Setting up a lawnis usually a lot of fun. At each stage of the work, we think about the beautiful, lush green turf that will soon appear in the garden. However, in order for the effect to be really impressive and the lush green grass to last for many years, allstages of setting up a lawnmust be carried out with due diligence. Here are step by stephow to start a garden lawn from sowing !
A properly established lawn will be a showcase of the garden
Step 1 - choosing a place for the lawn
The lawn usually plays a representative role in the garden, it becomes a showpiece of our garden. Therefore, it is extremely important to choose a place for the lawn where the grasses will have optimal growth conditions. First of all, it should be a sunny place, possibly slightly shaded only for part of the day. In the shade, the grass will grow poorly and cause trouble. If we want to turf shaded places, e.g. under trees, let's think ifsetting up a lawnin such places is a good idea. Perhaps it is better to use ground cover plants, which prefer shaded places.
Densely growing grasses, creating a compact turf, also have great water needs. If the place designated for the lawn gets very hot and the soil dries up quickly, it is better to install an irrigation system before setting up a lawn. This will save us a lot of trouble in the future and will avoid having to break the turf for later irrigation. The same applies to the assembly of the electrical system.If we want the garden to be illuminated by garden lamps, all cables must be laid before we set up a lawn.
Step 2 - preparation of the substrate
Before sowing the grass, we also need to properly prepare the ground. When preparing the substrate for the planned lawn, check whether it has a humus layer or not.
In the first case, if, for example, until recently there was a vegetable garden in this place, the soil should only be dug, stones removed and carefully weeded. In the second case, which concerns especially the areas around newly built houses, where the top layer of soil is the so-called necrosis, fertilize the soil by adding organic substances. For this purpose, a few centimeters of compost or garden peat are sprinkled.
For heavy, clay soil it is good to add a layer of sand, which will increase its permeability, while on sandy soils you can add soil from the arable field.
Another the activity to be preceded byestablishing a lawnis to test the pH of the soil.Grasses generally require a slightly acidic substrate. When the soil pH is below 5.5, it should be limed to slightly increase its pH, while on soils with a pH above 7.0, acidifying fertilizers, e.g. ammonium sulphate, should be used. Pre-sowing mineral fertilization is recommended on very poor soils. You can use azofoska or urea at the rate of 3 kg per 100 m² of lawn.
The fertilizing ingredients and fertilizers should be mixed with the soil to a depth of 5-8 cm. Then the entire lawn surface must be perfectly leveled and compacted. Such an effect is obtained by raking and leveling the ground several times, alternately with kneading, using a special roller, preferably weighing approx. 50-70 kg. The soil is compacted enough if it does not collapse under the weight of a person.
To avoid the lawn drying out, especially on light soils, it is worth adding a hydrogel to the soil before sowing. This is called soil water absorbent, i.e. a substance that stores water. Maintains moisture around the roots and prevents the grass from drying out.
Step 3 - Select grass seed
Before startingsetting up a lawn , it is worth considering how it will be used, because the right choice of grass mixture depends on it. Mixtures containing grass seeds can be divided into:
- decorative (carpet, lawn)- allow you to get beautiful compositions or a suitable background for flower beds, it is a delicate and soft turf, but requires regular care, watering and frequent mowing, badly tolerates trampling,
- universal- much easier to care for and more resistant to trampling, sufficiently resistant to home lawns, hence most often used in amateur gardens,
- sports- combining the beauty of a decorative lawn with resistance to intensive use, unfortunately, sports mixtures are slightly more expensive than universal ones, and require more careful care.
It is important to sow only one type of grass seed mixture and sow the existing lawn with the same species. If you cannot buy the same grass, you should choose regeneration grass or a special lawn mixture for seeding.
Step 4 - how to seed
The optimal date forsetting up a lawnand sowing grass is from mid-April to June and from mid-August to October. During these periods, there are favorable conditions for seed germination, related to the amount of moisture and temperature from 10 - 20 ° C.
At other times, the success of sowing depends on the possibility of artificial irrigation. To obtain a sufficiently dense grass, 1 kg of seeds should be sown on 30-40 m² of land. The reduction as well as the increase of the seeding rate has certain consequences. Too little plant density per m² will slow down the turfing of the lawn, and empty spaces will be quickly taken by weeds, while too much sowing will make many plants unable to grow, and weakened plants can be easily attacked by diseases and freeze during winter.
Setting up a lawn step by step
We sow the grass by hand or using a special seeder. It is good to divide the seeds into two equal portions and sow them crosswise, covering the area twice with seeds, which will reduce the possible error of uneven distribution of seeds.
Then cover the seeds with soil to a depth of 1 cm by raking quite strongly. It is good to cover the seeds remaining on the surface with peat. Finally, the area can be rolled lightly, but this is not necessary for systematic watering.
More Lawn Care Secrets
"If you need more information onhow to properly care for your lawn , we recommend the fantastic book Beautiful Trawnik. Valued specialists in beautiful turf revealall the secrets of setting up and caring for lawnsFrom proper soil preparation for sowing grass, through choosing the right lawn mixture, to step-by-step instructions on how to set up and care for a lawn.
After reading this book, you will find thatthere is a solution to every lawn problemYou just need to acquire the knowledge you need in this area. And everything you need to know is in this book: -) "
Text prepared on the basis of Wielka Encyklopedia Ogrodnictwa, MUZA SA, Warsaw 1994, pp. 276-290, and articles published in Dolnośląski Informator Rolniczy, No. 5/2001 and No. 6/2001.
