Lawn Establishment.
“A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other low durable plants, which usually are maintained at a lower and consistent height.”
Lawns are a common feature of private gardens and public landscapes and parks in many parts of the world now. Lawns are created for aesthetic pleasure as well as for sports or other outdoor recreational use. Lawns beautify a particular place and are considered essential for its good looking.
Land establishment is not a difficult job. It requires some experience. Seasonal lawn establishment and care varies depending on the climate zone and type of lawn that is grown. After establishment, attention must be paid towards its maintenance and renovation. Maintaining a beautiful lawn can be an enjoyable recreation and add significant value to the place.This includes proper watering of lawn, fertilizing, weed control, moving and other related practices. Establishment is the installation of a lawn on bare soil. In starting a lawn attention must be given to sub-surface draining, grading and levelling of the soil, kind of soil, preparation and fertilization of the seed bed and the use of suitable seed.
First of all till the soil in order to get a fine crumb structure, then put the seed in the top quarter inch of the soil. If land is hard then mechanically seeds are incorporated. Soil testing is the next step in order to get a view of lime and fertilizer requirement. A soil pH between 6- 6.8 is optimum for growth of turf grass.
Then finally grade the soil and apply the starter fertilizer is applied at the rate of about 4-8 lb per 1000 ft. sq. Now time comes for the seeding. There are two methods commonly used in this context. A quality lawn containing the recommended mixtures of specific grass varieties and species can be established with either seed or sod.
Seed small areas with hand. A fertilizer spreader can be used in larger areas. When seeding by hand, there should be 5-10 seeds per square inch. Sodding is the installation of commercially grown turf. Sod has a carpet like appearance consisting of green shoots attached to roots and soil. It usually comes in 18 inch wide 3-foot sections with less than half inch of soil attached. Sodding has the advantage of almost immediate establishment but its disadvantages are high cost and high amount of labour involved.
A newly seeded lawn requires daily watering and may be as much as four waterings in a day if conditions are dry and windy. Keep seed bed moist but not saturated to a depth of 1-2 inches until germination occurs.
Maintenance of Lawn: Maintenance of Lawn is also as essential as its instalment. In maintenance consider Mowing , keep the lawn moved to about 2.5-3.5 inches tall. Use the lower moving heights for higher quality lawns and higher heights for lower quality lawns. Mowing may be done 2-3 times a week in spring and 7-10 times in hot, dry conditions.
Irrigation: When normal rainfall does not provide enough moisture during the growing season, grass goes dormant and turns brown. To ensure a high-quality lawn, the lawn must be watered. Signs that a lawn needs water include: 1)footprints remain while walking across the lawn 2)a slight change in colour to dark blue-green 3)grass blades folding inwards. Water in the early morning when there is little or no wind. This provides more even water distribution. Water before mid-day, when the evaporation rate is the lowest. Watering can be done in the evening, but this may encourage disease development.
A lawn also has serious risks from diseases, pests and weeds. Various organic and inorganic or synthetic fertilizers are available, with instant or time-release applications. Pesticides, which includes biological and chemical herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are available. Consideration for their effects on the lawn and garden ecosystem, and via runoff and dispersion on the surrounding environment, can constrain their use.
Lawns are a common feature of private gardens and public landscapes and parks in many parts of the world now. Lawns are created for aesthetic pleasure as well as for sports or other outdoor recreational use. Lawns beautify a particular place and are considered essential for its good looking.
Land establishment is not a difficult job. It requires some experience. Seasonal lawn establishment and care varies depending on the climate zone and type of lawn that is grown. After establishment, attention must be paid towards its maintenance and renovation. Maintaining a beautiful lawn can be an enjoyable recreation and add significant value to the place.This includes proper watering of lawn, fertilizing, weed control, moving and other related practices. Establishment is the installation of a lawn on bare soil. In starting a lawn attention must be given to sub-surface draining, grading and levelling of the soil, kind of soil, preparation and fertilization of the seed bed and the use of suitable seed.
First of all till the soil in order to get a fine crumb structure, then put the seed in the top quarter inch of the soil. If land is hard then mechanically seeds are incorporated. Soil testing is the next step in order to get a view of lime and fertilizer requirement. A soil pH between 6- 6.8 is optimum for growth of turf grass.
Then finally grade the soil and apply the starter fertilizer is applied at the rate of about 4-8 lb per 1000 ft. sq. Now time comes for the seeding. There are two methods commonly used in this context. A quality lawn containing the recommended mixtures of specific grass varieties and species can be established with either seed or sod.
Seed small areas with hand. A fertilizer spreader can be used in larger areas. When seeding by hand, there should be 5-10 seeds per square inch. Sodding is the installation of commercially grown turf. Sod has a carpet like appearance consisting of green shoots attached to roots and soil. It usually comes in 18 inch wide 3-foot sections with less than half inch of soil attached. Sodding has the advantage of almost immediate establishment but its disadvantages are high cost and high amount of labour involved.
A newly seeded lawn requires daily watering and may be as much as four waterings in a day if conditions are dry and windy. Keep seed bed moist but not saturated to a depth of 1-2 inches until germination occurs.
Maintenance of Lawn: Maintenance of Lawn is also as essential as its instalment. In maintenance consider Mowing , keep the lawn moved to about 2.5-3.5 inches tall. Use the lower moving heights for higher quality lawns and higher heights for lower quality lawns. Mowing may be done 2-3 times a week in spring and 7-10 times in hot, dry conditions.
Irrigation: When normal rainfall does not provide enough moisture during the growing season, grass goes dormant and turns brown. To ensure a high-quality lawn, the lawn must be watered. Signs that a lawn needs water include: 1)footprints remain while walking across the lawn 2)a slight change in colour to dark blue-green 3)grass blades folding inwards. Water in the early morning when there is little or no wind. This provides more even water distribution. Water before mid-day, when the evaporation rate is the lowest. Watering can be done in the evening, but this may encourage disease development.
A lawn also has serious risks from diseases, pests and weeds. Various organic and inorganic or synthetic fertilizers are available, with instant or time-release applications. Pesticides, which includes biological and chemical herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are available. Consideration for their effects on the lawn and garden ecosystem, and via runoff and dispersion on the surrounding environment, can constrain their use.
