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You can quickly equip a lawn on your site with the help of a purchased rolled lawn. This is a specially grown turf, which is sold immediately in the form of wide strips. Such a lawn will cost a tidy sum, but it does not require additional effort. But you can sow the lawn yourself, as it is simple and will save.
Lawn layout
A lawn is not always a classic lawn with short cut grass. The lawn can be garden, blooming or even sports. It depends on the choice of herbs, mowing, top dressing and watering a new lawn. The very first stage is the layout of the future lawn. You need to have an idea of how this area will look. You might want to leave trees or plant a small garden.
Therefore, it is best to sketch the lawn. It is also necessary to take into account the distance between the grass and the border and the correct proximity of grasses and shrubs. If it is planned to place paths and flower beds on the lawn, then before sowing it is necessary to mark with a rope and pegs.
Lawn preparation and grass selection
Before you start sowing the lawn, you must:
- remove all rubbish from the territory;
- uproot all the roots and stumps of old trees;
- destroy weeds;
- dig the soil, adding fertilizer;
- create a drainage layer;
- level the surface of the plot;
- compact the earth thoroughly;
- loosen the surface of the earth with a rake.
To control weeds, it is best to use a general herbicide. If there are a lot of weeds, the site will have to be processed several times with an interval of 10-15 days. In spring, plants are destroyed much better than in autumn. In addition, in autumn, seeds often go deep underground and germinate in spring.
The soil before sowing must be fertilized and loosened. To do this, you need to find out the composition of the soil. For acidic soil it is better to use slaked lime or chalk. If there is a lot of clay in the soil, it is important to add humus and biohumus to it. And only after that you can fertilize the territory.
In spring, it is best to fertilize the soil with nitrogen fertilizers, as they enhance the growth of grass. But in autumn sowing, the soil must be fertilized with potassium and phosphorus, which make it easier for the seeds to “winter”. If before that biohumus was added to the soil, it is desirable to reduce the amount of the main fertilizer.
After preparing the site, the land must be left for several days. If the lawn stands idle for a week, weeds can be removed, the seeds of which fall into the soil along with fertilizer. At this time, you should do the selection of herbs that will grow on the lawn. The density of the lawn depends on this, since in such a mixture there are always several types of lawn grass. You can buy a special set of herbs, but it is important to consider the local climate, the purpose of the lawn, the composition of the soil, etc.
You should not immediately buy universal mixtures, since they are not always durable. For example, now ryegrass grass is very popular, which is present in many compositions of lawn grasses. It is often sown in Europe, where it grows rapidly. But the climatic conditions of those places cannot be compared with ours, so in Russia ryegrass freezes in the very first winter.
Therefore, it is best to choose herbs such as meadow bluegrass or red fescue. They have very high frost resistance. In addition, these plants have a bright green color and are famous for their longevity. For example, a fescue is completely unpretentious and does not mind growing in the shade. These herbs are ideal for creating a ground grass.You can buy them immediately assembled or individually, then to mix.
You should also pay attention to the instructions that are on the package with seeds. Seed consumption as directed by the manufacturer should be followed if sowing occurs in autumn. But in the spring it is better to increase this amount, since most seeds will wash off the floods.
In the summer, you need to sow a little more grass, taking into account the heat, from which many seeds die. Sowing density also depends on the location of the lawn. On higher ground, you always need to sow a little more grass, as it is quickly washed out by rain.
Time for sowing
Experienced gardeners know that the best lawn to sow in spring or late summer, that is, at that time of year when there is no heat. Air temperature should not exceed +25 ° C; otherwise, half of the seeds simply will not germinate. It is even better to sow grass in rainy weather, when the soil becomes wet and the seeds swell faster.
How to sow a lawn
Dry soil before sowing should be properly hosed. First you need to distribute the number of seeds throughout the territory. Scatter them evenly so that the entire lawn is sowed. This can be done using a seeder, but if it is not there, then you can disperse the grass manually. The main thing is that there is no strong wind. On average, per 1 square. m. enough 50 grams of seeds. For convenience, the seeds should be mixed with sand in a ratio of 1: 1.
For a large lawn, you need to prepare the composition immediately for the entire area. Usually sown the same way as they sowed wheat in the old days - first along the site, and then across. Immediately after this, it is necessary to thoroughly loosen the soil, for example, with a rake. This is to ensure that all seeds are under a layer of earth.
A rake is best taken as a fan for gardening. Heavy metal rakes or with large teeth can hide seeds too deeply or rake them together. Depth should not exceed 1.5 cm.
The next step is to compact the earth with a skating rink. If he is not, ordinary skis will come to the rescue, which you need to be like on the lawn. A small area of the lawn can be easily tamped with a wide board. It is laid on the ground and trampled on it properly.
Then they shift the board further until all the ground is crushed. Before this site can be sprinkled with peat. After all work, the lawn needs to be watered. As soon as the grass sprouts, weeds will surely appear. You do not need to pull them out, as all the grass will still need to be mowed. And annual weeds will disappear over time.
Lawn mowing
Naturally, from time to time the lawn is subject to mowing. Its density and appearance depend on this. The main thing is that the knives are very sharp. If the lawnmower starts tearing grass during mowing, it will quickly turn yellow. Also, you can not cut the lawn immediately after rain or watering.
In this case, the cutting height is very important. The first mowing is made quite high - the grass should not be lower than 6 cm. Next, you need to cut the grass, depending on what type of lawn. An ordinary lawn reaches about 5 cm, and a ground grass - 3-4 cm. If you mow very low, the grass will weaken and will not be able to get the amount of nutrients necessary for root formation. If you cut the lawn above the established norm, then soon the small-leaved plants will be drowned out by broad-leaved ones.
Often gardeners make some serious mistakes, for example, mow the lawn very low or do it irregularly. The grass weakens, and weeds such as moss or bryozoan begin to “muffle” it. Mowing the lawn is necessary depending on the time of year, soil moisture, etc. It is best to do this once a week or, for example, when the grass grows by 1.5–2 cm.
If the lawn is not mowed for a very long time, then immediately cutting the grass under the root is not recommended. First you need to cut off the top a little, and mow the right amount in a few days.In autumn, mowed hay can not be removed from the lawn, but left for natural organic recharge.
Lawn Care
Water the lawn, especially young, only with the help of special sprayers. If you do this from a hose or watering can, you can damage the roots of the grass. The earth should be moistened by 6–7 cm. If the weather is dry, then you need to water the lawn every day. Especially if the grass has just sprouted.
Sowing and growing lawn grass is not difficult. But it is important to know how to do it right and not to forget about the constant care of the lawn. If in time to fertilize and water the grass, then it will delight the owners for a long time with its well-groomed appearance.
Video: how to sow lawn grass with your own hands
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