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Getting lawn care ready in September

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Getting lawn care ready in September: We know the summer feels like it has only just begun, but the Lawn Association team would like to share some September lawn care tips to keep your sea of green as healthy as it can possibly be!

Keep your eye on thatch!

After the last few months of ridiculous growing weather, the thatch in your lawn would have increased a lot. We only normally produce thatch for say, April, May some of June and possibly September but we have had the whole of June and July and August as well so have literally increased thatch production by 100% extra.

Getting lawn care ready in September

Getting lawn care ready in September

This is not something that many gardeners think about, but of course, when planning good sensible lawn care you should. Do we hit it hard in autumn to compensate or split between two light ones, autumn and spring?

So what can we do about excess thatch?

Scarification is the key and September is the perfect time to do this, and it will enable you to control thatch levels. Does anyone think that moss may be an issue this autumn and winter? No, of course not, moss will only be thought about when it appears. But have no doubt, it will, because soils have been saturated and air space will have decreased. This happens when the fine soil particles move around and will have consolidated. This means water will move slower through the soils meaning the surface remains wetter for longer.

Thatch is a spongy-like material that sits above the lawn soils. It comprises all the clippings, shoots, and dead organic matter that have accumulated. When this remains wet during winter, moss spores will have a greater chance to germinate, so by regularly scarifying your lawn, this will allow rainwater to run down into the soil and away from the surface, giving the moss spores less chance to germinate (extra aeration will also be required this autumn too)

David Hedges Gower, Chairman of the Lawn Association states “Good lawn care is all about working with nature, not against it. Through dealing with excess thatch sustainably via scarification and other good practices such as sensible mowing and regular aeration, biodiversity and a healthy lawn can be maintained.”

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Cheltenham Ladies’ College invests in SISIS

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Cheltenham Ladies’ College invests in SISIS: When the grounds team at Cheltenham Ladies’ College received investment for new equipment, Ross Spry, Head of Grounds and Gardens, decided that SISIS machinery was a good place to start. 

Established in 1853, Cheltenham Ladies’ College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. It is consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls’ schools in the UK.

Cheltenham Ladies’ College invests in SISIS

Cheltenham Ladies’ College invests in SISIS

Ross has been the Head of Grounds and Gardens for approximately fifteen months after joining from the nearby Cheltenham College. Ross and his team maintain all CLC’s lawns and sports pitches which includes lacrosse, athletics, rounders, and cricket. His job has been made that little bit easier after College invested in some new machinery, as he explained.

“When I first started at CLC a lot of the kit was old and it was apparent that several machines needed replacing. I’m pleased to say that a big investment was made and so I started sourcing new equipment.

“I’ve always been impressed by SISIS machinery and have used some of it throughout my career – particularly when I was a greenkeeper. I’ve found it to always be very good kit and it is always solidly made.”

His first purchase was the SISIS Auto Rotorake Mk. 5 – a self-propelled heavy duty scarifier for removal and control of thatch on fine and other quality turf. Its contra-rotating reel has specially designed tipping blades for a clean, consistent cut and maximum thatch removal to ensure excellent lawn care when the time comes to scarify.

Ross explained how he uses the SISIS Auto Rotorake Mk. 5:

“The Mk.5 is predominantly used on our big lawns and for end of season renovations on the cricket square. It is a great machine, and we find it is one of the better machines for scarifying the cricket squares. It has got so much torque, and it can get through the hard clay, more so than any other scarifier I have used.

“The Mk.5’s best feature is how robust it is. A cricket square is probably one of the toughest things you can put it through, and it doesn’t bat an eyelid.”

Ross was also adamant that he wanted a SISIS Dart. This independently powered vertical action aerator improves drainage, reduces turf compaction, thatch build up and increases the health of lawns. Powered by a 6.5hp engine, the Dart has a working depth of up to 100mm which can be easily adjusted from the operator’s position using the balanced depth control lever. The unit can also be fitted with a wide range of tines to meet the operator’s requirements.

“I’ve used the SISIS Dart at every venue I have worked – mostly on cricket squares. We always use it when we are renovating to break the surface up a bit, and I do tend to use it occasionally during the winter periods. We use the pencil tines, to keep the air circulating.

“The Dart is so easy to operate. All my staff can use it – and that is important because we need machinery which every team member feels comfortable using.

“Once again SISIS has not let me down.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter or Instagram @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

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Toro grounds mowers in stock

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Toro grounds mowers in stock: In the market for a new Toro grounds machine? Reesink Turfcare can deliver.

Reesink Turfcare, the exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for Toro groundscare machinery, has five of Toro’s popular grounds mowers in stock and ready for swift delivery across the UK.

Toro grounds mowers in stock

Toro grounds mowers in stock

The Groundsmaster 3300 out-front rotary, LT3340 heavy-duty triple, LT-F3000 triple flail, LT2240 cylinder and the Groundsmaster 4000 rotary mowers bring new cutting concepts to rotary, cylinder and flail mowing and are in the UK and ready to order now.

Jon Cole, divisional business manager, turfcare, at Reesink Turfcare, says: “Reesink UK and The Toro Company have been investing resources to support availability including paying additional airfreight on accessory items and premiums to secure equipment from other Toro distributors, where there’s the option. We’re so pleased to see this approach working and stock arriving in the UK.

“Whether it’s a rotary, cylinder or flail mower customers want, we’ve got it covered.”

All of these machines are ideal for maintaining areas that are cut infrequently and can handle longer, wetter, coarser grass cutting, or finer, neater cuts depending on what is required in the green space being tended.

From light trimming to mowing dense overgrown areas, the Toro LT3340 will be appreciated for its durability, strength and performance. The LT-F3000 will impress by increasing the length of time between cuts, making grounds teams more efficient. If it’s wet, coarse, long, dense grass on the agenda, the Groundsmaster 3300 with flail or rotary deck, will deal with it.

The LT2240 works in areas with restricted access and limited manoeuvrability and is suited for fine-turf applications as much as densely packed, overgrown municipal grass, while the Groundsmaster 4000 handles cutting on hills and wet grass with ease and has the ability to turn on itself leaving a zero inch uncut circle adding to its already impressive productivity.

So, don’t delay, with these popular grounds machines in the UK and ready for delivery now, order today for guaranteed results within weeks.

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Wembley brings in new pitch

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Wembley brings in new pitch: Wembley Stadium, connected by EE, will have a new state-of-the-art pitch in place for this week’s FA Community Shield between Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC.

The FA Community Shield is the traditional curtain-raiser to a new football season. Last year’s contest was moved to the King Power Stadium in Leicester while Wembley Stadium hosted the UEFA Women’s Euro ‘22 Final.

Wembley brings in new pitch

Wembley brings in new pitch

The fixture returns to its usual home this week, with the Wembley grounds-team adding the final touches to a playing surface, which over the summer played host to sell-out concerts attended by over half a million people.

The fact Wembley Stadium is ready to host such a prestigious football match, so soon after concert season, is down to the latest advancement in pitch technology. The hybrid carpet ‘Lay and Play’ grass pitch was grown off site, on a turf farm hundreds of miles away from the stadium. Link to timelapse video here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HEHX2zIwjzPx_wLp7qjQ6YzdbSNhD1HS?usp=sharing

Once it was ready, more than 720 rolls of the hallowed turf were put on a number of lorries and transported to the stadium, before it was laid out last week. At 10 metres long by 1.2 metres (which if end to end would be 7km in length), the whole install took 60 hours to complete.

Wembley Stadium’s Grounds Manager Karl Standley said: “Lay and Play is a game-changer for a multi-purpose venue like Wembley Stadium. Previously, it might have taken up to five weeks after a concert to get a pitch ready for a football fixture. Now this can be done in just five days.

“Growing it offsite means we can ultimately cut down the time required between concerts and football to let the pitch recover, so that Wembley can continue to keep up with global demand to stage world-class events.”

It took more than three years of research and development to get to a stage where the meticulous Wembley team was happy that lay and play technology could meet their high standards.

“The Wembley pitch is unique and has very certain requirements. It involves a specific blend of sun, water, nutrients and takes 14 weeks to get into perfect shape. Even the fertiliser plan is bespoke to our requirements,” adds Karl.

“It is like one big chemistry experiment. We had to test every stage of the process including the grow time, any potential damage during transport and how it reacts when it comes into the stadium. It is a very precise procedure, and we monitor every stage closely.

“The pitch for this week’s FA Community Shield fixture came into the stadium on July 25 and has settled in nicely. After that it will be used for the Rugby League Challenge Final before concerts and events including AEW Elite Wrestling at the stadium.

“The next step is to make the whole process sustainable with the old pitch going back into grassroots football.

“At present the old pitch goes off to a production site where the grass, sand and plastic is separated. The grass decomposes naturally, and the sand is sent back to us so it can be re-used or sent out for use on grassroot pitches.

“We are close to now finding a use for the plastic, whereby it can be melted down and used to produce equipment for sports teams. Eventually the whole process will be 100% sustainable.”

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Campey’s leading machines in action at GroundsFest

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Campey’s leading machines in action at GroundsFest: Campey Turf Care Systems is ready to take full advantage of the outdoor demonstration space at GroundsFest, with the Imants ShockWave, Dakota Turf Tender, Foley Company Air2G2 336 and Campey UNIRAKE© all prepared for action on stand OSA460.

The combination of outdoor and indoor stands has made GroundsFest the perfect event for Campey to give visitors valuable in-action insights into machines, how they work and the difference they can make.

Campey's leading machines in action at GroundsFest

Campey’s leading machines in action at GroundsFest

Speaking about the inaugural event, Campey Turf Care Director Lee Morgado said: “GroundsFest is a new concept which puts the visitors at the forefront of the experience. One of those aspects is live demos, which makes the event more valuable to us as a company.

“As a machinery dealer and manufacturer, it is invaluable to show people exactly what the equipment can do, how it operates, and the results they can expect. It also allows us to answer questions in greater detail which benefits our customers, and that is what it’s all about.”

Campey has chosen machines that encompass a range of maintenance practices for the show. For variable organic matter removal, the UNIRAKE© is the perfect choice. Users can adjust the severity of grooming to remove a varying amount of organic matter or simply stand the sward up to encourage growth. Altering the severity of grooming is quick and easy and can be done in no less than 30 seconds.

The latest re-designed Imants ShockWave sporting its new livery, will be on show for wide area aeration, proving in person why it is the best linear compactor for heavily used areas where play can’t stop. It is designed to revitalise fine turf and sports fields by relieving soil compaction, improving aeration, and removing surface water, all whilst causing minimal surface disruption so play can resume quickly and safely.

In smaller or tighter areas, the Foley Air2G2 336 remains the industry’s finest pedestrian aerator. Instant results and the immediate continuation of play have set this machine apart since its release, making it a mainstay across most sports.

Completing the line-up of must-see machinery is the Dakota Turf Tender. The topdresser offers an impressive level of consistency with electric control boxes allowing users to set their width of spread an infinitely variable amount while ensuring that it can be changed and returned to that width at any time

Campey’s team of product specialists will be demonstrating the machinery and will be available throughout the two days to provide advice, answer questions or have a catch-up over a coffee.

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