For most people, spring and summer are associated primarily with the bright sun, blue skies and fresh green grass. And how nice it is to walk barefoot on the grass in the country or on the site near your own house on a warm day. In addition, the lawn instantly gives a well-groomed appearance to the backyard, serves as an element of landscape design, is an independent and complete recreation area and is simply necessary if there are children in the house.
Lawn Types
Before you start laying the lawn, you need to decide on its type. There are several main types, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
1. Ordinary, or landscape gardening, lawn. The most common type, often found on the territory of country houses. Lawn laying technology is quite simple, and anyone can master it. You can create such a coating on sunny and dark areas, for this, herbs are specially selected in grass mixtures.
Basic care is constant abundant watering andmowing grass regularly.
2. Flower lawn. The advantages of this type include a beautiful flowering lawn, minimal maintenance and naturalness. By cons - Moorish lawn may look untidy due to fading flower heads, and clover can grow strongly throughout the site. However, the clover lawn is almost impossible to trample, and it can withstand any load.
3. English, or parterre, lawn. It differs from others and looks very beautiful thanks to the thick, rich emerald grass. But it also needs more care. So, laying the lawn should be carried out only in sunny areas. Daily watering, shearing every two to three days and regular feeding are required.
In addition, the English species does not respond well to the Russian climate and large temperature fluctuations. Laying a lawn with your own hands, without the help of professionals, is almost impossible.
4. Roll lawn. Suitable for those who are not ready to wait a long time and spend a lot of time growing grass mixtures of the previous types. Rolled turf is very popular, as it has enough advantages: no weeds in the first year, resistance to changing weather conditions, drought, frost, trampling. The disadvantages include the relatively high price. However, if the lawn is laid on your own, you can save a lot.
How to choose a place for a lawn?
The place for the lawn is chosen in advance, based on the needs of the herbs included in its composition. It's not worth it anywayconsider heavily darkened areas near the house. It will be very difficult to achieve a beautiful and even lawn there.
But the light shade from sprawling trees and bushes is suitable for planting special shade grasses.
If the garden is very wet, there may be water stagnation, you should look for special grass mixtures, since most lawn grasses do not tolerate waterlogging.
It is not recommended to lay the lawn on steep slopes, slopes, as downpours will wash away the top layer of soil and sprouted grass. If necessary, use props or lay support nets.
How to prepare a lawn area?
Preparing the soil before planting grasses can make lawn care much easier later on, so this step should be given due attention.
Firstly, the selected site is thoroughly cleaned of debris. Weeds are removed, stumps are uprooted. Many gardeners resort to chemical means to kill weeds, since it is difficult to do it manually with high quality. In addition, it is worth remembering that it is not recommended to lay the lawn in early spring or, conversely, in autumn, since at this time there are many weed seeds that have not yet sprouted in the soil, which, when germinating, can violate the integrity of the lawn and inhibit the growth of young grass.
Secondly, the cleared area is subjected to deep digging to a depth of about 20 cm. In parallel, the remaining debris, stones, and roots are removed from the ground. Then the surface of the earth is leveled as much as possible.
At the third stageperform soil fertilization. The composition of fertilizers is selected depending on the needs and special land. So, in areas with sandy or clay soil, additional application of black soil and peat will be required.
The final stage of preparation is the compaction of the top layer of the earth. The importance of this procedure lies in the fact that hillocks and depressions can form on uncompacted soil, which significantly interferes with walking. And also when it rains, water accumulates in the recesses, and the grass dies from waterlogging. The most convenient way to compact the earth is with a roller, but you can also use a regular flat board or just walk around the site, trampling down the soil.
After that, the prepared site is left alone for a month. During this period, the surface of the earth will finally be compacted, perhaps it will shrink, all the remaining depressions and mounds will appear, which must be eliminated in the future.
How to plant a lawn?
Before planting the seeds of the grass mixture, the top layer of the earth is loosened with a rake. For planting, choose a warm, calm day so that the seeds do not scatter from the lawn. Seed consumption is approximately 40-50 g per square meter. After sowing, they are covered with earth using a rake. Then water abundantly using a sprayer with a fine rain nozzle. Do not water with a hose or bucket as there is a high risk of washing the seeds out of the soil.
How to take care of the lawn?
Increased attention is paid to the young lawn. Watering is extremely important, especially in the first weeks. Should not be alloweddrying of seedlings, as fragile grass can easily die. But you can not rush to the other extreme, since overflow is also detrimental to seedlings. Daily moderate watering is optimal. Grass cutting is carried out weekly, with a grass size of 5 cm.
If you skip this moment, then after the haircut, you will notice that bald patches have appeared on the lawn, and the grass itself has become prickly.
How is turf laid in rolls?
After preparing the site, you can go to buy a rolled lawn. The important point is that it must be laid within 72 hours of being cut from the field.
So, do-it-yourself turf laying starts from the edge that is closer to the folded rolls. The turf is laid out only in a straight line, turns and bends are prohibited. At the beginning and end of each row of lawn there must be a full plate or part of it, at least half the size of the whole. Small remaining pieces can be placed in the middle, but not at the edges. After laying one row, tamp it down properly, but do not nail it, but press the roll firmly to the ground.
The next row is placed so that the edges are offset, that is, like brickwork. The seams between the rolls are filled with a mixture of peat, clay and sand. Then water the lawn liberally.
How to install artificial turf?
For those who do not want to spend the whole summer caring for live grass, laying artificial turf is suitable. It is being heldin the following way. First, the future lawn is marked, then the soil surface is cleaned, leveled and compacted. A waterproof geofilm is laid on top, on which a drainage grate is placed.
A special fiber is laid over the grate, allowing water to pass through. Next, the artificial turf is rolled out, cut to relieve stress, and a day later the joints are glued with special glue.
Summarize
So, there are many options for a beautiful design of a grass mixture. For connoisseurs of incredible beauty, an English lawn is suitable, for those who want to see an instant result, laying a rolled lawn with their own hands is possible. These procedures are described in the article. Well, for people whose time is scheduled by the minute, laying artificial turf will help create green lawns.
