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How to make a lawn: types, preparation, planting, care. When to plant lawn grass, and how to achieve its best germination Lawn planting and do-it-yourself care

Almost on every suburban area you can see the lawn. It serves both as a family vacation spot and as part of the composition of the general landscape. When the lawn is still being planned, then in dreams they see thick, even grass that covers the ground in an even layer and creates the feeling of a green carpet. In fact, it turns out differently. For inexperienced gardeners, the lawn can shine with bald spots, weeds, have no grass cover at all at the edges, etc. Most often, unsuccessful sowing is to blame. Grass could be sown at the wrong time, in an uneven layer, without prior soil preparation, etc. Let's figure out what mistakes summer residents most often make at the sowing stage and how to plant it correctly lawn grass so that it takes root and forms a good turf.

The most frequently asked question among gardeners is how thick to sow grass for a lawn and what is the best way to do it. Let's start with the density of crops.

The first criterion for a healthy lawn is the right mixture of herbs. Today, both domestic and imported lawn mixtures are sold, and often a high price does not at all guarantee excellent seedlings. Grass should be suitable for the climate of your area. We wrote about this in more detail in the article "", so we will omit this question here.

Each package indicates the recommended seed consumption per square meter, but in this case, you must also take into account the time of the year during which you create a lawn. For example, during autumn sowing, the manufacturer's recommendations are followed. But in spring and summer, at least half is added to the norm, increasing seed consumption. During spring floods and snowmelt, some of the seeds will go deep into the ground or be washed away with water and will not germinate. In summer, they give more seeds based on the heat, which has a detrimental effect on young shoots and can mow up to half of the seedlings, if some measures are not taken (more on this later).

The location of the lawn also affects the degree of sowing density. On hills, specially made bumps or lawns that go downhill, it is worth adding a little more seeds than the packaging recommends. At the higher points, the seeds will be washed out with the water to the lower places in heavy rain if it falls at the time of sowing.

Sowing methods and their features

Now let's figure out how to properly sow lawn grass. If with the norm per sq.m. you have decided, the second step is to scatter the grass evenly so that there are no too dense shoots in one place, and “bald patches” in the second.

When sowing a lawn, places near the edge of the lawn, flower beds or paths are sieved thicker than everyone else. If this is done with a seeder, then they pass 2 times

The easiest way to do this is with a seeder, which itself spreads the mixture over the grass with perfect uniformity. But if neither you nor your friends have such a device, then you should not buy it for the sake of one lawn. Can be spread evenly by hand. To do this, the seeds are diluted with fine sand 1: 1, i.e. if the consumption of grass per meter is 50 grams, then 50 grams must be added to it. sand.

Some summer residents create homemade planters from metal or plastic cans by piercing the bottom with a hot nail and creating many holes.

If the lawn is large in area, then a sand-seed mixture is prepared immediately for the entire lawn. Sow, as in the old days, bread: first along the prepared field, then across. After that, the soil is carefully loosened with a rake to hide the grass under a layer of earth, and rolled with a heavy roller. If there is no ice rink, put on your skis and walk in them all over the lawn, trampling down meter by meter. Of course, you will surprise passers-by with your unusual appearance in shorts and skis, but the lawn will be compacted as it should.

If you sow the lawn not on a large area, but make out a narrow strip, then you can take a wide board for tamping, put it flat on the soil and trample on it. Then transfer to the next part of the lawn. Etc.

If you have only a heavy metal rake in your arsenal, then it is better to stir the soil first, and then sow lawn grass seeds into it.

The sown seeds are raked in with a fan rake, which collects mowed grass. If you don't have these, then wide metal or plastic models may rake the seeds too deep or pull them into one pile. And your seedlings will be uneven. In the absence of fan rakes, they sow in a slightly different way: first they loosen the soil with a rake, then they scatter the grass and immediately roll it. The roller itself will press the seeds to the desired depth and maintain uniformity of sowing.

How to choose the optimal sowing time?

Any summer resident knows that friendly and fast shoots are obtained only when the soil is moist and there is no heat. Therefore, before planting grass in the country in the prepared land, look at the weather forecast for the week. If weather forecasters predict +25 and above, leave the seeds alone. They won't grow well anyway. Wait until the weather becomes rainy. Water also lowers the degree of the earth, and accelerates the swelling of the seeds. In spring and autumn, such weather will not have to wait long, but in summer time The wait can take up to a month and a half.

Wait for the evening time (after 19.00.).
Shed all the soil by sprinkling to soak to a depth of at least 40 cm.
Wait 1.5-2 hours until water is absorbed.
Scatter the seeds.
Loosen the soil with a rake.
Roll or tamp with a board.
Mulch with peat, humus (layer - half a centimeter).
Leave overnight. Spray again in the morning.

If the area of \u200b\u200bthe future lawn is small, you can spread instead of mulch nonwoven fabric and press it from the edges with boards, bricks or stones. There will be no heat under the white spunbond, as part of the sun's rays will be beaten back by the light color of the fabric. Covering will save the seeds from drying out and keep air mode. The daily is carried out directly on the covering material, which will freely let moisture in. They remove the shelter when the grass sprouts 2-3 cm, or when the hot weather changes to normal.

The roller rolls the ground before mulching, and not after, so that the peat layer does not press on the grass, but only covers it from the hot sun

If you sow grass for the winter, on slightly frozen soil, then by spring the seeds will undergo stratification and sprout very early.

Some wisdom of the sowing process can be gleaned from the video:

To achieve good germination, consider the following nuances:

Before sowing, the site must stand for at least 2 weeks for the soil to settle.
In early spring the grass sprouts in about 20 days, in summer - in 7-8, in autumn - about 10 days.
The closer to autumn the lawn is made, the less it will sprout along with the grass.
If the land on the site is good, do not dig the site deep. It is enough to turn the top layer over and clean it of weeds. This will make it easier for you to flat surface because the soil will not shrink.
If you divide the area under the lawn into squares, and sow each part separately with the norm of seeds, then it will be easier to achieve the same density.
The first week, watering is done manually, with a garden watering can with a sprayer. The hose hits the ground too hard, causing a crust to form in dry weather. And if you put it on automatic sprinkling, it is more difficult to control whether the soil is evenly wetted.
Always buy seeds with a good supply, because with poor germination you will have to sow empty places, and if there is no grass left, then it is not always possible to buy exactly the same mixture. As a result, your lawn will be different shades of color.
Don't overdo it with fertilizers. If it is above 30 ° outside, then you should not fertilize, otherwise the roots will burn.

The British believe that even with the most careful sowing and care, the grass will create an ideal uniform cover only after 5 years. So do not be discouraged if your lawn does not live up to expectations in the first year. Any plant needs a sufficient period to enter into force. A person can only speed up this process good care, timely watering and top dressing.

The lawn always looks good on personal 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 taken into account that even best material for planting 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 roll type 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 in the area 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 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 tamping, 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. At summer sowing Abundant watering will be required, as 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.

To grow a beautiful lawn, it is not enough to learn how to care for it. This knowledge will be useful to you when the English stalls or golf course are already available. In the meantime, when you have a bare piece of land in front of you, you need to think about how to properly plant lawn grass. The decorative qualities and viability of the future lawn will depend on this. Understanding the main points of this process is necessary. Let's do it right now.

To create an ornamental lawn, you will need to study the technology of its creation, starting with planting lawn grasses

Let's start with the selection of seeds for the lawn. On sale there are many ready-made mixtures designed for lawns for various purposes. Their names usually coincide with the target orientation of the future lawn - " sports lawn”, “fast lawn”, “decorative lawn for shady places”, etc.

When choosing a mixture for a lawn, pay attention to its species composition.

Usually, consumers do not think about what lawn grass is better to plant. They are guided only by the name, without looking into the composition. They buy any "universal" lawn, and then they are surprised that already in the second year the lawn is almost completely frozen or covered with ugly bald spots. And all because most manufacturers bring their compositions from Western Europe or compose them according to local standards. And therefore, very often, ready-made grass mixtures contain seeds of non-frost-resistant, not adapted to our climate, plants.

For example, the most famous such representative is ryegrass . It is found in almost every ready mix, and in a fairly large amount (sometimes - up to 50-60% of the total number of seeds!). For Europe, ryegrass is an excellent lawn grass. It sprouts very quickly and covers large areas, it is highly decorative. The only "but": the life of ryegrass, even in ideal European conditions, does not exceed 5 years. And in our country, ryegrass almost completely freezes out in the first winter, leaving bald spots on the lawn.

Ryegrass is often used to create "quick" lawns, such as before a commercial landscaping project.

For the climate middle lane The best lawn grasses are red fescue and meadow bluegrass. They form a dense herbaceous cover of bright green color, have high frost resistance and durability. Fescue is more unpretentious, shade-tolerant, grows rapidly. Bluegrass gains strength more slowly, but in terms of decorative qualities it exceeds fescue. It is not for nothing that many gardeners admit that the most beautiful parterre lawn grows from bluegrass meadow, ideally when using one variety of this grass.

Bluegrass lawn is one of the most decorative. In addition, it is distinguished by endurance and resistance to trampling.

If you find on sale a mixture consisting of different varieties of bluegrass and fescue, great. For example, Premiumline's Ideal blend contains only these herbs in a 50:50 ratio. You can buy separately fescue and bluegrass, mix them and sow. This is the most win-win option for creating a decorative and, at the same time, sustainable lawn.

Seeds can be sown from May to September. The main thing is that before the winter the lawn leaves already strong enough. And there is one moment. If you decide to create a lawn in the spring, then the number of seeds for sowing can be taken a little more than indicated on the package (for different formulations, this amount can be 10-25 g / m 2). This will allow you to quickly get a thick lawn. As the herbs grow, they will begin to compete with each other and by autumn only the strongest will survive. They will form a lawn that will survive the winter without loss and begin to ear in early spring.

In August-September, it is undesirable to sow grass in excess. Strong specimens will not have enough time to defeat weaker neighbors. Strong competition will lead to the fact that the blades of grass will leave before winter in the stage of fighting with each other, and therefore weakened. Most likely they will not be able to survive the winter and will die.

In other words, lawn grasses will be more likely to form a good, dense sod during spring planting.

Smart lawn planting technology

Now that you have decided on the planting season and the type of lawn grass, let's start sowing. Consider step by step how to plant lawn grass in the country and how to care for seedlings to get beautiful lawn.

Step 1. Removing weeds in the area

On the site where you plan to break the lawn, you need to destroy all the weeds. For this, they can be used different methods: manual removal, deep cultivation, mulching, herbicide treatment.

by the most effective way is the use of herbicides. For example, spraying with Roundup helps to destroy even the smallest roots of weeds of all kinds. The drug penetrates into the tissues of the plant through the leaves and young shoots, then reaches the roots and kills them. Complete destruction of weeds by this method occurs 2-3 weeks after treatment. When this happens, the yellowed and dried weeds are removed, after which they proceed to the next step of soil preparation.

Roundup is a herbicide of continuous action. Therefore, the destruction of weeds with this preparation is carried out only before sowing the lawn.

Step #2. soil cultivation

They dig up the earth to the height of a shovel blade, choose stones that come across, dried roots - everything that can prevent the thin roots of lawn grass from growing. Large clods of earth are broken up so that the thickness of the soil is loose and uniform.

At the stage of digging, they try to level the surface of the site so that there are no mounds and holes left on it. Water will accumulate in the pits, which can lead to excessive wetting of the grass and rotting. On hillocks, difficulties will arise when passing a lawn mower. Leveling is carried out by adding or, conversely, selecting soil in problem areas.

Pre-sowing digging of the soil to the depth of a shovel blade

Step #3 soil fertilization

Lawn grass grows well in neutral soil. Therefore, if the soil is alkaline, peat should be added to it, if acidic - lime.

It is important to improve the fertile soil layer by applying mineral or organic fertilizers. It is best to use organic matter - compost, rotted manure, biohumus.

If the soil is too poor and unsuitable for growing plants, it makes sense to improve it in a more radical way. By completely replacing the top layer with fertile soil. To do this, on the site allotted for the future lawn, they dig a "trough" 35-40 cm deep. The poor soil is removed, black soil or other fertile, well-fertilized soil is laid instead. You can use special soils for lawns, which contain high-quality peat, sand and the required amount of mineral fertilizers.

After cultivation and fertilization of the soil, its surface is leveled with a rake, and then compacted. This can be done with a garden roller. If this tool is not available on the farm, an alternative replacement is used - a round metal or asbestos pipe, a barrel of water. Any such object rolls the soil. You need to compact to the extent that you can walk on the soil without sinking your feet in its thickness.

Step #5 Sowing seeds

On compacted soil, grooves about 1 cm deep are made with a rake. Deeper is not recommended, since the seeds of cereals are small and they may not sprout at a greater depth. Seeds are sown first along the site, and then across.

"Cutting" grooves with a rake

On the packaging of any herbs sold for the lawn, the rate of seed consumption per 1m 2 of area is indicated. For example, the number of bluegrass seeds with single-species sowing is 10-18 g / m 2, red fescue - 15-25 g / m 2, a mixture of bluegrass and fescue seeds (50:50) - 12.5-21.5 g / m 2. Therefore, it is necessary to visually delimit the site on square meters and, when sowing, try to adhere to the recommended norms.

After sowing with a rake, the seeds are planted, carefully covering them with earth. Then the soil is again rolled with a roller or pipe.

Sowing seeds of lawn grasses is most often carried out manually.

Step #6 First watering

The first step in caring for newly planted seeds will be watering. For this, it is optimal to use sprayers with a fine irrigation mode. Then standing puddles will not form on the surface of the earth and the seeds will not be carried away to garden paths.

The automatic watering system allows you to accurately irrigate the lawn that has not yet sprouted.

If sowing work is carried out in autumn or spring on rainy days, then watering the newly planted seeds is not necessary.

Crop care

At proper care for crops, the first sprouts will appear in 10-14 days.

The "fast" seeds hatch first, such as ryegrass

Grass, especially in combined mixtures, sprouts and develops unevenly. Therefore, at first, voids will be visible on the lawn. An objective picture will begin to emerge only after 3-4 weeks.

Dense emerald green herbage with proper lawn care is formed no earlier than a month after sowing

In dry weather, a young lawn will have to be watered every day, starting from the moment of planting. Newly sprouted sprouts are especially in need of watering, even the slightest drought threatens them with inevitable death.

With the growth of lawn grass by 8-10 cm, its first mowing is performed. In this case, the length of the cut parts should not exceed 1.5-2 cm, that is, only the tips of the leaves are cut off. This minimizes stress on young plants. The positive moments of the haircut will be visible in a week: the laying of new growth buds will contribute to the rapid development of new shoots. The grass will begin to bush and cover the lawn area with a dense cover.

The further mode of mowing the lawn will depend on the species composition of the grass, season, weather conditions. As a rule, a haircut is done every 5-7 days. In early spring and late autumn, the frequency of mowing decreases due to the slowdown in grass growth.

An experienced gardener-agronomist will tell you and show you in practice how to sow grass seeds for a lawn in more detail. Watch the video story:

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 the right lawn with your own hands 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 they 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 at your dacha (fescue tolerates a short haircut well), the quality of the turf (ryegrass differs in 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 thawed and rain water.

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, you should divide the plot into square meters and sow as many seeds in each as recommended for the grass or grass mixture you have chosen.

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.

More recently, the owners of the cherished six acres could not have imagined starting a gentle and soft lawn on their site.

Everything not occupied by the garden and the berry planter with perseverance, worthy best use planted with potatoes. In extreme cases, the aesthetic needs of the owners were satisfied with a small flower garden near the porch. The current landowners, who are not limited to six acres, quickly appreciated the charm of open lawns, and lawns quickly gained popularity in Russia.

If you decide to join the army of fans of beautiful velvet grass and set yourself the task of creating a real lawn, making it the basis of the landscape of your site on long years First of all, think about the choice of seed. It's no secret that most cheap mixes are either lightly cultivated or just forage grasses. It is clear that they are completely unsuitable for a high-quality parterre lawn, and even more so for a golf lawn. To get nice lawn, you need herbs of special varieties.

Perfect Lawn regardless of the specifics of its application and the mixtures included in it, it should be distinguished by a high density of turf, have a beautiful rich dark green color and be as unpretentious as possible. Right choice lawn mixture guarantees excellent results, and modern selection allows you to find best option.

What types of lawn grasses you will not meet today! Fast-growing and shade-tolerant, universal and for creating sports fields, flower, parterre, for extreme urban conditions; there are even separate mixtures for landscaping slopes and roadsides. Seeds in a special shell are in great demand, which fundamentally changes the technology of creating a silk lawn. The composition that envelops each seed allows you to get by with a minimum of fertilizers. It already contains the basic trace elements necessary for friendly shoots and rapid growth of young lawn grass. This significantly reduces the cost of time and money, and the birds become completely indifferent to such seeds, not pecking them when sowing.

And three more things are important for the successful implementation of the plan - thorough tillage before sowing, timely watering and cutting the grown grass. As a result, a magnificent green space that you can be proud of is sure to become the envy and admiration of all your friends and neighbors.

What are character traits various types lawns, features of their cultivation and biological requirements of plants?

The main types of lawns

Parterre lawn- a beautiful decorative lawn of emerald green grass. Consists mainly of a mixture of narrow-leaved cereals, you can use some of their types. We recommend sowing bent grass, which has a valuable biological feature - aggressiveness, since its stems (stolons) are able to grow rapidly and restore bald spots that have appeared on the lawn. Seed consumption - 1.5 g per 1 sq. m. Mow bent grass less often than usual - once or twice a month. Seeds are sown only in weed-free soil as it is a slow growing cereal. Do not sow bent grass if you cannot provide regular watering. The main part of the roots is located in the surface layer of the soil - no deeper than 15 cm. This type of lawn is used in places not intended for walking and not experiencing increased loads. Parterre lawn does not forgive mistakes in care, and if you are not yet confident in your gardening abilities, it is better to stop at grass seed mixtures of an ordinary lawn.

common lawn. Do not be intimidated by such a prosaic name: in most cases, this is just what you need. You can pick up a mixture that is resistant to trampling "Sport and play", made up of special varieties of grasses that form a dense turf. It is perfect for a sports or playground, sifting around the barbecue. Special mixtures have been created for shaded places that tolerate penumbra perfectly (for example, "Shady Garden"). A mixture of "Liliput" will reduce the number of lawn mowing by 2-3 times. If the site is diverse or not expected to be very active walking on the lawn, stop at the "Universal" mixture.

clover lawn created from creeping clover. An ideal lawn for lazy people or for those who do not have time to mow it weekly. It does not require special equipment - a trimmer or, at worst, a scythe, is enough to mow the clover once a year, after flowering. Resistant to trampling, easily tolerates lack of moisture, grows even on acidic soils. The flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects. From clover, by the way, they get a wonderful fragrant and pleasant-tasting honey. The soil for clover is prepared as for a regular cereal lawn. Seeding rate 1.5-3 g of seeds per 1 square. m. Clover is an aggressive culture, do not let it occupy other areas, dooming yourself to many years of weed control. Mow clover heads until seeds form.

Perennial Moorish lawn(meadow lawn) consists of grasses and 10-20 species of annual and perennial, as a rule, undersized flowering plants. Usually sown in small areas in the far corners of the garden. Moorish lawn is as close as possible to natural plant communities. It is very difficult to maintain its fragile ecological balance. Properly selected Moorish lawn blooms with all the colors of summer from June to the first frost.
The aromas of meadow grasses are no worse than luxurious roses and gillyflowers. In addition, such plantings attract a lot of beneficial insects, birds, lizards.

Annual moorish lawn consists of 20-30 types of flowers. Weeding by seedlings is impossible, therefore, before sowing, it is necessary to carefully prepare the soil, ridding it of the rhizomes of perennial weeds. The place is chosen sunny and open. It blooms later than the previous species, but surpasses it in showiness and colors. Drought tolerant and virtually maintenance free. Mow the lawn after the plants have faded and inseminated. The following year, the species composition, unfortunately, may be reduced: the most viable species survive.

Seeds and grass mixtures

Of the plants for non-grass lawns, especially on poor sandy or stony soils, the horned lobe, which is still rare for our gardens, has proven itself well - a perennial leguminous plant. It blooms annually from May to July - during the period when the lack of flowering plants is most acutely felt. The bird's eye forms a beautiful golden yellow carpet. Grows well when mowing. Takes out trampling. Plants reach a length of 35 cm, but the height of the lawn is no more than 20 cm, since the bird-foot spreads along the ground. It is undemanding to the soil, grows well on sandy and stony soils. Drought tolerant. As it should be for any self-respecting leguminous plant, it enriches the soil with nitrogen. If its color or flowering time does not suit you, sow phacelia - an ascetic plant, generously ready to forgive the owner for both poor soil and lack of watering. Blooms 45-60 days in July -August, forms a purple-blue carpet. One of the best herbaceous honey plants. Sow it in the spring at the rate of 2 g of seeds per 1 sq. m.

We recommend experimenting with ground cover plants by setting aside a small area for this. You don't need a lawn mower. Can be used different kinds sedum, veronica, bird mountaineer, noble navel, creeping varieties of yarrow. We couldn’t buy the seeds of these species - it doesn’t matter, buy a couple of plants in the nursery or find a couple of plants in nature, and in a month or two you can easily grow the right amount by cuttings. Plant in a permanent place with an interval of 20 cm. After one or two months, they will close into a solid carpet.

In the southern regions of Russia, thyme (thyme) is excellent. Thyme has small fragrant leaves, plant height is from 5 to 15 cm. Its flowers are tiny and multi-colored.

The lawn is usually the center of the garden, the canvas on which the main pattern is drawn. Without maintenance, an abandoned grass lawn can turn into a wasteland in a few months.

Calculation of seed consumption for sowing a lawn

N=n*p/D

Where the values are:

N - the optimal seeding rate of seeds of the grass mixture;
n is the sowing rate of a certain type of seed (kg/ha);
p is the percentage of participation of this species in the grass mixture in its pure form (%);
D - actual seed germination %.

Table of germination of seeds of different herbs:

Soil preparation

The plot for the lawn is being prepared for many years to come, it will have to provide the plants with everything necessary for full growth and development. We start preparing well in advance. It takes about three months from the start of work to the sowing of seeds. The site should be cleaned, all the necessary components should be introduced, leveling should be carried out, the soil should be treated once or twice with herbicides of continuous action (depending on the weediness of the site). Then the soil should settle.

We begin work with clearing - uprooting stumps, cleaning stones and construction debris. Do not bury garbage on the site; in the future, in the places of such "burial grounds" the plants will differ in color and appearance.

If the soil is waterlogged, drain. Loamy and clay soils require the mandatory application of sand (preferably coarse-grained river sand) at the rate of 10 kg per 1 sq. m. On sandy and sandy loam soils, peat or rotted compost is added. Fresh manure is not recommended. In the Central and North-Western regions of Russia, the soil is often acidified ( optimal value pH is 5.5-6.8). If you do not have the opportunity to conduct an agrochemical analysis, focus on biological indicators of soil acidity: horse sorrel, horsetail, moss growing on the site indicate the need to deoxidize the soil with slaked lime, chalk or dolomite flour at the rate of 50 kg per hundred square meters.

The fertile soil layer must be at least 25 cm, otherwise you will have to add soil.

Before digging the soil, apply a complete mineral fertilizer (nitroammophoska, lawn Kemira or any other) - 50 g per 1 sq. m. Three to four weeks after digging, the rapidly developed weeds are treated with herbicides of continuous action ("Roundup"). The main problem of the newly created lawn is perennial rhizomatous weeds (dandelion, wild thistle, wheatgrass, horsetail, etc.), which literally break through the emerging sod of the lawn. Chemical treatment is often the only way to get rid of them. In a heavily weedy area, it is better to re-treat with a herbicide after two to three weeks. When processing cultivated plants located here or nearby, protect with plastic wrap.

The next step is soil planning. Small areas are leveled by dragging several times in perpendicular directions a small ladder or a 2-3-meter board. The remaining depressions in the future can lead to wetting and damping of the lawn. Be sure to carry out a thorough rolling of the soil, this will ensure its more even settlement and the absence of bumps and pits.

How to sow

You have completed the most time-consuming stage - preparing the soil for sowing. The next step, sowing seeds, does not tolerate negligence and haste.

Grass seeds should have normal germination and vigor of germination. For the Central and Northwestern regions, a germination rate of at least 80-90% is required. According to Russian standards, seeds must comply with the 1st class, i.e. have an admixture of weeds no more than 1%. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to completely free the seeds of lawn grasses from weeds, but it will not be superfluous to make sure that the seller has a quality certificate.

The mix or type of lawn grass you use must match your climate zone, type of soil, level of illumination of the site.

Follow the sowing rate indicated on the package. Underestimating it, you doom yourself to a constant war with weeds, which will not miss their chance in the fight for a place in the sun. On the other hand, do not act according to the principle “you can’t spoil the porridge with oil” - an overestimation of the seeding rate in the future can lead to the damping of the lawn.

Be sure to save 10-20% of the seeds for possible future lawn restoration (your four-legged friend is too actively enjoying life on a lawn that has not yet matured, but you never know ...), since each mixture has its own shade of green. Lawn grass seeds remain viable for three to four years, so it's best to insure your lawn against the vicissitudes of life.

You can sow lawn grasses from the end of April to the second decade of August.

Summer July sowing is allowed only if you are able to provide constant watering. The soil is thoroughly shed one or two days before sowing. Better conditions for sowing seeds - when the soil is slightly dry on the surface and does not stick to the sole. Sow in calm windless weather.
Shake the bag of seeds thoroughly. It is better to mix them with sand in a ratio of 1:1. Sand-marker (it is clearly visible on dark soil) allows you to achieve uniform sowing. Seeds are divided in half, half is sown, passing along the plot, and the other half - across. To move around the site, so as not to disturb its layout, use a wide board or plywood sheet. After sowing, lightly cover the seeds with a fan rake and roll them again. Do not try to completely embed them in the soil, otherwise uneven sowing cannot be avoided.

After a couple of days, water the lawn with a fine mist of water to keep the seeds from washing out. Stagnation of water can also disturb the uniformity of sowing.

Birds pose a serious threat to the newly sown lawn. From them it is better to stretch a special mesh or black threads crosswise with a meter interval at a height of 5-10 cm. At the first stages, sowing is especially sensitive to a lack of moisture. There is no rain for several days - be sure to irrigate with a sprinkler device or a watering can with a fine spray of water that does not allow the seedlings to be washed out.

How to properly care

In the first year after planting

Shoots usually appear one to three weeks after sowing, depending on the type of lawn and air temperature. Bluegrass, bentgrass, clover sprout the slowest of all, and, accordingly, they place higher demands on cleaning the soil from fast-growing weeds, since they simply cannot withstand competition with them.

In a mixture of lawn grasses, perennial ryegrass is an obligatory component. It quickly occupies the territory, and then, under its protection, other more valuable narrow-leaved cereals develop - fescue, bluegrass. If necessary, carefully water the lawn, in order to avoid sunburn of the leaves, it is better in the evening. Remove weeds with a sharp knife. The first haircut is carried out when the plants are about 15 cm long at a height of 10 cm. The height of the following haircuts is reduced, bringing them up to 5 cm in one or two months. In addition, delaying mowing can result in pale green patches on the lawn. Use lawn mowers with sharp blades and a grass catcher, or carefully collect grass clippings with a fan rake. Left under the cut grass, the plants can rot. The mowing height depends on the type of lawn (for example, parterre lawn is cut to a height of 3 cm, normal - 5 cm) and season conditions (during the dry season, we recommend increasing the cutting height by 2 cm).

If you mow the lawn above 7-8 cm, there is another danger - less valuable broad-leaved grasses will be replaced by narrow-leaved ones, which, in fact, ensure the quality and aesthetics of the lawn. It is better to mow the lawn a day or two after watering.

When watering, the soil should get wet to a depth of 15-30 cm. Frequent and weak watering leads to superficial development of the roots. There are no clear watering rules. Plants signal moisture deficiency by loss of firmness and wilting. Water the lawn when the surface layer dries up to 10 cm, in dry weather - once a week. The main thing is that the earth has time to dry out between waterings and root system plants got enough air. Over-watering can cause mosses to grow on your lawn, while under-watering can cause drought-resistant weeds to crowd out lawn grasses. In the first year, if you have prepared the soil well, it is better not to feed the plants and not to subject them to excessive loads (even if you have sown a mixture of lawn grasses for sports and games). Before leaving for the winter, in order to avoid winter damping of the plants, the lawn must be mowed, but so that the grasses leave before winter with a height of at least 10 cm.

After the lawn has wintered

The second year of the life of a successfully overwintered lawn is better to start with top dressing. Mowing the lawn results in a significant carry-over of nutrients. If we do not compensate for the irreversible losses of the plants, the blades of grass will become thinner, become rare, pale green.

In the spring, nitrogen or complete mineral fertilizer (containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium - NPK, as experts say) is applied. In autumn, it is better to apply only phosphorus and potassium. Two or three feedings are usually enough per season. Follow the instructions on the package, do not overdo it. Check the weather forecast - it is advisable to fertilize the lawn before the rain. Herbs are responsive to feeding. Literally before your eyes, the plants will acquire a bright green color and a juicy healthy look.

The main problem of maintaining a lawn in good condition in Russia is weeds. Unfortunately, there are not so many ways to deal with them.

Preventive methods have already been discussed above. For manual weeding, use a lawn knife or hoe. In rhizomatous plants (dandelion, wild thistle, etc.), it is necessary to remove the entire rhizome, and fill the resulting hole with soil and lightly compact.

Popular chemical method fight against random companions of lawn grasses. Dilute the herbicide "Roundup" in the proportions recommended in the instructions (50 ml per 5 liters of water) and apply the solution with a brush on the leaves of weeds. It has a systemic effect (penetrates the rhizomes of plants) and will save you from the laborious process of picking out weed roots from the soil. Be patient, the weed dies 10-20 days after the application of the drug.

The easiest way to use herbicides is on spots occupied by weeds. Enclose the weed spot with plastic sheeting to protect lawn grasses from wind blowing the herbicide. Treat the spot with the prepared compound and one to two weeks after the soil treatment, sow the seeds reserved for lawn restoration.

Sometimes on acidified soils, with excessive watering, moss appears on the lawn. Reduce the number of waterings, water less often, but plentifully. Before watering, apply wood ash to the area at the rate of 50 g per 1 sq. m.

On heavy soils in dry weather, it is necessary to carry out aeration by piercing the sod to a depth of 10-20 cm with a garden pitchfork. At the same time, grass roots receive additional oxygen, excess water is diverted to the lower layers of the soil. Plants grow and develop better. In winter, keep an eye on the presence of snow on the lawn, organize snow retention if necessary. In snowless winters, you can cover the lawn with straw or high-moor peat. Just do not forget to remove them with the beginning of the spring development of plants.

Enjoying the splendor of a well-groomed lawn from the window of the house, you literally physically feel how after a hard day's work, a juicy bright color relieves psychological stress, normalizes blood pressure, and fills the body with vital energy.