Lawn care in spring. Problems and diseases

Many summer residents and gardeners are interested in the question - how long does lawn grass sprout after sowing. To answer this question, it is necessary to take into account many factors that affect the growth rate. lawn grass. Grass intended for lawn formation must have a number of qualities that will allow you to create a beautiful, uniform surface. Among the main characteristics are shade tolerance, excellent decorative qualities, resistance to diseases and unpretentiousness in care. How many days it takes to create a lawn also depends on the seeds chosen for sowing.

When choosing seeds for a lawn, one should take into account its functional purpose and the characteristics of the climate in which the lawn grass will grow. It is necessary to determine the degree of load to which the lawn will be subjected. If this is a football field, then, accordingly, the load will be high. The lawn in the country house or in the park is operated with medium intensity. The lawn as an element of landscape design will experience low loads.

For sowing, it is recommended to use not one type of grass, but several. The composition of such herbal mixtures includes several types of herbs with different climatic requirements. A mixture of different varieties lawn grasses develop and grow much better than plants of the same species.

From the point of view of landscape design, there are several main types of lawns:

Mauritanian;
"lazy" or wild;
urban;
parterre;
roll;
sports;
ordinary;
shadow.

Moorish grass mixtures include flowering plants and cereal crops. Since the composition of herbs is heterogeneous, the first shoots should appear within 8 to 16 days after sowing.

The basis of the "lazy" or wild lawn is grasses such as clover, chamomile, bluegrass, yarrow. The timing of the first shoots depends on which plants are predominant. Clover should sprout after about 10 days from the date of sowing, and yarrow will sprout after 12-20 days.

For sowing urban lawns, prefabricated mixtures are usually used - red and reed fescue. It takes 7-10 days for such grass to sprout. Germination time is affected by ambient temperature.

Parterre lawn is a thick sheet of grass about 3 cm high. To create such a green carpet, mixtures of perennial grasses with slow growth, such as fescue, bluegrass or bent grass, are suitable. The number of days it will sprout depends on the specific type of grass. For example, bent grass, when planted in spring, should sprout within 9 to 13 days, and if sown in winter, seedlings will appear in May.

The rolled lawn is a uniform grass cover, consisting of lawn cereals and without weeds. In this case, it is not necessary to sow the seeds, the sheets are already ready for use and can be laid at any time of the year.

In most grass mixtures for sports lawn there is such a hardy and abrasion-resistant grass as red fescue. The first shoots will sprout in 14-15 days.

Ordinary lawn is sown various varieties bluegrass and the appearance of the first shoots depends on the specific variety, usually it is 10-20 days.

In order to create a shady lawn, you will need grasses that tolerate shade well, such as red fescue. The first shoots at good conditions should appear already 10-12 days after sowing.

How much the lawn sprouts depends on the variety of plants used. In general, for the vast majority of herbs, it will take up to 20 days.

Lawn Grass Types

Depending on the duration of life, there are:

annual crops;
biennial crops;
perennial crops.

The life cycle of annual crops takes only 1 year. To this species plants include phacelia, common comb, and wheatgrass.

Biennial cultures in the first year of their life form and strengthen root system, grow stems and leaves. In the second year, shoots will appear, from which flowers and fruits will develop. After the seeds ripen, the plants die off. Among biennial lawn plants, hop alfalfa can be mentioned.

Perennial crops, unlike biennial and annual plants, continue their growth and development for several years after seed maturation. Among the variety of perennial grasses, meadow fescue, shoot-bearing bent grass, and white clover can be distinguished.

Depending on the root system, the following types of plants can be distinguished:

dense bush;
rhizomatous;
tap root;
loose bush.

In dense shrub plants, old shoots released by an above-ground bush quickly grow together with new ones and form dense knots. Such plants resemble a dense bush. Inside it are the old parts, and around the edges - fresh, new. Certain varieties of fescue belong to dense bush cultures.

In rhizomatous plants, the root is not deep, but grows rapidly and gives a large number of nodes that form above-ground shoots. Among the rhizomatous herbs, meadow foxtail and white bent grass can be distinguished.

The root of taproot plants goes quite deep into the ground and fresh shoots appear on it. Such plants form beautiful lush bushes. Taproot crops include some types of alfalfa, sainfoin and several varieties of clover.

The root of loose shrub plants forms one node, and splendor is created due to the shoots of the aerial part. The loose shrubs include such plants as meadow fescue, wheatgrass, rootless wheatgrass and others.

Most Popular Plants

Bluegrass meadow belongs to the perennial crops of the grass family. The first year after sowing, bluegrass grows rather slowly. At this time, the root system is mainly strengthened. The bluegrass fully develops only in the 2-3rd year. Starts growing in spring. At the end of autumn, growth stops and meadow bluegrass leaves green under the snow. Bluegrass will withstand both harsh winters and dry summers. The degree of shade tolerance of bluegrass is medium, but it tolerates soil compaction well. After mowing, it grows back quickly, creating an even coverage. Bluegrass is unpretentious to the soil, but the most favorable for its growth is humus-saturated, moist and non-acidic soil.

Red fescue belongs to perennial grasses. This plant has excellent drought tolerance and shade tolerance. In addition, fescue tolerates cold well, so it easily survives winters. This grass is resistant to trampling, tolerates regular haircuts well, while the best height for mowing is 4-5 cm. Red fescue grows more intensively and easier on loose, humus-saturated soils.

The bent grass belongs to perennial grasses. It is winter-hardy and shade-tolerant. The bent grass grows slowly during the first year after sowing, and gets its full development in the 2-3rd year after sowing. Growth occurs until late autumn, and under the snow the bent leaves in a green form. The bent edge is very resistant to abrasion and tolerates mowing well. It does not grow back very quickly, but evenly. It is unpretentious to the type of soil.

White clover belongs to perennials from the legume family. During the first year, development is slow, flowering occurs in the following year. During the season, clover blooms 2 times: the first time - from May to August; the second time - from August to October. Clover does not tolerate shading and excessive moisture. Clover prefers slightly acidic or neutral soil. White clover, in addition to its excellent decorative functions, is able to benefit - it increases the fertility of the soil, saturating it with nitrogen.

How is seeding done?

You can choose any season for sowing lawn grass, but the middle of spring is considered the most favorable. Mid-autumn is suitable for sowing if you plan a lawn for the next year. In this case, it is better that the grass has time to take root well before the onset of cold weather. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant grass at the end of autumn, the plants may freeze.

The first step is to develop the soil for the lawn. To do this, remove debris from the site and clear it of weeds. The earth must be dug up and loosened. In cases where the soil is hard, peat and sand can be added. The fertile layer should be improved by adding special mineral fertilizers. Sow seeds, carefully distributing them over the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe lawn, pressing them into the soil. Next, be sure to water the lawn with water. The first 3-4 weeks after sowing, the lawn needs increased protection from wind, excessive moisture and sunlight, so it is recommended to cover it with a net (for example, a mosquito net) for this time. To do this, you need to stick a few sticks around the perimeter of the lawn and pull the net between them like an awning. This recommendation is suitable for areas small size. Lawn big size concealment is inappropriate.

The first time after sowing, it is necessary to regularly water the site and make sure that puddles do not accumulate.

In addition, the root system of plants is still very weak for the first 2 months, so it is recommended to refrain from walking on a fresh lawn at this time.

To get a smooth, fluffy lawn, it is very important to properly care for it.

In summer, as soon as the air temperature rises above 25 degrees, difficult times come for the lawn. Grass growth slows, color fades, and the ability to regenerate weakens. Some lawns can even fall into a "sleeping" state - the grass becomes brittle, withered, brown. To avoid such trouble, follow a few simple rules.

A haircut

Regular haircuts are a must for maintaining beautiful view and lawn health. In summer, it is usually carried out once every 7-10 days, or even less often, as the grass grows. In hot weather, raise the mower blade as high as possible: do not cut the grass too short. The most optimal height haircuts - trimming the upper third of the length of blades of grass. The high growth of the grass will provide vital shade for the roots of the plants, which will keep the soil from overheating and drying out - all of which will help better development root system of lawn grasses and suppression of growth of weeds. If you are going on vacation, cut your lawn to a third of its height before you leave. Resist the temptation to cut too short, even if you are planning a long vacation. It is important that the blades of the lawn mower are sharp: the sharper the blade, the less plants are injured and pulled out. Use garden shears or a nylon thread trimmer to trim lawn edges near trees, shrubs, and along the base of fences and walls.

Mulching

Don't rush to collect grass clippings in dry weather - you can leave it on the lawn as mulch. This mulching will help maintain a constant level of humidity and protect the roots of plants from stress in the heat.

Watering

When watering the lawn in the summer, follow the rule - either water it abundantly and regularly, at least once or twice a week, or do not water it at all. Frequent surface moistening of the soil adversely affects the root system of grasses - the roots grow close to the surface and become sensitive to temperature changes, in addition, a constant high humidity contributes to the development of fungal infection. While deep moistening of the soil stimulates the growth of deeper drought-resistant roots. It is better to water the lawn in the morning - during the day the moisture will evaporate, which will prevent the development of pathogens on the grasses. Don't let your lawn dry out before brown spots, then to try to bring it back to life with abundant watering and fertilizing. If the lawn turned yellow, became withered, this indicates that he fell into a "sleeping" state. Abundant watering, fertilization and herbicides at this point, it can simply be "burned". Such a lawn should be watered once every two to three weeks and left alone until autumn. Gradually, with a drop in temperatures, it will return to a healthy and green appearance on its own.

top dressing

It is not recommended to fertilize lawns during a dry hot period. It is best to do this at the very beginning of spring or in the second half of August, waiting for the air temperature to drop. Fertilizing your lawn during a dry season can damage grasses as their growth and development slows down during that time. From mid-August, fertilizers containing mainly phosphorus and potassium should be used, these elements help the lawn prepare for a long winter period, increasing the resistance of grasses to adverse weather conditions. After making granular fertilizer the lawn needs to be watered abundantly.

Aeration

Over time, the soil under the lawn is compacted, the sod becomes denser, dead plants appear - all this interferes with the free flow of oxygen and moisture to the roots. Therefore, in mid-August, after the heat has subsided, measures are taken to aerate the soil - dead plants are removed with a rake, then, using special equipment (aerators) or simple pitchforks, the soil of the lawn is pierced to a depth of 3-6 cm. It is very useful to carry out such aeration before feeding the lawn for improve the flow of fertilizer directly to the roots.

Weed control

Even perfect preparation soil for lawn laying and good care do not exclude the appearance of weeds - after all, their seeds are carried by wind, birds and irrigation water. With regular haircuts annual weeds disappear after several mowings, because in this case their seeds do not have time to ripen. And perennial weeds often have to be controlled with selective herbicides. During the hot season, it is desirable to keep the use of herbicides to a minimum, treating only heavily overgrown areas. It is better to remove the weeds by hand, and fill the bald spots that appear on the lawn with a small amount of peat, previously mixed with lawn grass seeds. Remember to use the same variety of grass that is already growing in your area.

New lawn planning

If you are planning to grow a new lawn from seed, do not sow it during the hot summer months. Postpone seeding until early fall, when a healthy new lawn will germinate more likely to succeed. However, at the end of August, it's time to start preparing the soil for the future lawn. Land for the lawn should be loamy or sandy-loamy, rich nutrients, have a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. In the place chosen for the lawn, remove all weeds, dig up the ground, breaking up large clods of soil. Plowing or digging the soil for laying lawns is carried out to a depth of at least 20 cm. If the soil is clayey, then add sand to it. It is desirable to add superphosphate to any soil, 50-60 g per square meter, as well as lime or chalk, if the soil pH is less than 5.0-5.2. Fertilize poor soil with manure. It is desirable to sow the lawn with one type of grass or a mixture of two or three cereals.

Polina MIROSHNIKOVA
The full text of the article is in No. 7 (134) of the newspaper "Six acres in Siberia". Also in the issue: "Cucumber with thorns - kivano", "Sea buckthorn - the queen of autumn", "Myths about actinidia in Siberia", "Novelties of phloxes: joys and disappointments" and many others interesting materials. The room is on sale from August 2!

None classic landscape design the site is not complete without: after all, against its background, both compositions and solitary plantings look very advantageous. A soft green lawn can also play a functional role: be a playground or a pleasant place for a picnic.

However, in order for the lawn to please, it needs care, in particular constant care. A classic lawn needs to be mowed at least once a week. Not all site owners have so much extra time, and the desire to do this. But this problem has a solution - a lawn for the lazy!

What it is?

A dwarf lawn is a lawn that does not require frequent mowing. That is, it is a mix of specially selected slow-growing and low-growing varieties (for example, the Liliput mixture).

How to sow?

A low-growing lawn is sown in the same way as an ordinary lawn. In order for the green carpet to please the eye for a long time, it is necessary to carry out the following preparatory work a few months before sowing (for example, from autumn):

Clear the site of debris. At this stage, it is necessary to remove stones, stumps, and also decide the fate of existing plantings.
If necessary, cut the sod. Dig up the site. Remove weeds, for example with herbicides.
Level the surface and organize drainage.
Make sure the layer fertile soil is at least 15 cm, and compact it.

Sowing seeds can be done manually or with a seeder. To achieve uniform seedlings, you need to sow half the seeds, passing along the site, and half across.

It is advisable to leave some seeds in reserve. They can be used later if "bald spots" appear.

What herbs to choose?

The lawn for the lazy consists of grasses that grow slowly and therefore do not require frequent mowing. Breeders have tried for you and brought out a lot suitable varieties. Consider the herbs that are most commonly used to create a dwarf lawn.

Fescue red red. It has excellent grass density. Strong underground shoots. It grows rapidly, covering the "holes". Relatively heat tolerant. Undersized. Rossinante, Maxima 1 varieties have proven themselves well.
Red fescue modified. Forms a dense turf, gives a lot of above-ground shoots, quickly takes root. Drought-resistant. Does not tolerate low mowing.
Fescue red hairy. Adapts well to different conditions: relatively shade-tolerant, drought-resistant. Especially worth noting is its resistance to salinity, thanks to which it can be planted on roadsides. Dense herbage.
Bluegrass meadow. Strong underground shoots. Resistant to trampling and low mowing. Tolerates heat well. Disease resistant.
The bent grass is shoot-bearing. Beautiful dense thin-leaved herbage. Good winter hardiness. Grows slowly. Rich green.
Sheep fescue. It has high disease resistance, drought-resistant, winter-hardy, tolerates salinity. Grows in all types of soil and tolerates shade well. It has a dense standing density.

In what ratio should all these herbs be combined? Of course, if you wish, you can independently develop a lawn mixture, taking into account the features various herbs. But this is absolutely not necessary, because knowledgeable people have already collected various mixes for you. You can find them on store shelves. For example, consider the composition of the grass mixture "Lilliput":

Red fescue ‘Rossinante’ 25%
Bluegrass meadow ‘Oxford’ 25%
Modified red fescue ‘Mariza’ 20%
Red fescue ‘Maxima’ 1 15%
Red hairy fescue ‘Greenlight’ 15%

Lawn mixture "Liliput"

Another popular mix is the low-growing Mini-Green lawn:

Red Fescue ‘Reverent’ 55%
Modified red fescue ‘Aida’ 25%
Bluegrass meadow ‘Balin’ 15%
Sheep fescue ‘Spartan’ 5%

How to care?

A low growing lawn will require the same maintenance as a regular lawn, except for the frequency of mowing.

In early spring, you need to ensure that puddles do not form on your future lawn. For this reason, it is advisable not to walk on the site where the green lawn will be during the period of snow melting. If a hole nevertheless formed somewhere, then it is necessary to pierce the ground in order to divert water. Otherwise, decay processes may begin. lawn should be carried out after the onset of heat. Like other plants, lawn grasses need nitrogen and phosphorus during the growing season. These elements contribute to the growth of green mass and roots.

In areas with arid climates, the lawn needs a layer of fertile soil to reduce the amount of evaporating moisture. Also, the lawn after the winter needs aeration, as the soil has compacted. Using simple pitchforks or special aerator rakes, the turf is evenly pierced. And of course, you need to carry out a general cleaning (scarification): rake moss and felt with a fan rake.

In summer a lawn is necessary. The amount of watering is highly dependent on the specific weather conditions.

In addition, in the summer the lawn needs top dressing every 2-3 weeks.

Autumn lawn care activities are about the same as in spring: top dressing, aeration, combing.

As for the haircut, it must be carried out depending on the growth rate of the grass cover. It is necessary to maintain the height of the grass at the level of 4-7 cm. This is where the main advantage of a low-growing lawn manifests itself, because it will need to be mowed only a few times a year.

How much does it cost?

As part of grass mixtures, seeds are not the cheapest, so the price of a lawn for the lazy is higher than the price of an ordinary lawn. The cost of 1 kg of universal classic grass mixture varies from 150 to 300 rubles per kg. And the same "Lilliput" costs about 500 rubles per kg (prices for the summer of 2017).

Conclusion

The only lawn grass that does not require cutting at all, as well as other care, is artificial grass. Whether to use such a solution on the site is up to you. At the same time, the lawn for the lazy, although it does not relieve all the trouble, significantly reduces them.

Lawn care

The lawn, like any other plant, requires maintenance. Lawn care includes regular mowing, fertilizing, cleaning, etc.

It is especially important to carefully care for the lawn in the first year of its creation: periodically water, control the appearance of weeds and diseases. The lawn requires extremely careful and accurate attitude in winter time. Lawn grasses suffer more from the cold than other plants, so in winter there is a danger of freezing the lawn. With the onset of frost, the grass enters a dormant period, and the lawn should not experience any stress at this time, otherwise “bald spots”, brown spots will inevitably appear in the spring, and natural recovery lasts quite a long time. In addition, damage to plant tissues weakens plants and can become a source of various diseases.

Walking on the lawn in winter is not recommended until a snow cover of sufficient thickness (20-25 cm) forms on it. If a thinner snow cover is formed (when strong wind and low temperatures air), experts advise, while caring for the lawn, to artificially increase the thickness of the snow cover. To do this, special shields are installed on the lawn to ensure snow retention.

In winter and early spring, an ice crust can form on the surface of the snow cover, preventing the air exchange of plants, which in turn inhibits the development of the lawn. The ice crust must be destroyed (for example, with a rake), otherwise the root system of lawn grasses may partially die.

When winter comes into its own and a stable snow cover forms on the lawn, you can begin preparing lawn equipment and tools for spring care.

It is especially important to check the condition of the lawn mower with which the lawn is mowed, because timely cutting is one of the most important requirements for creating a beautiful lawn. The condition of the rest of the tools should also be carefully checked - after all, the better the tools are prepared, the less hassle-sweat lawn care will require with the onset of spring.

When the snow begins to melt, you need to make sure that puddles do not form on the lawn. For this, the soil in damp areas is pierced (for example, with a pitchfork). To prevent spring waterlogging of the lawn, drainage work can be carried out in the fall. In any case, in the spring, experts advise you to move as little as possible on a damp lawn in order to avoid the formation of marks and potholes.

With the onset of warm temperature conditions, starting lawn care, you can fertilize it with complex fertilizers to accelerate the growth of grass and restore the lawn after winter. Top dressing can be made a little later, after spring processing lawn. It should be remembered that at the beginning of spring, plants especially need nitrogen and phosphorus, and after mowing they need almost all the nutrients.

The use of fertilizers contributes to the development of the root system of grasses, its thickening, revival of green color, increased resistance to trampling and diseases, and helps the lawn to recover faster after loads.

In arid regions in the spring to stimulate the root system, in addition to introducing into the ground phosphate fertilizers, carry out mulching. Mulching - this is uniform distribution on the surface of the lawn, fertile soil. The surface of the lawn is mulched, sprinkled with a mixture of peat, sand and finely sifted light loam. The composition of the mixture depends on the nature of the soil: on heavy soils, a large proportion of sand should be present in the mixture; on sandy soils, fine loam or soddy soil is added.

Mulching reduces the evaporation of moisture and helps to protect the surface of the earth from the formation of a crust, and also stimulates the formation of shoots, increasing the fertile layer. Mulching helps to increase the grass stand as the grass begins to form new side shoots.

After the spring “feeding” of the lawn, after waiting for the fertilizer granules to completely dissolve, the earth thaws and its surface dries up, a “general cleaning” of the lawn is carried out.

In the autumn-winter period, the so-called felt is formed on the soil. Felt and plant remains often cause diseases of grasses, and the appearance of insects. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out the so-called verticulation and scarification of the lawn (that is, remove the felt and loosen the soil surface). This allows you to create favorable conditions for air exchange, soil and carry out the prevention of possible diseases.

Before the soil dries up, verticulation and combing of the lawn is not recommended, so as not to pull out the grass with roots and damage the surface of the lawn.

It is necessary to clean the lawn regularly - at least three times per season.

For lawn treatment, special units are used - a verticutter (verticulator) and a garden vacuum cleaner. You can also use ordinary fan or twisted rake. The main task is to remove debris as thoroughly as possible, remove all dry rotten leaves and shoots and slightly loosen the surface of the lawn. With pitchforks and fan rakes, the lawn is combed up and down several times. A garden vacuum cleaner removes the smallest plant residues.

Lawn care also includes such an event as aeration - artificial saturation of the soil with air. Since after winter the soil is compacted, and the turf accumulates carbon dioxide, as a result, grass roots have nothing to breathe, grass growth slows down or even completely stops. In addition, on a compacted and even surface of a lawn, the grasses of which are tightly intertwined with their roots, moss can spread, for which the accumulated moisture residues create favorable environment. If the root layer is damaged in separate places, this will deprive the moss of favorable conditions for development.

For work, special equipment is used - aerators and cultivators. You can also use regular forks. The earth is pierced to a depth of at least 5 cm. It is especially important to pay attention to areas with highly compacted soil, overgrown with moss or having stagnant water.

If cavities or large bald spots open under rotten leaves and grass residues, these places will need to be “repaired”: pour the earth, level it and sow the seeds from the same mixture that was used when laying the lawn so as not to change the color and nature of the herbage. Small areas can be left - after a while they will be covered with grass themselves.

Usually the seeds are evenly distributed over the surface of the lawn, but it is especially important to carefully overseeding in damaged areas that have been subjected to freezing or wetting. To do this, remove all plant residues from the damaged surface and level the ground, filling and compacting the ground. The place of overseeding is loosened with a verticutter (you can also do it manually, with a conventional rake) and the same grass mixture is sown that was used for the entire lawn. Specialists recommend compacting the overseeding area and watering the entire lawn in the evening of the same day.

Weed control. Toward the end of spring, a problem with weeds appears. They fight weeds in two ways - mechanical and chemical. Mechanical - weeding the lawn with your hands. With this method, the roots of weeds are pulled out with a shovel or root extractor.

The chemical method of weed control is based on the use of special preparations - herbicides, designed to remove unwanted vegetation. Preparations differ in the type of action: some affect plants (solid action), others - only one kind (selective action). Chemicals can be in the form of a powder or liquid, applied with a sprayer, syringe or brush to the surface of plant leaves. Getting on the plant, the drug disrupts metabolism (metabolism), as a result of which the plant dies.

Usage chemicals can significantly facilitate weed control, however, experts consider their use as an extreme, forced measure, which can only be resorted to when all other means of weed control have been exhausted. When using any chemicals, one should not forget about their high toxicity. It is necessary to strictly follow the instructions that are necessarily attached to the preparation. When working, you must use all means personal protection- goggles, respirator, rubberized gloves, rubber boots; wear thick clothing. Chemicals must be handled with extreme caution - keep them away from children, pets, strictly ensure that drops of the drug do not accidentally fall on vegetables and fruits.

Disease control. During spring care, lawn damage by diseases can be detected. In this case, it is urgent to take the necessary measures to improve the lawn and stop the spread of the disease. Sometimes it is enough to carry out verticulation, feed the lawn with fertilizers and mow the first grass. If, after these measures, the grass remains affected, more radical healing measures are required. In this case, according to experts, the affected area should be mowed as low as possible and dug deep. upper layer soil (to a depth of 20 cm, with a reservoir turnover). After that, after waiting at least a week (so that the soil "rests"), you should sow the desired mixture of herbs.

Experts recommend mowing the lawn to a height of 8-10 cm, leaving the plants at a level of 5-6 cm. They also advise using a lawn mower with a grass catcher so as not to leave plant residues on the surface of the lawn.

“Combing” the lawn with a garden or fan rake is recommended every time the lawn is subjected to intense stress, such as trampling, and also before mowing. When combing, the crushed grass is lifted with a garden tool.

Experts advise mowing the lawn with a lawn mower with a grass collector and a sharp knife. The sharpness of the knife is very important only so you can get a quality cut. A poor-quality cut made with a dull knife provokes the death of the upper parts of the herbage, after which the lawn becomes brown. AT hard-to-reach places it is recommended to use a trimmer.

The lawn is mowed to a height of at least 4 cm. If mowing too low, there is a risk of damaging the density of the herbage, and besides, this allows weeds to develop faster. If the grass has grown to a considerable height, mowing the lawn it is recommended to carry out several times a week, while cutting off no more than a third of the plants.

If necessary, immediately after mowing the lawn, you can trim its edges - horizontal and vertical. If you want to give the lawn a certain shape or prevent the growth of rhizomes, perform horizontal trimming. If you need to arrange a hard-to-reach area, for example, along a curb or around a tree trunk, apply vertical trimming of the edges of the lawn.

Water the lawn after each mowing, and in hot weather - between mowing. Watering should be carried out abundantly, but avoiding the appearance of puddles. Water is one of critical factors affecting the growth and development of the lawn. It is believed that the optimal number of lawn waterings per season is 20-30 times. To reduce moisture loss, watering is best done in the evening or early in the morning. Evening watering is most effective also because during the night the topsoil has time to completely soak in moisture. Conversely, daytime watering, especially in hot summers, only leads to strong evaporation of moisture, and it can even harm plants, water drops act as a lens and plants can get burned.

It should be especially emphasized that it is necessary to water the lawn not with a jet, since this can lead to the formation of gullies, but with a drip method (irrigation). To do this, you can install automated system irrigation (or use a regular watering can).

At the height of summer, the lawn is strongly influenced by the wind and the scorching rays of the sun, and suffers from a lack of moisture. At this time, the plant may die, begin to wither, dry, etc. To prevent this phenomenon, regular, but not daily lawn irrigation is required.

Daily watering, according to experts, leads to a delay in the growth of lateral roots and the development of the root system in depth. That's why the best option- to carry out watering with an interval of several days or immediately after the first signs of lack of moisture appear.

Over time, the soil on the lawn becomes more and more dense. This leads to the fact that the flow of oxygen to the root system is hindered, and as a result, carbon dioxide accumulates. As a result, grass growth slows down. In order to achieve optimal gas exchange, a special tillage is carried out - aeration. The soil is treated with an aerator.

Lawn care also depends on the type of lawn. For example, at the end of summer Special attention required flowering (Moorish) lawns. Many annuals are fading, and perennials have not yet flowered. At this time, you can mow the lawn, but not lower than 8 cm.

In autumn, the lawn also needs top dressing. You can also fertilize a flowering lawn immediately after mowing it, as this stimulates the development of the lawn in the fall.

The Landscaper Stroy company offers lawn care services from professional agronomists. Departure of specialists throughout Moscow and the Moscow region.

Call and order services with a guarantee of quality!

They say lawn grass in the garden does not require special care. Indeed, on the forest lawns no one mows the grass and waters the flowers - and they grow beautifully. Grass mixture for artificial home lawn is collected from crops that require attention. Therefore, proper care of lawn grass is a must!

How often to water the lawn?

It is best to care for and water the turf in the evening or early morning. During the day, especially if the sun is scorching, the water evaporates faster, and the plants do not have time to absorb moisture. During the night, moisture penetrates deep into the soil, saturating the roots of plants to its fullest.

Water the lawn grass not with a stream, but with a drip, so as not to damage the stems and not to wash away the soil around the plantings.

How much to water?

Depends on the soil, the time of the previous watering, the weather. Deriving the exact rate of watering is problematic. Water the lawn abundantly, but not until puddles appear. To understand if there is enough moisture for the grass, check the soil at a depth of 100 mm. If it's dry, increase watering intensity.

How to water the lawn correctly?

It also depends on the characteristics of the soil and the weather. In hot weather, water the meadow on sandy soils twice a week, in cool weather - once every 10 days. Lawns on alumina or loam are not whimsical to water. Water the grass as needed, the earth should have time to dry out.

lawn mowing

Lawn mowing is not only a matter of aesthetics. Cutting the grass is necessary for the vegetative development of plants. This way they thrive better. Their rhizomes grow and create a dense turf.

How to mow the lawn correctly?

Cut in dry weather. But if the herbage is already overgrown, it is better to mow when it is cloudy or early in the morning - with heavy dew. Lawn mower blades will become less dull.

Grass leans in the direction it is cut, so change the direction of the mower with each cut. The grass cover will be dense and straight. And if you mow on time, then without bald spots that arise due to poor light penetration into the lower parts of the grass.

Cut grass is best collected and put into compost. From humus it turns out excellent organic fertilizer rich in trace elements and humus. On hot days, you can leave the mowing on the mowed area for 2-3 days to keep more moisture in the soil.

How often to mow the lawn?

You don't need to mow your lawn too often. On average, this is done once every 1-2 weeks, so that the grass has time to grow, get stronger and transfer energy for the development of the root system.

The first haircut after winter is different from the usual. Cut the meadow when the grass grows up to 10 cm. Set the mower blade to the most high level, at least 8 cm. This procedure will slow down the growth of weeds. After a few haircuts "on top" they will stop growing altogether. The rest of the time, with intensive grass growth, cut more, but leave at least 40 mm. Stems that are too short cause the roots to weaken faster and the soil to dry out more often. Leave the grass longer - the stems will weaken.

The last mowing of the lawn in autumn is carried out at the end of October - November. Ideally, before wintering, the height of grass stems should be 60-80 mm.

If you do not know when the last time to mow the grass, be guided by the weather. Grass grows at a temperature of 5 °C. Keep an eye on the air temperature to determine the last mowing.

How to remove weeds from the lawn

Destruction of weeds is effective in two ways - weeding or chemical treatment. The safest way to destroy weeds is by hand, digging them up by the roots. This gives a good result, but laborious and time consuming. And on a large meadow is almost impossible.

When there are many weeds and the area under the grass is large, it is better to use herbicides. Experts recommend treating the area with continuous herbicides before planting meadows. When they dry up the weeds, plant grass.

On the green and blooming glade Apply selective herbicides that kill a specific type of weed without damaging lawn crops. Selective herbicides are good because they destroy not only the stems, but also the root system of weeds. Chemical weed control is best done on a warm, windless day when the grass is dry.

To keep your lawn green without weeds, regular mowing and watering is enough. They increase the density of the grass carpet and turf, thereby suppressing weeds. Annual weeds will die from frequent shearing.

Fertilizer and lawn top dressing

You need to fertilize the grass three times a year - in spring, summer and autumn. Timely top dressing strengthens the grass and helps to destroy weeds.

When choosing how to fertilize the lawn, consider seasonality. The composition of spring and summer fertilizers contains a lot of nitrogen, which is necessary for the active growth of grass. AT autumn feeding more phosphorus and potassium, strengthening the roots and increasing resistance to cold.

How to fertilize the lawn?

After cutting, before watering. It is better to fertilize through a special sieve or using a spreader.

There is an opinion that mowed grass is also a good fertilizer for the lawn. It's a delusion. Mowed grass is useful as a protective layer for turf during hot weather.

Marina GRAMOVICH