Lawn Construction - 3

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Sowing grass seeds

It is best to sow seeds in spring or autumn when the soil is warm and moist enough, but you can also in summer if you can ensure regular watering. When sowing in the fall, the main thing is to correctly calculate the sowing time so that the grass can grow to a height of up to 10 cm before the onset of frost. The seeding rate depends on the type of soil and conditions on your site, as well as on the type of grass mixture. On average, 30-50 g / m2 is needed, and on light sandy soils the seeding rate is less than 30-40 g / m2, and on heavy (clay, loam) - 40-50 g / m2. When sowing below the recommended rate, seedlings will be sparse, and the weed can "clog" the grass. When sowing more than normal, the plants will be very weak due to lack of nutrients and water in the soil.

If the soil on your plot is not fertile enough, then regardless of whether you applied the main fertilizer or not, before sowing, scatter the "starting" fertilizer on the soil surface, because seeds and young seedlings are especially active in consuming nutrients in the first stages of life, developing a powerful root system and strong shoots. Any mineral fertilizer containing, first of all, nitrogen, as well as phosphorus and potassium, is suitable as a starting one.

Seeds are usually sown in calm weather, you can immediately after you have finished loosening the soil and leveled its surface. This is done in order to avoid the formation of footprints or the seed drill on loose soil. For a more even burial of seeds, compact the topsoil just before seeding with a roller or wide board. You can use a bar: it is tied with a rope to the shoes and, stepping carefully, they tamp the lawn with it. With an ordinary or fan rake, loosen the topsoil to a depth of 3 cm. Seeds are usually sown by hand, but sometimes special seeders are used to distribute seeds more evenly over the soil surface. Mix seeds with dry loose earth, sand, or starter fertilizer (if not already applied). Divide this mixture into two equal parts,scatter one part with your hands on the surface of the soil along the site, and the other part across. So that the seeds are not blown away by the wind, so that they are not pecked by birds, it is necessary to sprinkle them with a layer of earth or peat 1.5-2 cm high and slightly compact. Sometimes the seeds are protected from birds by covering the lawn with nets.

Sowing seeds ends with abundant watering. Do this in the evening, as the evaporating moisture can do more harm than good to the seeds during daytime watering. Water with gentle irrigation or sprinkling to avoid gullies. Before germination, the soil should be constantly moist, watering it is necessary several times a day, especially in warm weather. Do not walk on the future lawn at this time! When the seedlings reach a height of 3 cm, the soil can be compacted again with the same roller or board. Grass shoots rise quickly after the skating rink.

Any lawn retains its attractiveness until weeds emerge. Therefore, you should know weeds and the main reasons for their growth. On the newly created lawns, annuals appear most often, the seeds of which are carried by the wind: quinoa, shepherd's purse, wood lice. They can be very numerous, but if mowed before insemination, they do not pose a great danger. It is much more difficult to deal with perennial weeds, the rhizomes of which remain in the soil. The most dangerous and difficult to eradicate species are those that adapt well to mowing. These are rosette and creeping species: dandelion, blackhead, plantain, daisy. On lawns with constant watering, moisture-loving weeds are fixed: creeping clover, cinquefoil goose, creeping buttercup, recumbent bryozoan, penny's loosestrife. Drought-resistant euphorbia weeds, cuff,bindweed are suppressed with regular watering of the lawn.

Selective herbicides specially designed for lawns can be a good addition to proper agronomic care. They destroy all plants except cereals. There are domestic preparations: 2.4 D sodium salt, 2.4 - dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2 M – 4 X sodium salt, 2 - methyl 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid. These substances, non-toxic to people, do not spoil clothes, but have an unpleasant odor and are destructive to the roots of fruit trees. They have a limited scope. German firms produce milder herbicides: Banvel M and Maid. They are dissolved in water - 7.5 ml per 10 liters and the lawn is watered from a watering can. One package of 50 ml is enough to cover an area of 25 m. For lawns littered with moss, the liquid herbicide Gaseous is intended, which is used in early spring.