The lawn always looks beautiful on the plot. Soft and fresh grass gives the area a well-groomed appearance. Sometimes, without a lawn, the landscape design of the territory looks unfinished, incomplete.
Let's talk about how to choose planting material and how to plant lawn grass yourself on your site.
As soon as the gardener decides on the type of garden lawn, he can already start sowing the grass mixture. But it should be borne in mind that even the best planting material will not be able to show successful results without proper preparation of the site for sowing the lawn. This moment is the key on the way to a beautiful and well-groomed area sown with green grass.
Site preparation
Here are some rules and guidelines for preparing the site for sowing the lawn, as well as preparation for laying a rolled type of lawn.
First of all, you need to remove absolutely all debris from the site, remove the roots of trees and stumps, as well as all the root systems of shrubs. The remains of trees and bushes left in the soil can provoke the appearance of grebes in a grassy area.
It is necessary to remove the top sod layer of soil using a conventional shovel or a special machine. The method with a shovel will require skill and physical strength from the gardener. This is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. Cutting the sod layer is a faster and less energy-intensive method. Yes, and in this way you can better prepare the soil.
If there are a lot of weeds on the site, then it is imperative to use herbicides, for example, Roundup. After applying the drug, dead plants should be completely removed. It should be borne in mind that plants such as dandelion or clover have a developed root system, and even with manual weeding, the remaining part of the rhizome will eventually grow and sprout sooner or later.
Lot leveling
This is an important step on the way to a successful lawn planting. 
The area must be level as much as possible. Specialists in planting an English lawn even use a building level when leveling the ground. This is justified, because this is the only way to get a perfect lawn surface as a result.
Terrain planning should be done only in dry and clear weather. At the same time, the slope can not be removed, its presence will even help drain excess water on rainy days. But even such a slope should have a perfectly even relief.
Holes and bumps in the ground can be leveled in two ways:
- remove the layer of soil from the bumps and move it to the recesses and pits,
- fill the lowlands with fertile soil taken from other sites.
If there is no fertile soil, then it may well be replaced by a purchased soil mixture or peat soil. If the soil on the site is clayey and heavy, then in order to make it more permeable to water and air, you need to mix it with river sand.
Ideal soil parameters for growing lawn grass, per 100 grams of soil:
- acidity 5.5-6.5 pH;
- humus - 2.5 - 3.5%;
- nitrogen and nitrogen compounds - 10 milligrams;
- phosphorus - 15-25 milligrams;
- potassium: 20-30 milligrams;
- copper and zinc.
Drainage
If necessary, the soil must be present drainage layer. This is an optional step, but necessary in some cases.
Any instruction for planting a lawn says that you need to properly arrange drainage. If the place of sowing is not flooded and not subject to spring floods, then in this case the usual digging and fertilization will be sufficient. In other cases, it is necessary to create a drainage system. This process must be combined with leveling the ground.
If the soil on the site is often flooded with water or it stands on it, then in this case it is simply impossible to do without drainage.
When leveling the terrain of the site, you need lay the removed layer of soil on top of the drainage laid in two layers. The bottom layer consists of coarse gravel, and the top layer consists of sand or small gravel. So, a three-layer base will appear at the landing site of the green carpet. It looks something like this:
- the upper 15–20 centimeters of the layer is fertile soil,
- below is 15 centimeters of sand or gravel,
- further 15 centimeters of gravel.
In addition, each layer must be carefully compacted.
The type of drainage directly depends on the size of the site, the location of groundwater and other factors that need to be discussed separately.
There are times when the lawn is located near the foundation, then you need to lay French drainage, which can be done by hand. This is especially true in small areas.
Soil treatment and final cleaning
In a small area, soil can be cultivated with a shovel or fork. You need to dig the earth 20 centimeters deep. If the humus layer is thin, then the depth may be less. In this case, it is imperative to feed the soil with organic fertilizers and add river sand to it. Lawn grass does not like depleted soil and simply will not grow on it.
Lumps of earth must be broken, otherwise the soil will settle unevenly and this will not allow you to properly level the relief of the site. You can break up lumps with a rake, shovel or pitchfork. During this, it is necessary to simultaneously clear the earth of stones, debris, weeds, as well as the remains of plant rhizomes.
If the area for planting is large, then it is best to use a motor cultivator.
If sowing is planned in the spring, then it is recommended to prepare the site in the fall. Then earthen clods can be left until the sowing period. This will improve drainage. It is necessary to level and break lumps before direct landing.
Before proceeding with ramming, and this is the next stage in preparing the site, you need to drive stakes around the entire perimeter and pull a rope over them. Next, you need to ideally adjust the level of the rope, the straight line of which should be 180 °. For accuracy, you can use the building level.
Rammer
Soil compaction This is a very important step in site preparation. With the help of it, possible voids are removed from the thickness of the soil and thereby the unevenness of the relief of the green carpet is prevented.
You can compact the soil both with your feet and with a special roller. As a skating rink, any smooth rounded object with a radius of at least twenty centimeters is perfect. For example, it can be a large diameter metal pipe.
It is necessary to tamp the soil only in dry and clear weather. After compacting the soil with your feet, you need to remove the traces of shoes with a rake.
Needed during the whole process control the level, and if it seems that there is an unevenness somewhere, then you need to fix it right away. To do this, you can add a layer of soil or remove it.
Plot fallow
Many people ignore and skip this stage, because it takes a lot of physical strength and time to complete it. But it has a number of advantages.
Fallow aging rids the soil of roots and weed seeds. This stage is obligatory for the sowing lawn; parrying can be omitted when laying the rolled lawn.
You need to steam the plot for two months. The method consists in the constant removal of weeds and treatment with preparations - herbicides.
Currently, green manure sowing is used instead of fallowing. They are sown on the site one and a half months before planting the lawn, and before planting, the plot with plants is plowed up. It has been proven that this has a beneficial effect on the soil and enriches it.
Pre-sowing preparation
One week before the expected sowing scatter mineral fertilizers on the site and close them with a rake to a depth of five centimeters.
When loosening the soil, clods of earth should be no larger than the size of a grain of wheat.
Before sowing grass, you need to choose the most favorable day in terms of weather. Should be clear and dry. The top layer of soil should ideally be dry and the bottom layer moist.
Spring sowing is best done in April - June. When sowing in summer, abundant watering will be required, since lawn grass is very demanding on moisture and can dry out.
How to sow lawn grass in the spring on your site?
So, now let's talk about direct sowing. The grass mixture has already been bought and now it remains to proceed to the most important thing.
Getting Started:
First watering
Lawn grass sprouts, as a rule, 7-20 days after sowing. If the weather is not rainy, then the lawn should be watered regularly. But this must be done with extreme caution, a watering can with a spray or a special lawn installation that sprays water jets.
As soon as the green carpet grows to 10 centimeters, it's time for a haircut.
Conclusion
We figured out how to properly plant lawn grass in the spring on your territory. It is worth saying that if you follow all the recommendations for preparing the site for sowing lawn grass, as well as the rules for planting and care, then it is quite possible to become the owner of an ideal lawn cover on the site, which will be a highlight and decoration of the territory.
Before sowing lawn grass with your own hands, you should decide on the size and shape of the lawn, outline a place for it, mark the boundaries and completely clear the area from debris, stumps, stones, plants and turf. Groundwater drainage must be considered before creating a lawn, this is a complex and expensive, but necessary undertaking. With a high level of groundwater, you can raise the entire area by bringing soil onto it, or you can make drainage.
If the area of the future lawn is large, and you decide to arrange an underground irrigation system, then do this before creating the lawn.
If you want to use the sod that grows on your site, mow the grass on it, then cut the sod into strips 25-30 cm wide, then cut each strip into pieces 50 cm long and about 5 cm thick. Spread these pieces of sod in the shade and regularly water until planted in the desired location. If the turf is not going to be used to create a lawn, compost it by laying the pieces of turf according to the method - grass to grass, earth to earth, then water the resulting stack, and you will have excellent compost.
We remove weeds and all unnecessary from the soil
In a small area, it is quite possible to select the rhizomes of weeds by hand. You cannot skip this operation, the “undefeated” weeds will definitely take revenge and give you a lot of trouble.
If the area under the lawn is large, you can use chemical methods of weed control - treat the entire area where the sowing lawn will be sown or the lawn rolled out with a general herbicide, such as roundup.
Read the instructions carefully and use individual protection methods! After 4-5 weeks after treatment, the weeds will die. Remember, if a drop of herbicide accidentally falls on some garden plant growing next to the future lawn, it will die too. Sometimes (especially if the weather is warm and rainy) a second herbicide treatment is required.
It is strictly forbidden to bury any foreign objects such as stones, stumps, tree roots, construction debris in the ground! Unfortunately, sometimes this rule is neglected and in such places you get patches of lawn of a different color of greenery, you look unsympathetic. Remove everything superfluous from the soil under the lawn - this rule has no exceptions.
Soil preparation for the lawn
It is necessary to evaluate the soil on which your lawn will grow. If you have a loamy, fertile soil with neutral acidity, then this is just what you need! It remains to fertilize it a little and the lawn is ready for sowing. For fertilizer, you can use humus or compost, at the rate of 1 bucket per square meter.
Unfortunately, such soil is extremely rare, so you will have to create the soil for the lawn yourself. If you work hard, you can create a good lawn in any soil situation, you just need to carefully prepare the soil, sow good seeds, do everything carefully and on time.
If the soil is clay, before digging it is necessary to add, in addition to the above fertilizers, a bucket of coarse-grained river sand per 1 m2.
Sandy and sandy loamy soils are light, it is a pleasure to cultivate them, but there are few nutrients in them, and even they are quickly washed out, work and work with such soils - apply a lot of organic and mineral fertilizers, and also water frequently. To "weight" such soils, you need to add clay and compost to them.
Not the best option and the creation of a lawn on drained peatlands. Peat is an unsuitable soil for a lawn, it consists of undecomposed organic matter. Plants (including lawn grasses!) on peat are starving. Such soil should be dug up with sand, compost, humus, as well as mineral fertilizers with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium.
Acidic soil must be deacidified using ground limestone or dolomite flour, making doses corresponding to the initial acidity.
So, pour soil-improving additives on the surface of the existing soil in layers - sand or clay, peat, deoxidizers if necessary, do not forget about mineral and organic fertilizers - and carefully dig with a shovel (this is best) or a walk-behind tractor (this is simpler and lighter) until completely homogeneous, carefully choosing weeds.
Digging the soil
Digging is the hardest physical work in creating a lawn. You need to dig to the depth of the shovel bayonet! In the process of digging, be sure to select the remaining weeds, roots and stones, and also carefully break up the clods of earth, the clods should not be more than 1 cm (it’s convenient to remember - no more than a corn grain).
Soil clods are broken up with feet, a rake or a cultivator. If this work is done by hired workers, carefully control the process, careful digging is one of the most important operations in creating a lawn.
Soil leveling (planning)
The next important step is leveling the soil with a rake. The soil should be perfectly flat, without depressions and mounds. Lawn soil preparation must be carried out in dry weather.
Soil leveling
When leveling and subsequent tamping, be sure to make a slope from the house of 3-15 degrees. If you are developing a new site, and it is supposed to lay engineering communications, a road-path network, an automatic irrigation system, then this is done after the vertical layout, but before the lawn is laid.
Soil leveling
Soil rolling
It is absolutely necessary to further compact the soil well with a roller or rammer. The rammer is a log, to the bottom of which a sheet of thick plywood is nailed (it will ram it!), And a small stick is nailed to the top, which you will hold on to with both hands. Light plastic rollers are now sold, which are filled with sand or water on site.
The site should be compacted so that there are no footprints on the soil prepared for sowing the lawn. Walk in sneakers - and you will see if the sown area is properly prepared. It’s good to wait a month and a half after that, moistening the soil and destroying the emerging weeds, but in extreme cases, if you can’t bear it at all, water the soil and wait at least a week or two.
How to sow a lawn with your own hands?
So, the soil for the lawn is prepared, the mixture of lawn grasses is selected, the required amount is purchased. And how to calculate this required amount?
The seeding rate of lawn grasses in the literature ranges from 30 to 50 g/m2, it seems to me that the most optimal seeding rate is 50 g/m2. My own experience, as well as that of my neighbors and garden buddies, confirms this. When calculating the weight of seeds for your lawn, be sure to add reserve seeds (1 kg / hundred acres), next spring the lawn will have to be sown somewhere. For example, if you need to sow a hundred square meters of land, then you need to buy 0.05 kg / m2 x 100 m2 + 1 kg = 6 kg of lawn seeds.
Sowing the lawn can be done at any time, starting from spring (when the earth has already dried up) and up to the end of August, the main thing is that the weather is calm and not rainy.
On a base carefully prepared according to all the rules described above, we sow the seeds of lawn grasses. A lawn whose area exceeds one hundred square meters can be divided into several equal parts by making borders using thin sticks or shallow grooves.
Then divide the seeds into the same number of equal parts, this technique will help you sow more evenly if you are not yet an experienced "lawn planter". Along the paths, blind areas and borders of flower beds, you need to sow thicker. Use it if you are sowing by hand or if you are using a lawn seeder. It is necessary to sow in such a direction as to go from the sown part to the not yet sown part, and not vice versa.
lawn seeding
After sowing, it is advisable to either slightly rake the area with a rake (shallow, to a depth of no more than 1 cm!), Or sprinkle it with a thin layer of humus, compost or black peat (0.5 cm). For light soils, you can roll the soil with the sown seeds again, this accelerates the emergence of seedlings and increases the intensity of their growth, it is better not to do this on heavy clay soils. Seeds will germinate better if you cover a freshly sown lawn with white lutrasil, in addition, lutrasil will protect the seeds from birds.
Lay the sheets of lutrasil overlap, connecting them with metal studs or long nails, inserting them into the ground.
Make sure the soil stays constantly moist. This is very important, the seeds lie almost on the surface, so the top layer should not dry out. If the weather is dry, then daily watering is required with a watering can or a hose with a sprinkler, a strong jet is completely unacceptable.
Lawn watering
If there is no watering during this period during the drought, the seeds may sprout and dry out, and the lawn will not work. 5-14 days after sowing, good fresh seeds begin to germinate. When the grown grass begins to lift the lutrasil, remove it. If you delay and do not remove the lutrasil in time, then the grass will grow into it, and you will remove the non-woven material along with the newborn seedlings.
At first, lawn seedlings look unsightly, this is usually very frustrating for the owners, but do not worry, if you look after them and care for them correctly, it will not be long before the lawn becomes one of your garden treasures. The first 3-4 weeks after the emergence of seedlings, walking on the lawn is not allowed categorically, try not to walk on the lawn of the first year of life at all!
If you need to destroy a weed that has suddenly formed, approach it along a laid wide board. If the weather is dry, daily watering of a young lawn is absolutely necessary! When the grass grows to the width of the palm, which is about 10-12 cm, it should be mowed for the first time, most often this happens about a month after sowing.
The first mowing is best done at the highest cutting level of your mower, most often it is 6-7 cm. The lawn mower knife should always be sharp, this is especially important during the first mowing, a blunt knife will simply tear out the still weakly rooted grass.
Only use a lawn mower with a grass catcher. Well, then you should mow weekly, gradually reducing the height of the haircut, bringing it eventually to a low level, somewhere around 2-3 cm. A young lawn requires careful manual weeding. With proper preparation of the soil for the lawn, he does not need top dressing in the first year.
Video: how to sow lawn grass with your own hands
It would seem, what could be easier than growing grass? Meanwhile, in order to get a well-groomed green lawn, it is necessary not only to properly plant the lawn grass, but also to prepare the soil for planting, and subsequently properly care for the young lawn.
Lawn types
A lawn is not necessarily short green grass cut in a classic style. It can be flowering - Moorish or meadow, sports - resistant to abrasion, or garden. The choice of seeds for sowing and subsequent care, for example, the frequency of cutting and top dressing, watering and aeration, depends on the type of lawn. Soil preparation for different types of lawns is carried out according to a single technology.
When is the best time to sow the lawn?
There are no hard and fast rules for seeding a lawn. It is necessary to take into account the time for preparing the site, soil, for the germination of grass. That is why the best time to start work on the design of the lawn is the period from mid-May to early September. On average, seeding and germinating a lawn takes 4 to 6 weeks and is best completed before snow and frost.
Site preparation
The first and most important stage is the marking of the future lawn, its cleaning from weeds and leveling. Careful preparation will save you from weeding and make it easier to mow an already grown lawn. The time required to prepare the site is from 1 to 4 weeks.
Fertilization and soil preparation
The second stage, at which favorable conditions are laid for the rapid and friendly emergence of seedlings of lawn grass and its subsequent growth. The need for fertilizer depends on the type of soil. It should be fertile, loose, pass and retain moisture well and contain a sufficient amount of elements to ensure rapid growth. Lead time - from 3 to 7 days.
Seeding rates are usually indicated on the seed packaging, for different types of lawns they may vary. Do not save on quantity - the "bald spots" on your lawn will not remain bare for long, very soon they will be occupied by weeds, and you will have to repeat everything again. The time required to sow the grass is short - if the lawn is small, you can do it in a day.
Lawn care
During the period of germination and rapid growth of grass, regular maintenance is necessary for the lawn. It consists in regular watering, removing the remaining weeds, as well as cutting young grass. Before the first haircut, walking on the lawn is not recommended.
A two to three year old lawn with evenly growing grass is considered mature. Such a lawn needs not only watering and mowing, but also aeration, as well as additional fertilization. At the same time, a strong and healthy root system will not allow weeds to sprout and seeds that accidentally fall, and your lawn will delight you with juicy green grass for a long time.
With your own hands, you will have to work hard and take into account many factors: what seeds to choose, when to sow lawn grass, how to prepare the soil for sowing, how to sow and how to care. We will figure out how to get a green cover with our own hands in the country, avoiding annoying mistakes in the form of “bald patches” and “bald spots”.
Sowing the lawn: choose the time
There is no clear and unambiguous rule when it is best to sow lawn grass in time. Sowing a lawn in the country can be carried out from the beginning of spring, when the soil has warmed up enough, and until the autumn frosts. Each landing time has its own advantages:
- spring is a very auspicious time, because quick and friendly shoots are best obtained when there is no heat and the soil is moist. But along with the lawn, overwintered weeds will sprout abundantly.
- planting a lawn in the fall can be done in two ways. The first, in early September, so that in the time remaining before frost, the plants sprout, take root well and have enough time to process them before winter. Sowing time is determined based on the fact that it will take 4-6 weeks to complete all the work.
- The second way is planting before winter, the introduction of seeds into the already frozen ground, but even before the formation of a stable snow cover. During the winter, the sown seeds will go through the process of stratification, become more resistant to diseases and, with the onset of heat, in sufficiently moist soil, will hatch together
- during summer planting, the soil is well warmed up, weeds appear much less often, until the time when frosts begin, the lawn will take root well. The disadvantage of such a planting is that at a temperature of more than + 25 °, almost all seeds lose their germination. So before landing, carefully study the forecast - it is better not to pick up a warm rainy week.
How to plant a lawn: step by step instructions
Growing a beautiful lawn in the country with your own hands is not easy, you must strictly adhere to a certain sequence.
Site preparation
A carefully prepared and leveled area before sowing lawn grass will save you many problems in further lawn care. Work begins with the marking of the future lawn, based on the general plan of the site and landscape design style in the country. After that, they go directly to land work:
- treatment of the site with a herbicide - the May young vegetation is most susceptible to the effects of herbicides. Some areas that are abundantly overgrown with weeds, whose seeds have increased germination, will have to be treated several times, the interval between spraying is two weeks
- cleaning the site - after the herbicide-treated vegetation withers and dries, the site must be cleaned of debris, old stumps, shrub roots, dried grass
A neatly trimmed lawn of any size creates a cozy atmosphere that induces a state of peace. Trees and flower beds look more attractive against the background of a green carpet, a recreation area with a lawn is conducive to relaxation, the site as a whole looks well-groomed and tidy. But how to sow lawn grass right? It is this issue, dear, summer residents and owners of country houses, that we have on the agenda.
Lawn - what is it and why?
A lawn is a grass carpet made from specially selected herbs. It can be used as an element of landscape decor or serve as a backdrop for other plants and structures.
There are several reasons to sow lawn grass in the garden or in the country:
Calms the look
cools the earth
drowns out weeds;
serves as a backdrop for ornamental plants.
What kind of lawn do you need?
Sowing a plot of land can be dictated by various needs. Depending on this, lawns are divided into several types:
Parterre. It plays an exclusively decorative role, because of the choice of especially delicate and rich in color vegetation, as well as constant thorough care.
Sports. A prime example is the football field. It is intended for movement on it, which is why it requires the selection of hardy types of grass that are prone to rapid recovery. Creating a sports lawn is the most expensive.
Garden. Usually large and used for picnics. Plants should also be selected hardy.
Universal. As the name implies, this type of lawn is suitable for any purpose, as the plants for it are selected both highly decorative and resistant at the same time.
Parterre lawn in the country Where to sow lawn grass?
Having decided that there will be a lawn at your dacha, plan in advance where it will be, taking into account some recommendations:
It is best to place the lawn in the sun or in partial shade, as most varieties of grasses do well only in such conditions. There are also shady lawns, but the list of vegetation suitable for them is strictly limited.
It is best to create a grass carpet on a flat surface. In the case of sowing grass on a steep slope, it is necessary to lay a special grid so that the layer of fertile soil that will be superimposed on top of it does not slip down.
Places where water stagnates are not suitable for sowing lawn grass.
How to prepare for sowing?
Preparation for creating a lawn includes the following actions:
1. Manually or with the help of herbicides, first of all, remove all weeds. Also, the site must be cleared of stumps, snags and stones.
2. The cleaned area should be dug deep, choosing all the roots.
3. You need to make every effort to level the site, otherwise it will be problematic to take care of the lawn.
4. For the beauty of the lawn, the ground under it must be fertilized in advance with special substances. It is advisable to add peat and black earth to clay and sandy soil.
Sowing lawn grass - all the subtleties
When to sow? It is best to do this in autumn or spring. Winter is definitely not suitable. The ideal time for sowing a lawn is autumn, because at this time there is a lot of rainfall and few weeds. If you stop at fall sowing, stop at September or the first frost period.
How to sow seeds? Small grass seeds should be evenly distributed over the area. Mixing them with sand or using a special seeder helps to achieve this. However, it can be done with just one hand. First sow the seeds lengthwise and then across. Approximate consumption - 30 g / m².
After sowing, you need to carefully walk around the site with a rake so that the seeds deepen. From above, you can create a shelter from peat. Now it is desirable to treat the site with a roller and water it through a sprayer. For the first week, the future lawn should be watered daily and only through a sprayer.
How to properly care for the lawn?
In order for the grass carpet to be thick and lush, it is necessary to properly care for it. Mandatory activities include:
Regular lawn mowing to ensure aesthetics.
Watering should be especially thorough after planting and mowing the grass. The rest of the time as needed (no surpluses).
Starting from the second year after sowing, it is necessary to feed the lawn grass with special mineral mixtures. For the first year, the plants will have enough of those substances that are in the soil after the preparatory fertilizer.
In autumn, you need to carefully rid the lawn of organic residues.
How to choose grass seeds for your lawn?
The choice of seeds depends entirely on the location of the grass carpet and its purpose. The limiting factor is the climatic conditions of our region. What do designers recommend? Choose a mixture of seeds for sowing, the main part of which is:
Bluegrass meadow;
the bent is thin;
red fescue.
Bluegrass lawn These grasses tolerate temperature extremes well, multiply quickly and create such a dense turf that other plants have no chance to break through it. If you want quick results after sowing, use a seed mix that includes meadow fescue.
For a shady lawn, oak bluegrass is suitable. If you need to sow a flooded area, choose swamp bluegrass. For the parterre lawn, the most delicate dog bent grass is ideal. True, such a lawn will please you for only 5 years.
To create a beautiful and neat green carpet on a suburban area, it is important to know how to sow lawn grass correctly. No less serious should be the choice of plants suitable for the climate and specific growing conditions. With the right choice and sowing, it will be enough just to water, fertilize and mow the lawn in time so that it pleases with its aesthetics.
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