painted Spurge.
• Stinkvine.
• Minnieroot.
• Amaranthus.
• Praxelis.
• Tridax Daisy.
• Cobblers Peg.
• Blue Heliotrope.
• Oriental False Hawkweed.
• Pigweed.
• Dock.
• Buchan Weed.
• Mossman River Grass.

Clients who have used our services as turf agronomists.

• Venues NSW;
• The NRL;
• Canberra Stadium;
• The ACT Government;
• Campbelltown Council;
• Twin Creeks G.C;
• Federal G.C;
• The Australian Institute of Sport;
• Sports Turf Management;
• Sydney University;
• Think Bio and
• Green Drop.

Sports turf consultancy at Stadium Australia in 2020

Some of our publications