You can only reach the golf lawn with a spindle mower

You can only reach the golf lawn with a spindle mower

Everyone knows spindle mowers in the form of hand-held devices, old models can still be found in many a basement. The first memory that comes to mind is a lot of hard work. The rotating knives were driven from the travel wheels. Coupled with an often poorly adjusted and blunt knife, they were better than a fitness center in strengthening muscles.

Manual versions are still sold today, compared to the past it is possible to equip them with a collection basket, the price ranges from around 1,500 crowns depending on the model and equipment. They are produced, for example, by Stiga, Brill or AL-KO.

It is possible to buy a basket for Gardena spindle mowers

However, there are also electric models for which you do not need to pay the entire salary. The only manufacturer on our market is Gardena, which offers the corded model 380 EC for around 6,500 crowns, you will pay a thousand more for the battery version 380 AC, which mows about 300 m2 of lawn on one charge. It is possible to buy a basket for these models for 800 crowns. These mowers are not equipped with a drive.

The queen in the category of spindle mowers is represented by the English brand ATCO. It is exceptional in that instead of wheels it uses a cylinder for propulsion (even electric ones have a drive). This achieves a striped or checkerboard effect on the lawn, which we know from golf courses or football pitches. Those who yearn for a Rolls-Royce among spindle mowers must prepare for a larger edition: the cheapest electric model with a 30 cm cutting edge costs about 14,000 crowns and mows an area of ​​600 m2 per hour.

The knife must cut the paper cleanly

ATCO machines use Kawasaki engines

Why spindle

"It's not little, but it's the price for quality and the brand's 88-year tradition. In England, it's practically not mowed any other way, and the lawns look like that too," says ATCO expert advisor Tomáš Šena . "And often people come who care about the lawn and bought a really expensive branded rotary mower. It's not that it doesn't cut, but they couldn't achieve the effect of a golf lawn with it. The difference is also in the mowing height. Where rotary mowers end, we begin . The best rotary mowers have a cutting height of about two centimeters, generally it's more like three. Whereas our mowers cut from six millimeters," he explains.

On the left the Balmoral petrol model, in the middle the highest hobby model Royale, on the right the electric version, all with drive

These mowers are also sold in gasoline versions, mostly equipped with quiet Kawasaki engines. Compared to rotary mowers, the motors of regular models are not as powerful, in principle they do not need it, yet some can "run" at a speed of up to 8 km per hour. When emptying the basket, there is no need to turn off the engine, the spindle stops when the drive is turned off. But those who mow at the right intervals will not have a problem with frequent dumping. The spindle only throws clippings of a few millimeters into the bin.

Thanks to the rollers (the rear one is divided for easier turning), the weight is spread over a larger area than with "wheeled" models, and there are no grooves in the ground. The top-of-the-line Royale model even has a seat with a cylinder among the accessories offered, which makes it a bit like a rider.

See how to ride with a seat:

Golf lawn can only be reached with a spindle mower

Cut against stress

The grass is under stress after being cut with a rotary mower and spends all its energy on rapid wound healing to prevent diseases and fungi from entering. In three days the wounds are healed and the grass begins to grow rapidly to catch up. In contrast, a spindle mower cuts straw against a counter blade, just like a pair of scissors. Such an incision is clean, short, heals quickly and stress is minimal. That is why such a lawn is always green, it grows more slowly, it branches more to the sides, it does not grow as high, the grass is denser.

The difference between grass cut with a classic rotary mower and cutting with a spindle mower

However, an English lawn is not free, it requires constant care. Mow as often as you want your lawn to be low. If you want it to be the lowest, mow daily with a spindle mower to 6 mm (this is how the greens are groomed), if you want 10 mm, then mow 3 times a week, and if you want 20 mm, mow 2 times a week. You should never cut more than 1/3 of the length of the stalk. This means that when someone goes on vacation for 14 days, they should set the mower to the highest height and gradually reduce it day by day to the original length of the grass.

Start seeding

By purchasing a spindle mower, you are only taking the first step towards a perfect lawn. In addition, attention must be paid to aeration, irrigation and sowing with suitable seeds.

For an English lawn, choose mixtures that contain more than 70% of grass species such as red fescue, short fescue, red tufted fescue and sheep fescue. These species have an excellent ability to create a soft and dense carpet. Avoid cheap mixtures, they may contain varieties that are not suitable for Czech climatic conditions. The lawn can then freeze completely during the winter, or it can only have a growing season at higher temperatures. Grass mixtures from Czech breeding stations are recommended.

Sow the quality grass mixture into the cleaned lawn in the recommended dose and gently cover (sugar) the entire lawn with a thin layer of lawn substrate. You can spread the substrate with the reverse side of a wooden or plastic rake, or you can get a rake or net like those used for leveling clay courts.

The green is mowed daily

If you want to level the lawn as much as possible, use silica sand (the one used in beach volleyball), the grain size should be 0-2 mm. Feel free to use 4 liters of sand per 1m2 and spread it thoroughly. As soon as the sand dries, the grains start to fall between the blades of grass and within 14 days you will slowly not even recognize that you have put any sand there.

Needs air

Grass is fed by roots! Do everything you can to get air to the roots because it allows water and nutrients to move through the soil. A well-maintained lawn can withstand extreme stress without you knowing it. But there is no point in trying to build an English lawn in places where it will never thrive, for example, where you park your car in the yard.

Gasoline lawnmower with replaceable combing cartridge

You ensure air for the roots by occasionally sanding the lawn and digging it up often. With ATCO mowers, it is possible to buy a combing cassette, which is put on instead of the spindle and digs out all the old stuff.

Perform scarification regularly (at least twice a year) and aerate the most stressed areas (dig the digging fork into the ground, lift the sod slightly and pull the fork out - you can fill the holes with silica sand). For scarification, the denser your lawn is, the less impact this intervention has on the appearance of the lawn.

Automatic watering can be programmed

Irrigation of the lawn is also important for its final condition. Don't water every day, it doesn't do the grass any favors. You need to get the water to the roots, at least 10 cm deep. For this reason, it is more effective to irrigate, for example, every third day, but with a larger dose. The need for a quality lawn is 25-40 liters of water per 1 square meter per week. After watering, you can dig up a piece of lawn and see how deep the water has gone.

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