Let's define what a "lawn" is? A lawn is understood as an area on which herbaceous plants grow in a dense cover, subjected to periodic mowing. More often used perennial cereal grasses: ryegrass, bluegrass, fescue.
There is a wide variety of types of lawns, but how to create a lawn with your own hands in a simple way and with a light further care? This is an ordinary garden lawn with a mowing height of 20-40 mm. Other types, such as parterre, Mauritanian, for golf fields, for football fields require large material and physical costs. For people who want to enjoy their lawn, it is best to stick to the principle of minimum maintenance.
We will not consider how to plant a lawn with our own hands, using ready-made rolls. Despite the speed of laying the finished turf, it has a number of significant drawbacks:
- high cost of turf rolls;
- high physical costs for soil preparation and laying;
- soil in rolls may not be suitable for this site;
- additional difficulties in daily work, as there is a polymer mesh in the rolls, which interferes with some important operations.
If you choose how to make a lawn, then it is better to sow seeds. With the right actions, you can get a dense turf in two months, significantly saving and facilitating further operation.
What you need to know before making a lawn with your own hands?
In the first place, oddly enough, is watering. Why exactly him? Having guaranteed irrigation on the site, regardless of any other factors, you can get any kind of lawn. Water helps plants grow and get nutrients through the roots. A growing plant can be mowed, thereby always getting a living lawn of the desired height. 
Many people think that they are ready to manually water their site daily with a hose, and it is this water regime that the lawn requires. But, sometimes, a situation arises when you need to go somewhere to relax, or there are simply very busy days when there is no time. A missed one or two waterings, especially during the hot summer months, can damage your lawn so badly that it can take months to recover. Therefore, it is desirable to have automatic watering.
Fortunately, there are now enough opportunities to do it yourself. For small area up to two acres will be required:
Such automatic system especially important when obtaining seedlings in the first 2 weeks after sowing. Watering is carried out during this period 3 times a day at a rate of 100 liters per one hundred square meters (100 sq. m.). Then, depending on the air temperature, it is watered 1 or 2 times a day, for example, in the morning and in the evening, at a rate of 50-100 liters per hundred square meters.
Seed selection. How to make a lawn with a uniform color? Uniformity lawn grass possible only if only one type of grass is used. When using a mixture, there is a possibility of getting stains different color and structures. Therefore, seeds containing 100% bluegrass are suitable for a landscape gardening lawn, it is possible to use a mixture of different varieties of bluegrass. For hot climates, it is better to use 100% cane fescue, although it has a tougher leaf, but its vitality is much higher than bluegrass. It is not recommended to use ryegrass as it has a wide leaf and does not withstand low cuts below 20mm. It is also undesirable to sow stolon-shaped bent grass. It has an aggressive growth and requires frequent combing operations, when in the mixture it crowds out other grasses, forming unsightly spots, it is difficult to mow, since the recommended height is 10 mm and below. 
What you do not need to save on is the cost of seeds. Good seeds with high germination and the desired varietal characteristics have a decent price. The producer of lawn grass seeds is also of no small importance. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to find seeds of domestic producers with good varietal characteristics, but not all imported ones may be suitable for the site. The Danish company DLF trifolium and the Dutch Barenbrug have proven themselves well.
They buy seeds with a 20% margin, in case of possible overseeding. Quite often sold seeds this season are not easy to find next.
Do-it-yourself lawn installation. Main stages
The optimal periods for creating a lawn are spring when the soil warms up above +10 degrees and autumn, when the daily air temperature is below +25 degrees. However, with guaranteed watering, shoots can be obtained even in the middle of summer.
Stage 1 Soil preparation
The site before the main work must be cleared of unnecessary shrubs and trees, old stumps, to select from the soil, if any, debris and stones with a diameter of more than 10 mm.
Apply starter fertilizers. It can be complex species, for example, Azofoska. The application rate is 30-40 g per square meter. The plot is loosened to a depth of 10-15 cm, preferably with a gasoline cultivator, which will make the soil homogeneous and loose. After that, the site is leveled with a rake and rolled with a roller. 
The main question during this period: how to make a smooth lawn? Regardless of whether there was already compacted soil on the site or new soil was brought in, after loosening and rolling it must be watered abundantly until puddles form. This will allow the soil to settle and compact evenly. Then they wait for the soil to dry out until a crust forms. If depressions and irregularities have formed on the site, then they are smoothed out again with a rake, moving first in one, then in the transverse direction.
Stage 2 Sowing
Sowing seeds can be carried out both with a seeder and manually, in the latter case the result can be even better. The seeding rate for bluegrass or cane fescue is 20-25 g per square meter. Do-it-yourself lawn planting is carried out as evenly as possible, for this they move first in one, then transverse and even diagonal directions. After sowing, it is obligatory to plant the seeds to a depth of about 1 cm. This is done carefully with a rake, without moving the soil much, otherwise bare areas without shoots may form. Even if a small part of the seeds remains on the surface, they are left and rolled with a roller in two or more directions. 
Irrigation is then installed and adjusted to the periodic watering described earlier.
Stage 3 mowing
On the 7-10th day after sowing, thin hairy shoots appear. When 3-4 true leaves appear, watering is reduced, the soil is brought to the state of drying of the upper crust, at different air temperatures it can take several days, then watered again and the frequency is set 1-2 times a day until puddles form.
For mowing, it is best to use a mower on wheels with a rotary metal blade. On a plot of up to 2 acres, an electric mower with a working width of about 35 cm with a grass collection hopper is recommended. 
First mowing - very important point to get a lawn with your own hands. After 3-4 weeks, when the seedlings reach a height of 40-50 mm, the first mowing is carried out only on dried soil. The first time the amount of grass harvested will be very small, but mowing is very important to encourage the grass to grow sideways.
The frequency of further mowing every three days. It is possible to mow painlessly for the grass no more than half of the constant height, i.e. if the usual height is 40 mm, then mowing is carried out at a height of 60 mm.
Stage 4 fertilizers
To ensure the specified frequency of mowing, it is necessary to regularly fertilize the lawn grass with nitrogen fertilizers. In the first two months, it is better to use ammonium nitrate at a dose of 10 g per square meter for top dressing; in the future, it is recommended to use urea at the same dose. The uniformity of fertilizer application must be ensured by a special disc spreader, it is not recommended to do this manually. If grass growth is very intense, more than 30 mm in 3 days, then the amount of fertilizer is reduced or completely eliminated. 
Stage 5 weeds
In any area, you can find the rhizomes of perennial weeds, and weed seeds in the soil remain viable for up to 40 years. When lawn grass seedlings appear, weeds also appear.
If time permits, a month before sowing, treat the area with a continuous herbicide, such as Hurricane, on green mass to reduce the number of perennial weeds.
It is undesirable to pull up the ascended weeds manually, as shoots of a lawn grass are damaged. After the first mowing, continuous treatment with selective herbicides, for example, Lontrel, is carried out. This will not harm the lawn grass, and the weeds will die. 
If all actions are done correctly, then after 5-6 mowings a smooth young lawn is obtained, which easily later turns into a beautiful, well-turfed carpet. We hope we have revealed the topic: how to make a lawn with your own hands.
A properly planted and grown lawn will serve you for a long time. But, wanting to get lawn grass on their site, many, especially beginner summer residents, are faced with many questions, for example: “How to choose and calculate seeds?”, “When is it better to sow a lawn - in autumn or spring?”, “What should be the layout? ”, “How to prepare the soil?”, “How to care for the lawn?”. We will try to answer these and some other questions in the article.
Did you know? The lawn is subdivided into a decorative lawn and a lawn with a special purpose. Of these, we can distinguish: sports, parterre, meadow, Mauritanian, forb.
How to choose the right lawn grass seeds
One of the most important factors for creating right lawn do-it-yourself is the correct choice of seed. First of all, you should take into account the intended purpose of the lawn, because each type requires different grasses or grass mixtures. Although the main components of almost all such mixtures are unchanged (ryegrass, fescue, bluegrass and a few others), they differ in the combination and ratio of varieties.
The choice will also depend on when you can sow lawn grass, because different types have different frost resistance and growth rates (bluegrass, for example, grows slowly in the early years), what will be the height of the planned lawn in your country house (fescue tolerates a short haircut), the quality of the turf (ryegrass is distinguished by good turf), etc.
Different grass mixtures require different soils, may differ in seeding rate and other characteristics. All useful information you should look on the packaging and be sure to read it carefully before buying.
Ask the seller if this or that mixture is suitable for your climate, when it is preferable to plant lawn grass - in spring or autumn. When choosing, consider the characteristics of your site (what is the illumination, are there ground water etc.).
Important! Pay attention to the presence of state or international certificates confirming the quality of the goods.
Lawn layout
You can plan and plant a lawn in almost any corner of your yard. Suitable and shade, and the sun, and a horizontal surface, and slopes, and sandy, and clay soils. Only the amount of material and physical effort required to plant and grow a truly beautiful and green lawn will differ in each case. It is better if it is a sunny place where melt and rainwater does not stagnate.
Before you start sowing, it is better to think over and even sketch a diagram of the future lawn. Decide if you will keep the trees, plant the flower beds, or grow individual flowers. It is necessary to plan in advance the places where the elements will be placed. landscape design, as then there may be difficulties with cutting the grown lawn.
If you will use a lawn mower, then for convenience, when you sow lawn grass, leave a distance of about 1 meter between it and curbs, walls or fences. Also, do not plant a lawn under a single tree or shrub. It is better to use decorative crumbs for tree trunks or decorate them with ground cover plants.
How to correctly calculate the number of seeds for planting
To calculate the seeding of the grass mixture for each individual type of grass included in its composition, the following formula is used, and the results are summarized. The seeding rate (kg/ha) is multiplied by the percentage of that species in the mixture and divided by the actual seed suitability. Practice shows: in order to properly sow lawn grass with your own hands, it is necessary to increase the consumption of seeds by two or even three times.
If you decide to sow only one type of grass, then simply follow the seeding rate of the selected crop. On average, it is necessary to take 30 -50 g of seed per 1 m².
Important! If you are unable to correctly calculate the required number of seeds, then you can try to find out the germination density of the variety at home. Choose ~100 seeds and plant them at home, and after a week (10 days) check the result.
When to Plant Lawn Grass – Fall or Spring
When answering the question "When to plant lawn grass - in spring or autumn?", It should be noted that there is no consensus on the most appropriate time. Sowing is possible at any time from spring to frost. Some gardeners claim that grass planted in May sprouts better, others that it will turn green faster in summer, and still others are sure that the most best time for sowing - this is autumn.
Just do not go to extremes, do not rush (sowing the lawn in the spring does not occur before the earth warms up) and do not expect snow. When planting in the fall, you should correctly calculate the time. Two options are considered optimal.
Either sow the lawn at the very beginning of autumn (then the grass will have time to sprout before frost, and you can process it for wintering), or wait for the ground to freeze, but before snow (in winter, the seed will undergo stratification, become resistant to diseases and germinate together in the spring).
When people plant lawn grass in the spring, they must take into account the need for regular watering and weed removal, which is more difficult than planting in late summer. Many experienced specialists tend to consider this period to be optimal, since the soil is well warmed up and moistened, there are much fewer weeds than in spring, and the lawn will have time to germinate well before frosts begin.
As you can see, neither the season nor the air temperature at which you will sow grass is of particular importance, each option has its own disadvantages and advantages.
Did you know? The most famous and expensive lawn is the one located near the government building of Canberra (Australia). Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent every year on its maintenance. Several dozen workers daily regulate its irrigation, taking into account the temperature, dryness of the air and other criteria.
How to prepare the soil for planting lawn grass
Regardless of the time of sowing lawn grass, it is imperative to prepare the soil for it. This is one of the most important steps in lawn laying. Remove all debris, stones, branches from the site, uproot stumps. Dig the soil to a depth of about 25 cm. Add sand to heavy soil, clay soil to sandy soil. With low fertility, it is worth taking compost. Also get rid of weeds.
A week before sowing, use a complex mineral fertilizer and spread it evenly over the area with a rake. Level the area, break up large earthen clods. Use a shovel and a rake. Level the soil again with a large board. This will help cut off the bumps and fill the hollows.
Just before sowing, compact the soil with a hand roller or board (in this case, you need to shift it around the site and move from one end to the other).
Important! Whenever you decide to equip the lawn - in spring, summer or autumn - be sure to keep in mind that the site can only be compacted in dry weather, with dry soil. And only 2-3 days before sowing lawn grass, the selected place should be watered.
How to sow the lawn: the process of planting lawn grass
The weather for sowing should be dry, calm. To distribute the seeds evenly, divide the plot into square meters and in each sow as many seeds as recommended for your chosen grass or grass mixture.
Seeds are embedded in the soil to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, first they are scattered along, and then across. If possible, use a manual seeder, it is more convenient, but you can also manually plant the lawn yourself. To prevent the seeds from being blown away by the wind, they can be sprinkled with a 1-centimeter layer of peat and rolled.
Lawn care in the country: how to grow a good and dense lawn
It is important to properly care for the lawn, because otherwise it will begin to overgrow and fade. Watering and shearing play a significant role in this process.
Features of watering a country lawn
Immediately after sowing, if the soil is dry, water the area, but carefully, with low pressure, so as not to wash the seeds. During germination and formation of sod, make sure that the lawn does not dry out. Further watering should be regular, but consider the weather conditions.
In order for the lawn to please with its beauty all summer, you need to choose good seedsTypes of lawns and their properties
The lawn differs from ordinary ground cover plants. We list its main properties:
- the grass should cover the soil with a dense layer during growth;
- it is important that in the sown area you do not have to regularly hide bald spots by sowing new grass;
- plants are required to create a dense layer of turf, which will exclude the growth of weeds;
- the grass should look neat and make you want to walk on it without shoes.
Grass growing conditions
Having dealt with the basic properties of herbs, you should think about which lawn is better to plant in the country. Experts recommend proceeding from the illumination of the site, as well as from its purpose. Gardening stores offer many seed mixes that include different varieties of plants. If you decide to use a ready-made composition, you should be aware that the mixtures may be different. We list the main types:
- Seeds for fast emergence. Green grass will cover the entire area in a short time.
- Seeds that grow well only in lighted places.
- Plants that love shade. This type of mixture is best chosen for planting in the garden near trees or on the shady side of the site.
- Universal composition. Such mixtures feel great in any conditions and will quickly cover any prepared area with a green carpet.
Purpose of the green carpet
Before sowing a lawn, it is necessary to determine its purpose. Next, you should think about the planned function of the site on which the lawn will be grown. It can be a lawn to decorate the courtyard, or a playground for children's games. It is important to study the instructions on the packaging with the mixture, which indicate under what conditions it is better to plant this variety.
For the playground, you can plant a sports lawn. In such a mixture there are seeds of plants that are not afraid of active trampling. It is this mixture of herbs that can withstand a significant load, while not losing its neat appearance, and “bald spots” will not appear on it. The composition of the seeds includes varieties of hard and elastic plants.
It is important that the playground mix does not contain plant seeds with flowers (clover). This is fraught with the fact that wasps and bees will tend to the lawn, which is not very good when there are children on the site. A child can step on a wasp or touch it with his hands.
Moorish or meadow set is a picturesque forbs. Such a lawn will bloom during the summer, and flowers with bright colors will enliven monochromatic greenery. It is easy to create a Moorish lawn with your own hands, picking up plant seeds so that the flowers replace each other all summer.
You can also buy ready mix. It is advisable to mow such grass regularly in order to get rid of dried plants, and to give new ones the opportunity to see the sun. At the same time, you should not walk on the grass, otherwise it will lose its appearance. Meadow grasses help to create a rustic feel and make the site picturesque.
In the meadow lawn there are many types of grasses and flowers that replace each other during the summer Popular Grass Varieties
There is an opinion that the best lawn is obtained from grass of one variety. Most often, in practice, grass mixtures are planted. In any case, in order to understand the properties of the future coating, it is necessary to study the characteristics of herbs. Consider the most popular cultures that are currently used:
- ryegrass English or perennial;
- fescue (festuca) red;
- bluegrass (Poa) meadow;
- filiform bent grass (Agrostis capillaris).
ryegrass english
Perennial ryegrass is a very popular grass among landscapers. Those who prefer English lawn know that ryegrass is the basis of this mixture. This plant is sensitive to lack of moisture and should be watered regularly. Feels good on dense, heavy types of soil. Due to its qualities, ryegrass requires systematic care. It is important that when mowing, the length of the remaining stems is at least 20-25 cm. This plant is relevant for the lawn, because it has undoubted advantages:
- Ryegrass sprouts quickly and well covers the entire sown surface with a dense layer of grass. Well rooted right in the year of sowing. The grass is resilient and quite soft.
- It does not lend itself to trampling, and after a load it quickly recovers and takes on a fresh look.
- Does not allow weeds to take up free space.
Perennial ryegrass has excellent characteristics and is used in turf mixtures However, before choosing ryegrass, you should consider its features. We list the most significant:
- This cereal does not like temperature changes. If the winter is snowless, it is likely that bald patches will appear on the ryegrass site.
- Poor resistance to fungal infections. In particularly humid places, ryegrass can be affected by mold.
- We have already said that this plant does not tolerate irregular watering. If the summer is sunny and rains are rare, the ryegrass may die.
Most often, ryegrass is added to mixtures for sports fields, it helps the coating withstand significant loads. It is also used in compositions intended for the regeneration of damaged lawns.
Red fescue is unpretentious, drought resistant Fescue is the most versatile crop and is added to most mixes. In this case, the plant can be of three varieties: hairy with short rhizomes, fescue without rhizomes and red fescue long-leaved.
This plant is especially popular due to the following qualities. We list the most prominent:
- Fescue is unpretentious and undemanding to care. Its ability to regenerate is medium - the plant withstands a certain load, but is inferior in resistance to some other varieties.
- Fescue grows evenly, takes root quite quickly.
- This grass can easily withstand dry summers. Fescue withers a little under the scorching sun, but very quickly gains strength after watering.
To use the qualities of the plant to the fullest, you should take into account the characteristics of each variety. For example, species of fescue with dense roots fill gaps in the grass layer well. However, they do not produce dense turf. In this regard, these varieties are used in mixtures for parks, landscapes, most often on dry soil.
Long-leaved fescue belongs to rhizomatous-loose bush grasses. Its roots form a dense turf, as they can densely germinate in several directions at once. Due to this feature, this variety is used as a base in the best mixtures for ornamental and Mauritanian lawns.
Bluegrass has an excellent ability to form dense growth, which has medium elasticity. In addition, the turf is not susceptible to damage, as it is quickly regenerated. This property is due to underground processes that instantly fill empty areas on the soil surface.
However, bluegrass also has disadvantages. The main ones are:
- slow germination after sowing, sometimes it takes him a month;
- this plant has poor resistance to diseases that can quickly destroy an entire crop.
Meadow grass meadow covers the soil with a dense, even layer of overgrowth Bluegrass is certainly used in mixtures for sports turf. This culture compacts the top layer of the coating, while at the same time increasing its resistance to stress. Since the bluegrass regenerates well, it quickly closes the damaged areas. Its seeds are also added to the mixture for the Mauritanian lawn, which is the easiest to create with your own hands. There are elite varieties of this grass, their feature is narrow leaves. These types of plants are mainly used in mixtures for ornamental lawns.
The main property of the filamentous bent is the inability to withstand significant loads. To increase the resistance to trampling, it is recommended to mow the bent grass, leaving the length of the stems 5-10 cm. The second disadvantage can be called slow germination, sometimes the bent grass begins to grow only a month after sowing. In addition, grass grows rather slowly, especially at the beginning. The field needs to be watered systematically, maintaining a high level of moisture. Lawns in which this plant occupies a significant proportion often form turf felt. You can fight it by cutting through the top layer of turf.
The filiform bent has the following advantages. The main advantage is the beautiful and dense layer of greenery that forms on the surface. Another undoubted advantage is the ability of grass to grow on dry soils in which there are few nutrients.
Filamentous bent grass can grow on poor soils, but is easily trampled The bentgrass is commonly used in golf turf mixes. The best decorative mixtures almost always contain bent grass and red fescue.
Secondary Lawn Grass Types
We talked about the most popular herbs that are used for lawns. However, other plants are also used, which are often added to lawn mixtures. If the composition of the mixture is selected independently, it is worth buying plant seeds that have good frost resistance and do not require too complicated care. However, most lawn grasses below have their own characteristics that you should be aware of.
This plant is suitable for those who do not want to cut the grass often. The grass produces shoots that creep along the ground, after which they take root. It turns out a grassy carpet of bright color, which quickly fills with itself all the free areas. The disadvantage of such a lawn is that the shoots are lighter than the main lawn, which makes the color of the area uneven, too colorful.
The shoot-bearing bent grass forms an even grassy carpet that does not need to be cut often. Different types of bluegrass
Bluegrass comes in different varieties: narrow-leaved, oaky, marsh. All of them are often used in lawn mixtures, but each variety has its own characteristics:
- Bolotny loves moist soils, so it can be sown in areas without drainage. This plant forms a dense cover, with a dense root system, it can be mowed regularly. The marsh bluegrass lives only 4-5 years, after which it must be sown.
- Dubravny (also called upland) loves shade, so it is sown near trees with a branched crown, in the shade of a house, near a fence. In contrast to the marsh, the oak bluegrass has a weaker root system. In this regard, it will not withstand frequent mowing, and also weakens from a significant load.
- The narrow-leaved or flattened bluegrass grows quickly and fills any area well. The disadvantage is the short life span - such grass will please the owner for no more than 5-6 years. Also, its special property is considered to be uneven coloring; in this regard, bluegrass is not used by professional designers. The flattened bluegrass produces shoots of increased rigidity, which does not allow you to enjoy a soft rug. This type of lawn is only good for decorative purposes.
A noticeable advantage of this type of grass is its rapid germination - two months after sowing, the lawn is completely ready. Meadow fescue can be used as a temporary cover as it only lives for 4-5 years.
Often it is used as an addition to the main type of lawn - due to rapid growth fescue fills any piece of land. The disadvantage of weed is a weak root system - fescue is afraid of the load, so it is not often used as the main one.
Meadow fescue will please with good germination bent dog
Dog bent grass is a grass that has excellent decorative qualities. It has a bright emerald color, and its leaves have a velvety surface. A weak root system, as well as a short lifespan, do not allow the use of dog fescue as a cover for sports or playgrounds. At the same time, this grass is often grown to create Moorish and parterre, that is, decorative lawns.
This grass is not often used as a lawn. Clover loves sunny areas, and usually does not take root in the shade. Resistant to trampling, it improves soil quality. The disadvantage is uneven coloring. In addition, clover is a well-known honey plant. Its flowers produce a lot of sweet nectar, attracting bees to them. In this regard, clover is not planted where there are children.
White clover will quickly fill the lawn, but it is not recommended to use it on the playground DIY clover lawn
Despite the shortcomings, white clover can become good coverage for any site. In order for this grass to perform the functions of a lawn, it must be planted according to the rules. Competent site preparation, selection of seeds and timely care will allow you to get a spectacular and presentable green lawn near the house. This plant has obvious advantages:
- a strong root system will displace any weed from its environment;
- excellent decorative effect;
- a dense carpet of green leaves will completely cover any area;
- clover stems do not grow tall, which means that a haircut is not required;
- grows well without special care - plants do not need to be watered often, or fed;
- clover is not so easy to trample - it is very resistant to stress;
- good growth rate;
- the plant provides saturation of the soil with nitrogen, which makes it more fertile;
- clover can be planted on any land with a variety of terrain.
It is important to know that clover coating also has disadvantages. The following nuances should be taken into account:
- if other flowers are planted nearby, clover will block their living space;
- sometimes the grass growth rate is too high - clover quickly absorbs a new area;
- the plant retains moisture, which can make the surface of the site quite slippery.
Clover must be grown in a well-lit area. Instructions for planting clover
Next, we will tell you how to plant clover in the country with your own hands. This plant is quite unpretentious, it does not require systematic watering, top dressing. However, to obtain a uniform coating, several conditions must be observed. First, you need to choose the right place. It can be a sunny area, or partial shade. Secondly, clover should be sown at the end of spring. Next, you need to do this.
Mastering a new suburban area, many plan to arrange a lawn. If the land in the chosen place is flat, some kind of grass grows on it, you can just start mowing it regularly - and you will have a green lawn. But if there was a forest on the site of the site, or the land needs to be dug for other reasons, you will have to start planting the lawn in accordance with all the rules. We will tell you how to make a lawn in the country with your own hands, what kind of lawn grass to buy, how often the lawn needs watering and mowing.
What is a lawn? This is a specially arranged, leveled area, sown with various turf-forming or creeping low-growing plants. Lawns can be sports, decorative and special purposes.
Sports lawns are created at stadiums, hippodromes and other sports grounds. Special-purpose lawns are needed at airfields, slopes of highways and railways, hydraulic and other structures. Decorative lawns adorn gardens, parks, city boulevards, backyards and summer cottages. Depending on the location and composition of growing herbs, they are divided into the following classes.
First class (highest) - parterre lawns. They are created in the main parts of the architectural composition of the garden, near fountains, sculptural groups, ornamental ponds etc. The main requirement when designing parterres is that the area of the main background should prevail over the area of flower beds and other details in the composition. If the area of flower beds is equal to the area of the herbal base or prevails over it, the impression of fragmentation and variegation is created, there is no integrity in the perception of the whole picture.
The second class is landscape gardening lawns. They must be decorative, long-term, shade-tolerant, resistant to mechanical damage, and also drought-resistant under certain conditions. Herbs in this case must be selected with a solid turf and various types tillering.
Third class - meadow lawns. They are created by improving the existing herbage, surface treatment of the turf and overseeding with appropriate grass mixtures.
Lawns have been known for over 3,000 years. We find the first mention of grass-sowing in the Bible, both in the old and in the new Testament. In Persia, so-called grass carpets were created in gardens before the new era. Hundreds of years before the new era, one of the first lawns was created in the Chinese imperial park Cheu.
Do-it-yourself lawn: site preparation
First of all, carefully remove debris from the site (stones, bricks, slabs, boards and chips, foil, plastic bottles, bags, film). Never bury rubbish in the ground. This will create unfavorable conditions for the growth and development of grasses. Plants in the places of such burial grounds will lag behind in growth, overwinter poorly, and get sick.
The soil for the lawn should be sufficiently moisture-absorbing so that the plants do not experience a lack of moisture. At the same time, water should not accumulate on it, as this leads to the loss of plants. Drainage obligatory in those areas where water stagnates after snow melting, rains, irrigation. Arrange it as follows.
Take off fertile layer. A layer of gravel (10-15 cm) is laid on the infertile subsoil and compacted. Then a layer of sand (10 cm) is poured and also compacted. Fertile soil (10-15 cm) is sprinkled on top, rolling it with a roller weighing at least 100 kg. The skating rink can be replaced with a barrel by pouring water into it.
On heavy clay soils before digging, from 10 to 15 kg / m2 of sand are added and, digging, mix it with the soil. On light sandy soils add 4-5 kg/m2 of peat.
Digging the soil- one of the most necessary and difficult activities in preparation for sowing. The time for digging the site is dictated by the weather: the soil should be slightly damp, not dry. During digging, it is necessary to carefully select and remove stones, roots of trees and shrubs, perennial weeds from the site, and break up clods of earth.
The earth is compacted when it is slightly weathered and dries out after digging. Using a long (2-3 m) flat board, tying a rope along the edges and dragging it around the site, check whether its surface is sufficiently leveled. Stomp on the site, walk along it in small steps. When trampling down, do not let go of the rake: level the ground, collect stones, roots, debris. In addition, it is advisable to walk on the ground with a skating rink.
After digging, compacting and leveling, it is recommended to keep the area under fallow and for several (4-6 or more) weeks to destroy weeds, dormant seeds or pieces of rhizomes that will gradually germinate. To stimulate the germination of weeds, the site is watered immediately after leveling. These procedures take a lot of time, but very effectively clear the site of weeds.
In Europe, lawns appeared after the Crusades. Since the 16th century, they began to arrange lawns for various games. First in the Netherlands for golf. Then this game (and for her, the lawn!) spread widely in Scotland and England, and later in the USA.
IN late XIX century sports lawns appeared in Russia. The first lawn mower was invented by Edwin Budding in 1830 in Great Britain. English landowners can also be considered the pioneers of lawn laying: it was in the first half of the 19th century that the types of grasses that gave the best results when sown were selected.
Lawn grasses, lawn planting and watering
For sowing, as a rule, mixtures of herbs are used, and not certain types. A mixture of several (3-5) types of grass adapts and survives on the site more easily under various weather conditions than lawn grass of the same type.
The mixtures usually include the following types of grasses: fescue (red, sheep, reed), bent grass (thin, or shoot-bearing), meadow bluegrass, perennial ryegrass. They are unpretentious, have a low growth rate, high winter hardiness and drought resistance, actively resist pathogens, pests and weeds.
How many seeds are needed for sowing? Sow 40-50 g / m2, or 4-5 kg per 1 weave. When buying seeds, keep in mind that in the spring next year for overseeding and repairing the lawn, an additional approximately 0.5 to 1 kg of seeds per hundred square meters will be required. When stored for a year, the germination of seeds decreases, but slightly (by 1-2%).
The best time to sow a lawn- spring (May) or late summer (second half of August), when the soil is warm and there is enough moisture. You can sow throughout the summer, even in the very heat, if you regularly water the plants and protect the crops with covering material (lutrasil, spunbond). Covering materials can protect the lawn from birds and wind.
Before sowing, the seeds are thoroughly mixed by adding sand or dry earth (1: 1). The mixture is divided into two (or more) equal parts and one part is distributed over the surface of the soil, passing along the site, the other - across. Places along the paths and along the edge of the lawn are sown somewhat thicker. The sown seeds are lightly covered with a rake into the ground - this will protect them from drying out.
Water the crops in the evening, with soft sprinkling, so that the seeds do not wash out, abundantly, so that moisture penetrates the ground to a depth of 10 cm, but do not allow the formation of puddles and prolonged stagnation of water. In dry, hot weather, hopes of rain can turn into death of seeds if you leave crops without watering for several days. At the same time, the seeds will swell and hatch, and then dry up before they germinate.
Shoots appear on the 7th-21st day after sowing, depending on weather conditions. On average, it takes 2 weeks for seeds to germinate.
In the middle of the 20th century, a revolution took place in the science of lawns: special varieties of grasses were bred, highly effective pesticides were created to control pests and pathogens, complex mineral fertilizers for lawn grass stands, the main processes in the care of grasses were mechanized.
Lawn Care: Mowing
In the first year, do not give the lawn a big load, try to walk on it as little as possible. Try to protect it from pets, especially dogs.
lawn mowing not only support it appearance but is also an excellent weed control agent. Most of them do not tolerate haircuts, and after two or three such procedures, you will say goodbye to them forever. Mowing also helps the plants to grow on the surface of the soil, forming additional shoots, creating a dense sod, growing with rhizomes.
We must also take into account the fact that each mowing is big for plants. It is easier for them to recover if no more than 1/3 of the stem is cut at a time, no matter how high it is.
The first mowing, as a rule, is carried out during the period when the soil and grasses are dry and the latter reach a height of 10 cm. For the first time, the very tips of the grass are cut off, no more than 1 cm. Lawn mower knives must be sharp. During subsequent haircuts, the knives are gradually lowered lower and lower.
Grass density, its resistance to trampling largely depend on the root system of plants. The more often we mow the lawn and the more we walk on it, the worse the grasses take root, the mass of the roots decreases. To save and restore root system, give the grass rest periods. This is possible if the ground part grows to a height of 12-15 cm.
Next time we will tell you how to protect the lawn in the country from diseases.
Before you sow lawn grass, you need to know what seeds to choose, how to carry out the planting process, and how to properly prepare the site. So, let's consider everything in order.
Varieties of lawns
First, let's figure out how you can arrange your garden. There are such types of lawns:
Lugovoi. It consists of flowering annuals and is grown in parks.
Parterre. For its planting, grass varieties are used that are considered elite.
Ordinary. Cheaper seeds are used to grow such a lawn, while the grass must have a strong root system and stem in order to be able to grow in difficult climatic conditions.
Mauritanian. It looks like a meadow, only it can be planted only where cultivated plants are not sown.
What are the requirements for raw materials?
Before sowing lawn grass, you must definitely find out what it should be. So, the following requirements are imposed on plants:
1. Resistance to freezing.
2. Ability for vegetative reproduction.
3. The presence of a strong and branched root system, which can germinate in dense soil, and also does not collapse.
4. Ability to germinate in certain climatic conditions.
5. Beautiful decorative qualities: color, height and density of shoots.
6. The ability to respond well to top dressing and quick recovery of the carpet after mowing.
Which is better: a mixture or one type of seed?
Before you sow lawn grass, you need to decide which seeds you will use. You can use one type of plant or a mixture of several types. Most often, specialists use monocultures without any additional impurities. However, if you decide to choose several types of seeds, then keep in mind that the plants must subsequently have the same height, texture and color.
Since sowing lawn grass is an interesting activity that requires a lot of effort and attention, let's figure out what the requirements are for mixtures. So they should only be perennials. In addition, when buying seeds, carefully read the instructions on the package. It indicates what climate the mixture is intended for, how to sow it correctly, whether it has any guarantees of germination.
You can also use more than one type of seed if your area is not very favorable for lawn organization, or if you are not sure that one type of grass can produce an even and beautiful carpet.
How to choose the right place?
Just choose raw material not enough to make your garden beautiful and bright afterwards. Planting lawn grass requires finding the right spot. At this stage, the area is also measured, which makes it possible to calculate the amount of necessary fertilizers and seeds.
In addition, planting lawn grass should be carried out taking into account the boundaries garden plot. That is, plants should not "creep out" to other adjacent territories (garden, neighbor's lawn). And do not forget about other elements of landscape design: alpine slides, ponds. Keep in mind that caring for plants should be convenient for you.
Features of soil preparation
The best lawn grass is the one that is sown with your hands. However, before this procedure, soil preparation should be carried out. So, on the area where you are going to organize the lawn, construction should not be carried out. That is all drainage channels and irrigation systems must be already equipped.
Now all weeds and debris should be removed from the site. If the garden is large, then to remove unnecessary plants, you can apply chemicals that are sold in stores. However, keep in mind that this method takes time, so you need to use it in advance.
Before we sow lawn grass with our own hands, we must prepare a fertile layer of soil. To do this, the earth is mixed with fertilizers and other substances that will promote grass growth. The procedure is performed manually or with the help of special equipment.
The soil should be sufficiently loose and not contain large lumps. A small roller is used to level the area. In other cases, you can just leave the area alone for a few months. The level will level itself.
Features of planting seeds
If you don't know when to sow lawn grass in the fall, the best time is September. The fact is that this month the soil is already sufficiently moistened, does not dry out, so you do not have to water the plants often. Now consider how to sow lawn grass:
1. In order for the grass to grow evenly, it must be scattered over the surface of the soil with short hand movements. At the same time, try not to use all the raw materials at once. It is better to divide it into two parts, with the first half scattered across the site, and the other along.
2. At the time of sowing, do not sow too thickly, although it is rarely worth throwing seeds either. Your the main task- rapid formation of turf. If the blades of grass grow too close to each other, then they will simply start to hurt and wither away.
3. After sowing, the area should be walked with a rake or a small cultivator. Otherwise, the seeds can be pecked by birds.
4. Lastly, the top layer is compacted with a roller.
If you did everything right and the weather is favorable, then in a week you will be able to see the first sprouts. However, whether it is necessary to sow the seeds, you will know only after 20 days. If the soil is dry, then it needs to be watered from time to time. However, do not overdo it, as an excessive amount of moisture has a detrimental effect on a developing plant.
After the grass takes root, you must not forget to take care of it: water, feed, destroy weeds, cut, thin out.
Features of planting grass grown in the house
In order not to suffer with seeds on your site, you can scatter them in pots or other containers filled with earth. Naturally, the soil must be prepared. All this procedure is done in the house. In this case, you do not worry about the destruction of seeds by birds or adverse weather conditions. Naturally, one must not forget to take care of the grass.
In such conditions, you will have to carefully monitor the feeding and watering of plants. After the sprouts reach about 5-8 centimeters, they can be planted on the site. Naturally, this should be done carefully so as not to damage the root system. That is, take the grass out of the container along with the ground. Next, lay it on the site and tamp.
Landing should be approached carefully and carefully. Try to keep the grass uniform in height and density.
Features of laying a rolled lawn
The presented type of vegetation cover is a plate of earth with grass. They are grown in special nurseries. You don't have to sow the seeds yourself. Everything is done by professional farmers. How to sow lawn grass, you already know. Now you need to consider how to stack the rolls.
First of all, the weather should be dry, but not hot. Next, the plates should be unfolded and laid on the site so that they do not overlap each other (so that the carpet is solid and even). Now the mats can be tamped down. For this, a small roller is used. In this case, the transverse seams should lie in a checkerboard pattern. Now everything is almost ready. It remains only to very carefully sprinkle the seams with fertile soil.
That's all the features of the correct sowing of lawn grass. Good luck!
