A beautiful, well-groomed lawn on the site - this picture pleases not only the eye. The emerald lawn emphasizes architectural solutions, highlights flower beds, beds, and alpine slides. Growing perfectly green grass yourself is a completely doable task. After studying this article you will know how to make a beautiful and durable lawn.
The basis of almost all lawns is grass. There are different types, with different characteristics, different colors. In the climate of central Russia, not all of them feel good. Therefore, if you are going to buy a ready-made mixture, pay attention to zoning: in the first winter you risk losing your entire lawn.
You can make a green lawn with your own hands in five to seven weeks.
You need to be especially careful with ryegrass. It grows quickly, creates a thick, beautiful carpet, but does not tolerate frost well and freezes in our climate. When buying a ready-made grass mixture, look at its composition: there should be a little ryegrass. Even if it freezes, it won't do much harm.
When to sow grass
You can sow grass from May 1 to August 15. When sowing in spring, increase the seed consumption per square area slightly (by 10-15%). This way you will get a beautiful lawn faster and the lawn will leave stronger in winter. Due to the high density, plants will begin to compete with each other and the weak ones will be crowded out. Only the strong will survive until autumn.
When sowing in summer, adhere to the application rate. Due to lack of time, weak plants will not have time to force out, but all will be weakened by this struggle. Therefore, good care is important for summer lawns.
What is the best lawn grass?
The most beautiful color and dense grass are found in fescue and bluegrass. Their greenery is tender and emerald. When creating a parthenium lawn, they are used. But they cannot be used for other types of lawns that will be walked on: they will quickly be trampled. On such lawns, bentgrass of different varieties is often sown. Not so tender, it tolerates some degree of stress well.
The choice of lawn grass is wide, but five main ones are most often used
Fescue is also more suitable for shady lawns. But even this will not grow in deep and constant shade. Salt light is the basis of photosynthesis. And at least for some time the lawn should be illuminated.
About types of lawns
In the absence of a ready-made lawn, when planning, first of all it is worth deciding on its function: whether the lawn will serve only as a decorative element, or be a field for different types of activities. There are several types: ground floor, Moorish, natural, landscape gardening, sports and special.
Parterre lawn
This type, also called an English lawn, has a purely decorative function. Its height in summer is 3 - 3.5 cm, it consists of expensive and tender grasses that need sunlight, are afraid of shady places, moving along it, having picnics and any other physical activity.
A ground lawn can be installed only if you know for sure that there will be no load on it Source zen.yandex.ru
The soil must be well prepared, free from weeds, professional and timely care.
Such a lawn requires serious care Source yandex.ru
Despite all the costs, this particular lawn is the most beautiful and rich, emphasizing the high economic and cultural status of its owner.
But all efforts will be rewarded with a beautiful emerald carpet Source majesticapartments.info
It can be combined with any other plants and flowers Source for-builders.ru
Moorish lawn
Mainly, this lawn on the site also performs a decorative function; the herbs used reach a height of more than 10 cm and are flowering (meadow chamomile, field cornflower, poppy, large-flowered flax). Afraid of kneading, a certain frequency of haircuts is necessary.
This type of lawn is also not suitable for playing football - it differs from others in the presence of different wildflowers Source dreempics.com
Flower lawns are installed in places where no other work is expected Source pinterest.com
A well-chosen bouquet of flowers in a herbal mixture will give the owner a wonderful palette of colors, but it is worth keeping in mind that the larger the lawn, the less exclusive and premium it will look.
Natural lawn
Having rid the planned area filled with grasses of weeds and tall plants, any area densely occupied by grasses can be covered with a natural lawn. Such a lawn does not require special soil or grass mixtures.
Natural “lawns” do not require special care, and there are no problems with them when planting Source gazeta-butyrsky.ru
There are special meadow mixtures on sale that allow you to give any lawn a certain look. Maintenance of such a lawn is minimal, as are the economic costs, but in appearance, this type is inferior to all others.
Gardening
Due to its greatest prevalence, it is often called a regular lawn. The garden lawn consists of hard, rough grasses, 5-6 cm high. Such a lawn can grow on poor soils, it is slightly susceptible to changes in shady areas and excess sunlight.
Park lawn is suitable for shaded areas Source greennirvana.ru
This type of lawn is unpretentious either in creation or maintenance Source premierlawns.co.uk
It is a compromise of aesthetics and functionality; you can safely arrange picnics and recreation areas on it, place inflatable pools, and temporary paraphernalia.
Sports
This lawn is used when there is intense exposure to the soil, near playgrounds, sports grounds, and walking areas. Growing cereals have good resistance to trampling and abrasion.
A lawn for a family with children and animals - it is difficult to “scare” it with intense load Source taxpolice.spb.ru
When creating a sports ground, you need to take care of a durable substrate Source en.ppt-online.org
As a rule, mixtures for sports turf are more expensive and their creation requires additional costs.
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in landscape design of sites.
Special
This type can be purchased ready-made in the form of rolls. Rolls are sold already with turf and are easily adapted to the supplied soil.
Rolled lawn is ready to delight its owners in just 2 weeks Source seattlehelpers.org
Grasses are tough and do not have any special aesthetic qualities, but in terms of their resistance to any influences they are no worse than gardening grasses.
More often, load-resistant grasses are used for rolled lawns Source landgrass.ru
Cost of work on the device
The above types only give a general idea of turf rolls. This information is not exhaustive; each manufacturer can produce many other coating options with different price ranges.
In addition, the price is affected by the number of purchased rolls; discounts usually start from 1000 sq. m. The cost of installation work is usually 2-2.5 times higher than the price of the product.
About the herbs used
Cereal mixtures for a parterre lawn for a summer residence contain the seeds of meadow grass, red fescue and fine bentgrass. Moorish mixtures contain flax seeds, cornflowers, marigolds, chamomile, nemesia, bluegrass and fescue. Mixtures for arranging a lawn contain seeds of ryegrass, sheep fescue and bluegrass.
Grasses for each type of lawn are selected individually Source seattlehelpers.org
The sports turf consists of perennial ryegrass, red fescue and bentgrass.
Each individual species is differently resistant to weathering. Mixtures with 3 or more species make it possible to hide the weakest qualities of cereal crops, thanks to which the lawn can be evenly contrasting, whether in the sun or in the shade.
How to choose the right one
Today there are a huge number of manufacturers who offer rolled lawns. Therefore, it is difficult for a person who does not know the intricacies of the construction of the proposed materials to choose a quality product. So here are some tips.
So, what should a lawn in rolls look like:
- With a good root system , where white roots should stand out in large quantities.
- The thickness of the turf layer along the entire length of the strip should be the same within 2-4 cm.
- The soil should not be very clayey and not very sandy. There should be no stones in it.
- The color of the grass should be rich and uniform throughout the entire surface.
- There should be no pests in both the soil layer and the grass layer.
- Complete absence of bald spots , which indicate the low quality of the proposed material.
- The grass must be mowed .
How to choose the right rolled lawn Source kascada.ru
A few words about the last position. It should be noted that some unscrupulous producers try to hide some deficiencies in the vegetation in this way. For a high-quality layer, the bevel should be small so that the quality of the grass is clearly visible. The optimal grass height is 3 cm. And the mowing should be uniform over the entire area.
Buy material that was removed from the turf on the day of sale. If you are offered an old, stale product, then it will smell like rotten grass, and the tips of the cover will be yellow.
About soil preparation and features of choosing a location
Work related to preparing the soil and sowing seeds can be divided into several stages.
A high-quality lawn requires careful soil preparation Source sovet-sadovody.ru
At the first stage, the soil type is determined. To do this, it is enough to dig on a clear day, take a handful of soil in the palm of your hand, examine the color, crush it, and use the following factors to determine the type of soil:
- Sandy soil is characterized by a large amount of sand, it is rough and granular, water is quickly carried away from the surface of the sand, removing useful substances. Such soil must be regularly fed and watered.
- Clay soil holds too much water and is fertile, but may have drainage problems. The clay is sticky, gray in color, and forms a lump when compressed.
- Peat soil is dark, loose and soft. It is poor in nutrients, it is very wet, as it is found in swampy places. It is worth providing an additional layer to drain excess water
- Calcareous soil does not form a compact; it feels crumbly and granular to the touch. This type is fertile and drains water well.
- Loam is a mixture of sand and clay, this soil is soft to the touch, the color varies from gray to brownish brown. Average in fertility, water flows moderately.
Regardless of soil type, it is important to maintain the correct soil acidity. The most favorable acidity for most types of cereals is 6.0 – 7.0 pH units. To determine acidity, you can use litmus paper and use a scale to determine the acidity.
To determine the acidity of the soil, a paper litmus strip is used Source shopsad.ru
If the soil has an acidity of less than 6, you can sprinkle the soil with lime and chalk. If the soil has a slightly alkaline environment, you can use special solutions or crushed peat.
Creating a Horizontal Surface
During the preparation process, the area is leveled. A convenient guide is several pieces of string stretched between pegs. The distance from them to the ground shows where soil needs to be added and where it needs to be cut.
Leveling the area with a garden roller
If drainage is not installed on the site, the surface is planned with a slope of 60 in order to drain rain and melt water.
Soil preparation
So that nothing prevents the grass from growing and it is uniform, the ground should be cleared of weeds, stones, sticks and possible debris. Places that have uneven areas should be leveled using a rake; pronounced hills will have to be demolished with a shovel. To thoroughly remove weeds, you can use herbicides. If the treated area has a large number of bushes, small trees, weeds and is also not level, it would be best to simply dig up this area completely, and then start sorting out the roots of unnecessary plants.
Preparation for sowing a lawn begins with completely clearing the area of weeds Source hozsektor.ru
Soils with poor drainage (clayey, peat) need to create a layer through which water can easily drain. To do this, you need to remove 20-25 cm from the soil and put a drainage layer in the form of geotextiles, broken bricks or gravel.
Schematically, the area with drainage looks like this Source warecoz.saporehus.ru.net
It would not be a bad idea to use additional fertile soil and place it in an even layer 5-10 cm thick on the territory.
Sometimes a small layer of fertile soil is placed on the drainage Source besplatka.ua
Regardless of the fertility of your soil, an additional layer will not have a negative impact on your green lawn, but will only improve its quality.
Main stages of preparatory work
Before laying the lawn, the following work must be done:
- cutting the soil to a certain level (the level of the curb or paving slabs);
- removal of weeds and debris;
- compaction of the base (usually done with a hand roller);
- installation of a drainage system made of sand, screenings or small crushed stone with compaction;
- backfilling the drainage with previously removed soil or special lawn soil and compaction;
- surface marking.
About sowing and growing
Before sowing, the soil should be loosened with a rake with small teeth to make it easier for the seeds to enter the ground.
After the rake, small grooves are formed, into which the seeds fall Source zagorodnaya-zhizn.moscow
Knowing the size of the planned lawn, the number of seeds for sowing can be calculated according to the proportion, where at least 50 grams are required per 1 m2. seeds, or per 1 hundred square meters at least 5 kg. Spending more than 7 kg per 1 hectare of land is not rational for any soil fertility and type of grass. The sowing depth should not reach more than 1 cm.
Each meter of plot requires a certain number of seeds - there is no point in sowing more Source thestar.com
For sowing, you can use a regular 2 liter plastic bottle, making holes in it for the seeds.
For a larger area, you can use a special device where the amount of seeds will be dosed.
A special manual harvester will help you cope with a large area Source preschooloptions.org
Seeding devices can be different Source greenland.ee
The edges of the lawn are sown first and most intensively, then along the entire territory. The seeds can be mixed with dry fertilizer, which can speed up their germination.
A similar device is used in small areas Source seattlehelpers.org
After sowing, the soil must be compacted for additional compaction, to get rid of uneven surfaces and to protect it from birds.
After sowing, the ground is leveled and compacted Source dacha.help
A manual roller is used for compaction Source parnik-teplitsa.ru
Features of preparatory work
The soil is excavated to a depth of 15-20 cm. When reusing the soil, it must be sifted, weeds and roots removed, and fertilizer applied. It is possible to use soil from a nursery. The cost of such a prepared base will be about 1000 rubles. per cubic meter m. At this stage, horizontal planning of the base is carried out.
The more thoroughly the base is cleaned, the easier it will be to install the lawn, the more durable the coating will be, and the less likely it is to grow weeds. Here you can apply treatment with chemical plant protection products.
Poor compaction of the base can lead to subsidence and unevenness in the future.
When marking, the most important thing is to align the first pilot layer evenly and correctly. Subsequent ones are laid close to the first. Smooth laying is done using pegs and a stretched cord.
About care
Lawn care and design consists of moisture control, periodic mowing and weed removal.
Naturally, when setting the goal of creating a natural lawn with a predominance of low-growing species on moist soil, all care can be reduced only to mowing. However, in this case, there is a high probability of obtaining an uneven lawn pattern. Somewhere the grass will be greener, somewhere, on the contrary, it will be withered and sparse. Depending on the type of lawn, the cutting height varies, but it is not recommended to cut any lawn shorter than 3 cm.
| Lawn type | Cut to, see: | |
| In summer | Autumn-spring | |
| Parterre | 3 | 4 |
| Sports | 3 | 4 |
| Gardening | 5 | 6 |
As a rule, no more than 1/3 of the height is cut when the grass growth is 1.5 - 2 cm more than normal. Overgrown grass is mowed in 2-3 stages. In summer the frequency is 10-15 days, in autumn and spring 7-10 days. Grass clippings should not be left on the lawn.
To maintain a “marketable” appearance, the grown grass is mowed Source mir-ogorod.ru
Typical mistakes when landscaping a site
Why is it that not everyone succeeds in growing a beautiful lawn? Let's look at the main reasons:
- Incorrect selection of seeds. Often the significance of this issue is neglected and lawn grass is bought, like from a neighbor or from an advertisement, without going into the specifics of the topography, soil, location of the lawn, and climatic conditions. A grass mixture may have excellent characteristics, but simply not be suitable for your area.
- Haste in preparing the site, especially when leveling it. It is important to perform all actions in the correct sequence. After leveling the area under the lawn for the first time, be sure to let the soil stand, and then repeat the procedure to identify and eliminate possible unevenness after the soil settles.
- Lack of drainage system. Excess moisture is just as detrimental to the lawn, as is its lack. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the composition of the soil. If clay or black soil predominates in it, it is necessary to ensure unhindered outflow of water. Otherwise, you will have to constantly fight against mold, moss and bald spots.
- Uneven grass seeding. At this stage, too, you can’t rush. It’s better to spend a few extra hours when planting than to spend the entire summer here and there filling empty spaces.
Photo gallery of examples of lawn design
Decorative lawn combined with flower beds Source safechaos.net
Small lawn near a small house Source yandex.ru
For the garden, it is better to choose grass that is accustomed to shade Source ikeablog.zapto.org
The large meadow is suitable for walking and admiring the beauty of nature Source voipjardines.es
When you just want a lot of greenery Source nationalgolf.lt
While having a picnic in nature, you can stroll through fresh greenery Source curtislandscaping.wordpress.com
Formation compaction
Having finished the next row, the lawn is pressed down with a roller or a wide board, this gives a double effect:
- a tight fit of the turf to the base is ensured;
- the panels are fused at the seams.
If the coating is dry, it is moistened before rolling. At the same time, it is stroked with the palm of your hand to identify depressions and tubercles. If any are found, lift the panel and level the base by adding or removing soil.
The lawn is then pressed down again. If laying the next row requires standing on a freshly laid surface, lay a wide board or wooden flooring. Otherwise, the turf will squash.
