Here at Allett we are more than just about mowing. To achieve the perfectly health green striped lawn you need to do other tasks. We designed a cartridge system to allow you to use just one machine for many lawn tasks saving you thousands of pounds and room in your shed! We also wanted a lawn care system that was chemical free, environmentally friendly and helped you get rid of thatch without the manual hard work. We have the same system in our PRO RANGE machines so you can achieve that premier league pitch look in your home garden. The mowers that take ALL of the cartridges in our range are as follows; The Allett Classic, the Allett Kensington and the Liberty 35 and Liberty 43 battery powered mowers. Our Stirling models will take all the UC cartridges which are designed for deeper cultivation.
First things first, what is thatch?
Thatch is an organic layer in your lawn consisting of dead, dying and living roots, stems and leaves which is between the layer of grown grass and the soil below. You can often tell that your lawn has a high volume of thatch if your lawn has a spongy feeling to it when you stand or walk on it. The thatch layer usually forms when the organic matter which has failed to break down in the soil builds up beneath the grass plant. This layer can then prevent water, air and nutrients from reaching the roots of your lawn. This is usually something which happens when the turf develops organic debris faster than it can be broken down. It can also consist of leaves that have decayed into your grass. Having a small amount of thatch can be a good thing- we suggest about a quarter of an inch. A smaller layer of thatch can protect the crown of the grass plant from disease- anymore than this and you will start to see serious issues.
So now we know what thatch is but not why it can be bad for the health of your lawn. Well, we’ve touched on this briefly already but to go into more detail, as thatch thickens it will begin to prevent your lawn from getting the air, water and nutrients it needs to grow. Water carries oxygen and nutrients into the soil to the grass roots. When the thatch levels are too thick this water cannot pass through and therefore the grass is starved. This reduced flow of water can cause major issues in wet conditions where the water cannot drain through the soil. It can also cause a build up of moss and fungal diseases which thrive in damp conditions as well as causing issues in dry conditions where the thatch stops the grass plant receiving water. If you put fertiliser on your lawn it will just sit on top of the thatch layer and not pass through. Thatch can also harbour weeds.
1. Scarifier Cartridge
This cartridge is a spring rake cartridge that is gentle and can be used all throughout the mowing season. It is arguably our most popular cartridge and is designed to remove thatch, surface debris and dead moss as well as lifting lateral flat lying grasses. It is also great for picking up leaves in the autumn as well as pine needles and acorns. This cartridge rips up all the dead material without damaging your grass on the surface. We recommend using it once every 2-4 weeks to keep on top of thatch levels. Find our blog about scarifying here
2. Dethatcher Cartridge
This is a very aggressive cartridge that penetrates the surface to a maximum of 6mm. The tines are thicker and wider spaced than the scarifier cartridge. This cartridge is used on lawns that are in serious disarray and removes the deepest layers of thatch. This cartridge works by rigorously penetrating the soil’s surface in order to pick up and remove layers of thatch such as dead grass and leaves, plant stolons and weed growth. Lawns grow healthier, thicker and more luscious once this has been removed as it its less susceptible to disease. Lawns that are more susceptible to disease encourage moss growth which should be avoided. This cartridge would be used once or twice a season on seriously thatch lawns- it's not a cartridge you would use often as you would probably need to top dress your lawn after.
3. Verticut Cartridge
The Verticut cartridge is a popular cartridge in the Allett range.Thin and closely spaced blades effectively lift lateral growth and remove moss which helps encourage tillering and new growth. The blades of the Verticut cartridge help pick up flat lying grasses that your cylinder would otherwise miss. Verticutting can be carried out on a more frequent basis, and is the perfect way to keep on top of your thatch level in between your yearly scarification. A small amount of thatch can be healthy for your lawn, but anything over half an inch needs to be removed as it prevents the healthy growth process. The aims of verticutting-
- To prune the grasses to improve tillering and stolon formation. This increases turf density and thickens your grass up.
- To control thatch. The verticut cartridge blades are designed to be used above the thatch layer to remove dead and dying grass plants that will ultimately contribute to the thatch layer.
- To produce an upright grass prior to mowing to give a cleaner more consistent cut.
- As a method of controlling weeds and weed grasses without using harmful chemicals
- Verticutting will also help remove annual meadow grass seed heads and promote finer grasses, such as bent and fescue.
- The verticut cartridge helps lift and cut lateral flat lying grasses that would be usually missed by your cylinder.
This cartridge can replace the cutting cylinder in less than a couple of minutes. You can use the cartridge every two weeks or so from April to September to keep on top of thatch and lateral lying grasses. Start with the cartridge on setting four and gradually lower- the cartridge should not be penetrating the soil as it will damage your blades. You want the blades to be touching the thatch layer and above. You will be amazed at how much this cartridge gets out of your lawn. Find our blog on verticutting here
4. 6 Blade Cartridge This cartridge is fitted as standard in your Allett Kensington or Liberty43 cylinder mower. It is a great general purpose cylinder offering a healthy clean scissor like cut. You can easily take the cartridge out in order to take it to your dealers for sharpening rather than taking the whole machine. Make sure your cylinder is cutting paper cleanly all the way across the blade- if it isn't it won't be cutting grass cleanly and will cause disease.
5. 10 Blade Cartridge This cartridge is available as an optional extra and upgrade to the 6 blade cartridge. It has an extra 4 blades than the 6 blade cartridge and offers a much more finer luxurious cut. The 10 blade cutting cylinder mows as low as 6mm for a golf green finish-perfect for ornamental lawns. You wouldn't use this cartridge on longer grass as it wouldn't cope as well as the 6 blade with the blades closer together- it is for ornamental and low cut lawns only below 20mm.
6. Brush Cartridge The lawn brush cartridge is used for collecting light debris, putting a stripe in a dry lawn without mowing and incorporating a light top dressing into the sward. The brush is perfect for collecting ‘worm casts‘ that are left by earthworms that live in the root zone of the soil. This accessory effectively disperses and removes these worm casts and other debris such as fallen leaves, twigs, grass clippings or litter and deposits it into the grass box. It’s also great for removing dew from the lawn that can cause fungal diseases. Make sure to set the brush height correctly in relation to the height of your lawn, so that the optimal amount of debris is picked up. Ideally, the brush should sit approximately half an inch below the top of the grass. This should be carried out as regularly as possible to reduce the amount of debris spoiling your lawn. The Lawn Brush is useful for covering renovating seed material or to work in top dressing. Can be used all throughout the mowing season.
You can find our range of QC cartridges here
Find our UC Stirling cartridges here
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