Step-by-step instructions for planting a lawn. How to plant lawn grass correctly to get a good lawn? The surface must be flat

Many people think that there can be no difficulties in growing grass. But this only applies to weeds; they really grow well on their own. But to get a beautiful grass lawn, you have to work, there are certain subtleties in this matter. We will figure out how to plant lawn grass with your own hands and what care to provide it with.

When to plant lawn grass

Planting lawn grass with your own hands can be done in spring, summer and autumn. Let's look at the positive and negative aspects of each of these periods. It is recommended to plant lawn grass in the spring in the last ten days of April - early May. Such terms have their advantages:

1. By this time the soil is quite moist and no longer frozen.
2. The first weeds will have time to sprout, and it will be possible to get rid of them even before sowing the lawn grass by using herbicides.
3. By the end of the season, the grass will be stronger and even survive several mowings. You will be able to detect errors, and if there are bald spots left somewhere, then sow the seeds.
4. In spring it is already quite warm, and if the seeds have good germination, you will be able to admire the young green lawn within a month after sowing.
5. By winter, such a lawn will be strong and well-rooted and will easily withstand frost.

The disadvantage of spring planting is that the prepared soil may not have time to mature. That is why experts recommend preparing the plot before winter and sowing the seeds in the spring.

Some people believe that it is better to plant lawn grass with seeds in June, since the soil is already quite warm. In addition, if the site was prepared in the spring, the soil will have time to settle, revealing errors during leveling.

You can sow a lawn in the second half of summer (July - early August), but in this case it all depends on the region. In areas where cold weather sets in early, there is a risk that the grass will not have time to mature. In addition, insufficient mowing will prevent the formation of a uniform surface. Some plants may freeze and not sprout in the spring, and then you will have to re-sow the lawn.

As for the autumn period, there are two options for planting lawn grass. A good time for regions with moderate winters is the beginning of September; you just need to carefully prepare the site in the summer. In the fall, lawn grass not only has time to sprout, but also grow to the height of the first cutting (about 10 cm). Thanks to mowing, the lawn will become stronger and at this stage it will winter well under the snow in regions with moderate winters.

The second option is to sow the plot with seeds before winter (at the end of October), after fertilizing the soil. The grass will not have time to grow, but the seeds will undergo stratification, harden and sprout perfectly in the spring. But even in this case, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the region. If the second half of autumn is warm, the plants will begin to emerge (at temperatures above +5°C), and the sudden onset of cold weather will destroy them.

Where to begin

The arrangement of the lawn begins with planning a suitable place in the country and marking it, while taking into account the general plan of the site and the landscape style (if it has already been formed). Then they begin to remove weeds from the designated area. If there are too many of them, then the area must be treated with herbicides. As soon as the weeds turn yellow and dry out, begin general cleaning of the area. Everything is removed - dried grass, stumps and roots of cut trees, branches, stones, construction waste and unnecessary bushes.

Site preparation

Now the cleared area needs to be dug up. This is one of the most difficult stages. Don't neglect digging if you want to get a truly healthy and beautiful lawn. Depending on the soil structure, there are two options: Simple (or single-tier) digging. Only the top layer of soil on the bayonet of the shovel is affected (if it is heavy, you can also use a pitchfork). This method is suitable when you know for sure that the site has normal drainage and the land was previously cultivated.

For example, a single-tier digging is sufficient if the lawn is laid out on the site of an old flower bed or vegetable garden. Two-tier digging. It will be needed in areas that have not been plowed for a long time. With this method, the top layer of soil is removed and taken to the side, and the bottom layer is loosened using a pick or fork. When digging like this, it would be good to add manure or rotted compost.

The soil on the site needs fertilizing. If it has high acidity, add chalk or slaked lime. Heavy and clayey soil is loosened using humus or compost. And, of course, mineral fertilizers: nitrogen fertilizers in spring, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers in summer and autumn.

The prepared area is allowed to stand for 1-2 weeks so that the soil settles. After this, carefully inspect the area of ​​the future lawn from all sides for unevenness, otherwise, when the grass grows, it will be clear that the lawn is uneven. It is necessary to level out the hummocks, fill the depressions with soil and thoroughly walk over the entire area with a rake. The finally prepared area is rolled with a garden roller.

Is drainage needed?

If the lawn is laid out in a wetland or the soil composition is dominated by clay, drainage is essential. In this case, when preparing the site, it is necessary to make three layers. First, broken bricks (adobe or ceramic), tiles, gravel, and stones are poured to a thickness of 10 to 15 cm.

Sand-lime brick is unsuitable for drainage construction - under the influence of moisture it quickly collapses and changes the chemical composition of the soil.

Then a layer of the same thickness is formed from fine screenings of crushed stone or sand. And only after that fertile soil is laid.

How to choose grass mixtures

Which grass mixture to choose for planting a lawn depends on its functional purpose, illumination of the area, and climatic conditions:

• the sports ground should be able to withstand mechanical damage and trampling well (red and meadow fescue, meadow bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass are suitable);
• the lawn for children's games should be soft, so it is better to sow it with hedgehog grass, different types of clover, and meadow timothy;
• The decorative covering should look elegant; sheep fescue, awnless brome, and shoot-forming bentgrass are used for its arrangement.

A good option for creating a background for other landscape elements is Canadian lawn grass. It is unpretentious when sown, grows on any soil, and is easy to care for. “Canada Green” retains its greenery even under snow cover and does not allow weeds to sprout. If you want to create a bright flowering lawn, choose Moorish lawn grass mixture. A beautiful low-growing lawn is created from white clover, Corsican mint, anise and creeping thyme (thyme).

Sowing technology

The technology for sowing a lawn is no different. The main rule is that there must be calm weather to ensure even distribution of seeds throughout the entire area.

Most lawn grass seeds do not require any special preparation before sowing. Only in some plants (bromeless brome, tall ryegrass, meadow bluegrass) the seeds have thin hairs with which they adhere to each other, form lumps and lose their flowability - to restore their properties they are processed at home using a grater.

Two days before sowing, water the area to plant the seeds in slightly moistened soil.

If the area of ​​the future lawn is large, then you cannot do without a special seeder. In small areas you can sow by hand. The grass mixture is poured into sand (equal proportions are taken), mixed thoroughly and scattered over the entire area. This mixing allows for uniform distribution.

Sow in two directions: along the plot, then across. Then the soil is loosened and rolled with a roller so that the seeds are not blown away by gusts of wind, and preferably sprinkled with peat (a layer of 1 cm will be enough). The final stage is watering the area with a hose with a fine spray.

Rules of care

And now a little instruction on how to care for a planted lawn: The main thing is to ensure proper and timely watering - always using a fine sprayer, so that a powerful water jet does not wash out the grass roots while they are still weak. Water daily early in the morning and evening, but not in the scorching heat of the afternoon. A lawn sown “before winter” is not watered - the seeds should sprout in the spring. When the grass grows to 6-10 cm, the first cutting is carried out, with the exception of the Moorish (flowering) lawn.

Subsequently, mow every 2-3 weeks (the frequency depends on the type of lawn and the variety of plants planted). The soil needs aeration twice a season. The top layer is pierced with special devices, which ensures normal exchange of atmospheric and soil air.

The lawn needs to be fed three times during the season. For the first time at the end of spring, preparations containing nitrogen and phosphorus are applied - they promote the rapid growth of green mass, as well as the strengthening and development of roots. To improve color and growth, grass is fed with nitrogen fertilizers in the summer (you don’t have to do this if the season is not too dry, with moderate temperatures). Applying potassium fertilizers in the fall will give the grass resistance to winter cold.

Possible problems

It happens that young grass grows poorly and loses its bright color. Most likely, the soil does not have enough nutrients, which means it needs fertilizing with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Weeds may appear if the area was not thoroughly cleared of them at the preparatory stage, that is, you will have to dig them out manually.

The appearance of cracks in the lawn indicates poor watering. To eliminate them, you need to water the damaged area well and mulch it, adding a little grass mixture to the mulch. Yellowing and dying of the grass indicates fungal or viral diseases - this can lead to the death of the entire lawn. It is necessary to immediately treat the lesion with special preparations, for example, foundationazole.

We hope that you will be able to properly sow your lawn with your own hands. It will take hold, will not hurt and for many years will delight the eye with a beautiful bright appearance and pleasantly tickle your heels.

A beautiful, well-groomed lawn near the house - this picture pleases not only the eye. Emerald grass emphasizes architectural designs, highlights flower beds, ridges, and alpine slides. It doesn’t take much time to make a lawn with your own hands, but it is necessary to know how to do it correctly.

The basis of almost all lawns is grass. There are different types, with different characteristics, different colors. In the climate of central Russia, not all of them feel good. Therefore, if you are going to buy a ready-made mixture, pay attention to zoning: in the first winter you risk losing your entire lawn.

You need to be especially careful with ryegrass. It grows quickly, creates a thick, beautiful carpet, but does not tolerate frost well and freezes in our climate. When buying a ready-made grass mixture, look at its composition: there should be a little ryegrass. Even if it freezes, it won't do much harm.

When to sow grass

You can sow grass from May 1 to August 15. When sowing in spring, increase the seed consumption per square area slightly (by 10-15%). This way you will get a beautiful lawn faster and the lawn will leave stronger in winter. Due to the high density, plants will begin to compete with each other and the weak ones will be crowded out. Only the strong will survive until autumn.

When sowing in summer, adhere to the application rate. Due to lack of time, weak plants will not have time to force out, but all will be weakened by this struggle. Therefore, good care is important for summer lawns.

What is the best lawn grass?

The most beautiful color and dense grass are found in fescue and bluegrass. Their greenery is tender and emerald. When creating a parthenium lawn, they are used. But they cannot be used for other types of lawns that will be walked on: they will quickly be trampled. On such lawns, bentgrass of different varieties is often sown. Not so tender, it tolerates some degree of stress well.

Fescue is also more suitable for shady lawns. But even this will not grow in deep and constant shade. Salt light is the basis of photosynthesis. And at least for some time the lawn should be illuminated.

Types of lawns

We are accustomed to the fact that a lawn is necessarily grass covering the soil. It can contain ridges and other decorative elements. This is not entirely true. There are at least three more varieties of flowering lawns. They are undoubtedly more decorative, but it is unlikely that you will be able to walk on them.

Blooming lawns

Their basis is cereals, but significantly “diluted” with perennial or annual flowering plants. They are selected so that flowering occurs throughout the entire growing season - from mid-spring to late autumn. Depending on which plants are included in the composition, there are three types of flowering lawns.

Lugovoy

Already from the name it is clear that it contains plants that can be seen in a real meadow. Only rarely in full and in strictly measured proportions. The cereals are supplemented with traditional meadow inhabitants such as clover, chamomile, daisy, loosestrife, yarrow and other flowering or decorative foliage plants. Despite the abundance of flowers, the main ones are herbs.

Meadow lawn is highly decorative. Different plants bloom at different times and the appearance is constantly changing, the palette is changing

It’s clear that you won’t mow such beauty often, but you have to cut it once or twice a season for renewal and rejuvenation. The plants are perennial, so with proper watering they quickly restore their decorative properties. It is not always appropriate to sow the entire territory with such a mixture, but some areas are very pleasing to the eye.

Mauritanian

It differs in that the flowers used are annual. That's why such a lawn is not mowed at all. Grains are selected that are low-growing, there are fewer of them than flowers. The Moorish lawn is dominated by flowers. Both in height and quantity (look at the photo).

This is what a Moorish lawn looks like - a riot of colors all season long

They are selected so that flowering is as long as possible. Usually it contains poppy, cornflower, calendula, matiola, large-flowered flax, eschscholzia and other bright annuals.

Non-herbal

This is a completely unusual lawn consisting of ground cover plants. Sowing them in open ground is futile, growing seedlings takes a long time, and buying ready-made ones is expensive. Therefore, a non-grass lawn is grown for more than one or two years: plants are planted in small quantities, waiting until they grow. This type of lawn is the most difficult to grow with your own hands: the results of your labor are visible only after a few years, but the effort is worth it.

Non-traditional lawn - non-grass is made from ground cover arsenia

Grass lawns

To a layman's eye, different types of grass lawns are almost the same: maybe the color is slightly different. But in addition to different shades of green, they have different characteristics: some can be walked on, others are contraindicated, the sowing rate is different, and the care required is different. Naturally, different herbs with different characteristics are used.

Ordinary

The most resistant to trampling, you can walk on it. The herbs are selected to be tough and rough in appearance. But it is easier to care for, weed less often, and some mistakes that are often made when sowing on your own are not visible. An ordinary lawn is an excellent choice for a summer residence.

Parterre

This is one of the most decorative and ceremonial lawns. It is highly decorative; the herbs are selected in delicate, beautiful colors. The grass stand is low and thick, and with proper care it looks simply gorgeous. Such lawns are arranged in open places, but where no one will walk: too soft cereals will not withstand such a load. That’s why a ground lawn (see photo) is sown where people only walk along paths.

The ground lawn is one of the most decorative and “elegant”

Special

Planted on slopes. It contains grasses that have an extensive root system that can keep the soil from being washed away. The decorative effect of this coating is average, but it serves its main purpose well. A special lawn can be planted on a slope leading to a river or lake, if there is one on your site.

Sports

The mixture is more complex - in addition to traditional varieties of cereals, there are special ones that are more resistant to abrasion. The decorative nature of a sports lawn is not its main characteristic, therefore even a very well-groomed one looks much worse than an ordinary one, and especially a ground floor one. But it has very high abrasion resistance.

Due to the use of special herbs, its cost is higher and care is more difficult. Therefore, it is worth sowing with such a mixture those areas that will be actively used: a playground, an area where they will actively walk - near the gazebo, sports ground, etc. The remaining area is most often allocated to an ordinary lawn.

It's better to sow a sports lawn

Natural

For this type of coating, no mixtures are purchased or any work is carried out. They just cut the grass that is there. Most often, natural lawn is left in the garden: it protects the soil well from drying out, and the requirements for decorativeness are not very high. Plants that are too large and do not fit into the desired picture are removed manually. The rest become smaller and smaller during the cutting process, forming turf of different colors.

How to make a beautiful lawn

Growing a lawn consists of several stages:

• Soil preparation - removing weeds, if necessary - adjusting acidity and increasing fertility.
• Sowing grass, regular watering.
• First haircut. It is carried out after the grass reaches a certain size.
• Regular care and periodic haircuts.

In the process, you will have to monitor the soil moisture and remove weeds in a timely manner, fertilize from time to time, and replant bald spots that may appear after a too dry summer or too harsh winter. This, in brief, is the entire technology of growing a lawn, and then in detail, point by point.

Soil preparation

The first thing to do is assess the fertility of the soil. If the soil is clay or loam, grass will not grow normally on it. You will have to do some serious soil preparation. There are two options: fill the area with fertile soil on top or remove the soil and fill the resulting pit with soil.

It’s easier, of course, to just fill it up, but this can’t always be done: the layer of soil in this case should be about 20 cm. Raising the lawn to such a height is not the most reasonable solution: there will be problems with water drainage, high, well-reinforced borders are required, and the external it looks strange. Therefore, clayey soils are often removed to a depth of 15-20 cm, and then soil is brought into the resulting pit.

If you choose the second option, you can lay it on the bottom of the pit. It will not allow weeds to grow through it, and you will not have problems with weeding.

If the soil is normal, preparing the soil for lawn grass is not that difficult. First, all weeds are removed. This can be done mechanically - with a hoe and/or by hand, or herbicides can be used. They are bred according to the instructions, and the area of ​​the future lawn is watered. After a few days, the vegetation turns yellow and dries out and is removed. Simultaneously with the removal of weeds, stones, roots, and other fragments that may interfere with the growth of the horse system are removed.

The next step is to check the acidity of the soil. Almost all grasses included in lawn mixtures grow well in neutral soils. If you want to have a beautiful lawn, you will have to adjust its acidity. Therefore, in a store for gardeners and gardeners, find a kit for determining soil acidity and check what kind of soil is in your area. This is just a litmus test that you need to lay on the soil, wait until it turns color and use the color chart on the package to determine the acidity of your soil. If the soil is acidic, add lime; if the reaction is alkaline, sprinkle crushed peat. Next comes digging. At the same time as loosening, remove any stones and roots that come across.

In order to grow a beautiful lawn on marshy soils, it is necessary to create normal conditions for water drainage

The next step is to add a fertile layer. Fertile, loose and light soil is brought in and distributed over the entire site in an even layer 6-10 cm thick. The layer is leveled first with shovels, then with rakes. In this case, it is advisable to form a slight slope towards the fence: this way you will not have problems with the lawn becoming waterlogged during rainstorms: the water will drain from the area. The slope is kept minimal - 1 cm per meter or one and a half. This is quite enough to ensure the outflow of water, but it will not be noticeable from the outside.

Preparing the soil for the lawn - level it with a rake

One tip: imported soil contains roots, stones, branches, etc. To remove them, it is sifted through a large mesh (as is done during construction when sand is sifted). And the sifted ones are already transported around the site.

The next step in arranging your lawn with your own hands is tamping or rolling. It allows you to compact the soil, and when a person steps on the lawn, the soil under your foot does not collapse, but remains level. This process also makes it possible to identify irregularities that will certainly appear as a result of all earthworks.

If there is no special skating rink, it can be made from a piece of asbestos or iron pipe. You thread a rod inside the pipe and attach handles to it (even if you just tie a rope). You made the entire lawn roller with your own hands. Now he is dragged around the site, compacting the soil until he can stand on it without falling through.

Rolling the lawn is an important step to identify any unevenness. To do this, use a lawn roller (or make it from a pipe or barrel)

When rolling the lawn, humps and holes will certainly appear. We remove the excess from the humps and fill the holes. Having leveled the surface in this way, we take a lawn roller and go through the area again. To get a perfectly flat surface, you can take a long board and stretch it together along the area, cutting off any unevenness with the edge. Or make a device from two boards - as in the photo below. They can work alone.

Preparing an area for a lawn includes carefully leveling the soil

Fertilizer application

Fertilizers can be applied at several stages (one of them). In principle, if you pour 6-10 cm of imported soil on top of normal soil, you don’t have to use fertilizers. But for more active growth, you can add:

• after the imported soil has been scattered around the site and before leveling with a rake;
• if dry fertilizers are used, they can be mixed with seeds;
• dilute and water the soil.

The best way is watering. It guarantees a more even distribution of nutrients. But with this method, rarely does anyone want to bother themselves, unless they have one. The remaining two are equivalent. It is more convenient to apply along with seeds: it takes less time.

Planting grass

First you need to use a rake to slightly loosen the compacted soil. Just go over it with a light rake, slightly loosening the top layer. Now you can sow the grass.

It’s hardly reasonable to buy a seeder, which costs about $200-300 for a single use, so you pour the lawn seeds into a bucket and scatter them over the surface using the old-fashioned method: take a handful and pass a little through your fingers, scattering them more or less evenly. For those who want at least some mechanization, we can offer two options for simple seeders for lawn grass, which are easy to make with your own hands. This is a tin or plastic bottle with holes made in it (see photo).

To avoid the situation that one corner is dense and the other is empty, it is advisable to divide the plot and seeds into parts. Seed consumption is indicated for each mixture. You can estimate the area of ​​the sown area on the spot and measure the amount that needs to be scattered. For those who are making a lawn at their dacha with their own hands for the first time, it is better to divide the measured amount into two equal parts and walk the area first along and then across. This will distribute the seeds more evenly.

After sowing, the seeds must be covered with soil. There are two ways to do this:

• Walk around the site with a rake, trying to cover the seeds with soil. This method is less reliable - many remain outside, are pecked by birds, and germination deteriorates.
• Sprinkle the rest of the imported soil on top. Layer - 3-5 mm. All seeds are covered with soil, are in better conditions, and seedlings are better.

Watering and waiting

You need to water the lawn depending on the conditions: the soil should not dry out, but it should not be very wet. The water should not flow in a large stream, there should be no streams or puddles. Break the flow into small streams: install a sprinkler or sprinkler, if you water manually, put a nozzle on the hose. In the photo above you will see several options that will help solve the watering problem. They are sold in stores.

There are also several homemade lawn sprinkler options. In most of them, it is a plastic bottle with holes made in it, connected to a watering hose. It can lie and irrigate the adjacent area. If there is enough pressure in the system, you can tie it to a post. In this case, the watering area will be larger. Making your own lawn sprinklers is very easy. Look at the photo.

Another way to get small splashes is to make holes in a piece of plastic pipe or make a thin cut. The result is either thin jets or a fan (in the photo below right).

Why does water need to be sprayed? Because for normal development of the root system, the soil must be moist (but not wet) to a depth of about 6-10 cm. If it is simply flooded from above, it will only get worse: water displaces oxygen and the roots cannot breathe. So, sprinkling or is the best way to water your lawn.

After seven to ten days, the first shoots appear. They are still rare, but don't worry. It’s just that only the seeds of some varieties that sprout quickly have hatched. The rest germinate later. With proper care, after 20-30 days the grass height reaches 10-15 cm. At this time, the first mowing should be carried out. Leave about 5 cm in height for the first time. At this height, the grass will grow actively. After another 10-12 days it will again be about 12 cm high. Now you can cut the grass shorter - leaving 3-3.5 cm.

How to care for lawn grass

Basic care is timely watering, removing weeds and periodic trimming. If you water by sprinkling, the soil will contain a sufficient amount of oxygen and the plants should develop normally.

Problems with a lack of oxygen can arise after prolonged heavy rainfalls, when water stands in puddles in the area or when watering is improper, with the same result. Then aeration of the lawn is necessary. To do this, they use a roller, similar to the one used to compact the soil, but this one has points that pierce the turf. Through these punctures, oxygen enters the soil, and plants begin to grow better.

There is hardly anything that can highlight the beauty of the garden and the area near the house better than a green lawn.

According to some landscape designers, the lawn is the mirror of the garden. Indeed, a smooth and green background is an ideal surface for all landscape compositions and an idea for garden design.

But you should prepare for difficulties, since lawn grass requires quite serious care. And yet, the main thing is to create a lawn correctly, that is, prepare the area and sow the seeds with your own hands or using a special seeder.

There are different types of lawns to suit your every need, from a small lawn to a sports field.

A lawn mixture is a certain composition (proportion) of herbs and cereals, which is intended to create a green lawn.

The most popular types of lawns for planting in summer cottages:

By the way! There are also shade-tolerant lawns with a high content of fescue (sheep fescue, reed, red). However, it is necessary to clarify that this can only be partial shade; no lawn grass can withstand deep shade. And remember that the lawn will never be very thick in such conditions.

Each component in the herbal mixture performs its own function.

• Fescue - creates cruelty, in other words, general cover.
• Bentgrass is a very soft grass, an undercoat, so to speak, that forms a good basal turf.
• Ryegrass grows quickly and is responsible for the density of the cover.
• Bluegrass - creates silky and emerald green grass.
• White clover - to make the grass decorative.
• Meadow timothy - not afraid of trampling, great for closing bald spots, but does not tolerate low cutting.

When to sow a lawn: optimal timing

The optimal time for planting a lawn varies depending on where you live and, as a result, the climatic conditions of the region, as well as the current weather.

As a rule, lawn grass can be sown throughout the warm period, that is, from April to September.

The most favorable time of year for sowing a lawn is spring, because... The grass shoots will have time to become sufficiently strong by winter, but there is still a possibility that the seeds will sprout unevenly.

How to prepare an area for sowing a lawn

Before sowing a lawn at your summer cottage, you need to prepare correctly and thoroughly, which means you will have to go through several stages, each of which is very important.

Video: how to sow a lawn on your site

Required Tools

When preparing a site for planting a lawn, you will definitely need the following tools:

• shovel or walk-behind tractor (motor-cultivator);
• rakes, construction forks;
• flat block;
• special roller for compacting earth;
• special seeder;
• watering hose;
• protective gloves.

Clearing the area of ​​debris, weeds and other plants

After you decide on the place where you decide to sow the lawn, the first thing you need to do is to completely clear it of all debris (construction, household), and also get rid of old plants, such as tree stumps and dried shrubs.

Important! If you don't clean the area well and leave woody debris in the soil, don't be surprised if you notice toadstool mushrooms later. Cleaning the area under the lawn must be done very thoroughly.

You should also get rid of the turf layer (if you have one), for this you will need a shovel or a special device for removing the turf layer.

Next, to create or remake an old lawn from soil, you should remove all weeds, i.e. the land needs good dig up. To do this, you will need a motorized cultivator (faster and lighter, but more expensive) or a shovel (longer, more labor-intensive, but more economical).

Advice! After digging, be sure to collect all the weeds with a rake, and then dig again and again collect all the remaining weeds and their roots.

There is one more way to control weeds is the use herbicides. But remember, there is no need to rush, the drugs last quite a long time, about 2 weeks.

By the way! In no case should you prepare the soil for vegetable crops in this way, but for a lawn it’s okay.

Creation of drainage and embankment of fertile soil

If the area where you decide to sow a lawn can be flooded by rain, and water often stagnates on it, then you should make a double drainage layer: the bottom layer of coarse gravel or broken brick (15-20 centimeters), and the top layer of small stones or sand (10-15 centimeters).

If your land is infertile, then you should bring nutritious loose soil to the site to lay it in an 8-10 centimeter layer. And if you have heavy, loamy soil, then the fertile layer should be doubled to 16-20 centimeters. Typical soil is ideal for such soil. peat—sandy mixture (65% peat, 35% sand) with the addition of turf soil.

By the way! If you lay such a fertile layer under the lawn, then in the first season you will not even need to fertilize it.

Surface leveling

At the next stage of preparing the soil for sowing the lawn, you need to level the surface of the ground. To do this, you should use a rake and construction forks.

To compact the soil and level it as much as possible, use a roller. It is rolling the soil that will allow you to achieve a flat surface.

As a result, you should get an absolutely smooth, so to speak, ideal surface.

Advice! Make a very slight slope towards the fence to ensure rainwater drainage.

Video: preparing and leveling the area for a lawn

How to properly sow a lawn

Once you have rolled the soil perfectly evenly, you can immediately sow lawn grass seeds.

How much lawn will you need?

Naturally, there are standards for sowing lawns. On average, from 3 to 5 kg of lawn grass seeds per 1 sq.m., depending on the composition of the grass mixture itself and the desired density.

Rules and methods of sowing

There are not many rules for sowing lawn grass, here are the basic ones:

• The weather must be clear, dry and windless.
• You need to sow as evenly as possible.

The easiest way to sow a lawn is manual method, when seeds are scattered on the go with your own hands, passing along and across the site.

If you need to sow a larger area, you can sow your lawn more efficiently using special seeder. Just walk it over the entire surface of the area, it will scatter the seeds fairly evenly.

Next, the seeds should close up with a rake, or same use mulching method, in other words, mulch the scattered seeds on top with a small layer of fertile soil just to lightly cover the seeds. The second method of sealing is more preferable due to the fact that in this case, moisture after watering will be better preserved, and the seeds will swell faster and, accordingly, germinate much more actively.

The last stage of sowing lawn seeds is abundant watering from a hose with a sprayer or a special sprinkler.

Advice! After sowing, it is advisable (but not necessary) to cover the lawn to create a greenhouse effect. However, if the area is very large, then doing this, of course, is quite labor-intensive. And therefore, if the nights are warm, then this can be avoided.

Video: planting lawn grass according to all the rules

Lawn care after planting

During the first few days after planting lawn grass, you should regularly but moderately water the sown area for better germination.

When young grass seedlings sprout and reach a height of 2-3 centimeters, it is necessary to roll the soil again using a roller to consolidate their roots, because, as you know, the root system of a lawn is superficial.

Note! If after a week you notice that the lawn does not look very good (sparse and the grass is of different heights), then there is nothing to worry about. Lawn grass seeds actually vary and some can last anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks in the ground, so you may just want to wait a little longer.

Next, when the grass grows to 6-8 centimeters (usually this takes about 3-4 weeks), you should cut it for the first time, although some gardeners recommend mowing the lawn for the first time when the grass stand is about 12-15 centimeters high. In the end, you need to leave about 4-6 centimeters.

Advice! If after mowing you find bald spots on the lawn, you should simply replant them with new grass.

The next grass mowing should be done when the lawn reaches 12-15 centimeters again. It is extremely important to do this before he goes to bed.

If before this all cutting had to be done strictly with the help of a lawn mower, then after the main mowing you can start using a manual trimmer to mow hard-to-reach pieces and areas, for example, a side, a corner of a house or the edge of a flower bed.

Recommendation! If you want your lawn to live happily ever after, then do not take the cut grass to the compost heap, but leave it on the lawn (mulch, so to speak). She will be his best nourishment. To do this, simply remove the grass basket from the lawn mower and insert a stick or other object into it so that the grass can fly out. This way you will not need any fertilizing, although you can additionally water with an infusion of organic matter.

Thus, in order for the lawn at your dacha to “sparkle” with some especially fresh emerald colors, you need to correctly decide on its type, the choice of lawn grass, the timing of its planting, do not forget about preparing the site, tools, and also not lose sight of the extremely important subtleties of sowing and proper lawn care.

Video: when to plant a lawn at the dacha and how to do it correctly

A lawn on a personal plot is the dream of many gardeners. Moreover, they are absolutely sure that, regularly receiving a harvest of vegetables, berries and fruits, they can cope with growing ordinary grass without any problems. But everything is not as simple as it seems: there are many important nuances. Of course, nothing extraordinary is required from the gardener, but you need to study the lawn planting technique and stock up on the necessary tools in advance.

Spring lawn planting: advantages and disadvantages

Gardeners practice planting lawns from April-May to September-October. There is no strictly recommended time; it is determined by personal wishes and the climate in the region. All the grass needs to develop is sufficiently warm soil, positive air temperature and watering in the required amount.

Gardeners who successfully grow a wide variety of crops in their garden plots often believe that there will be no problems with lawn grass, but there are some nuances here too.

But many landscape design professionals prefer to do this in the spring, citing the following:

• Cold weather can only be expected in autumn. The grass will have time to take root and become strong enough. The conditions for its development are the most favorable. By autumn it will be possible to evaluate how successful the idea of ​​planting a lawn was.
• There is time to eliminate shortcomings. You can redevelop the lawn and sow seeds where necessary.
• The soil is moist in spring, saturated with melt water. This contributes to a faster and more friendly emergence of seedlings.
• When planting before winter, it is necessary to calculate the time very accurately. Either the seeds should “fall asleep” and awaken only in the spring, or the lawn should already germinate before the cold weather and become sufficiently strong. The grass will die if the young shoots are exposed to a thaw or the winter turns out to be light and harsh.
• When turf is seeded in the summer, prolonged drought is always likely. This means that the gardener will need more time and effort to regularly irrigate the plantings. In the process, seeds and shoots are washed out of the soil, and bald spots form.

There is only one risk during spring planting - possible return frosts. Mature lawn grass can tolerate freezing temperatures, but young seedlings may die. Therefore, in those regions where frosts in April and May are by no means uncommon, it is better to wait until the beginning of summer. The water consumption may increase, but you will avoid the death of the lawn already at the seedling stage. Focus on long-term weather forecasts.

Video: when and how to plant a lawn correctly

What you need to plant a lawn

In principle, you can get by with standard garden tools - a rake, shovel, pitchfork, and so on. But it’s better to make your work as easy as possible, otherwise you will need significant physical effort and certain skills. In very small areas, the use of technology is unprofitable, but in large areas it is impossible to do without it. There are mechanisms for removing turf, and for leveling the soil, and for compacting it, and for sowing seeds:

• shovel for removing turf;

  A shovel for removing turf, otherwise called torf iron, is an invention of English gardeners; all the edges are sharpened, which greatly simplifies the process - the turf is, as it were, trimmed

• turf removal machine;

  A turf removal machine with a gasoline engine “bites” into the soil with a pointed crossbar of the frame as it moves and cuts the turf, it is removed in whole layers

• rake for leveling the soil;

  The area under the lawn can be fairly well leveled with the back of a conventional rake.

• garden skating rink;

  The garden roller simultaneously compacts the soil and breaks up clods of earth.

• seeder for lawn grass.

  The lawn grass seeder ensures uniform seed distribution using a metering shaft

Site selection and preparation

A suitable place for a lawn is a flat horizontal area or a gentle slope. A slight slope is even better - rain and melt water will not stagnate. You can achieve the desired result in the shade and in the sun, with a substrate of any quality, with the exception of an outright swamp. Disadvantages such as acid-base reaction of the soil, excessively light or heavy soil are leveled out during the soil preparation process by adding additional ingredients. Regarding light deficiency, there are herbs such as:

• fescue (tolerates low light, prefers a dry, light substrate with an acidic reaction);
• red fescue (tolerates partial shade, frost and lack of moisture in the soil);
• bluegrass (undemanding to light and quality of substrate, grows successfully in soil prone to stagnant water);
• perennial ryegrass (maximally shade-tolerant, but does not tolerate drought and extreme cold).

A lawn in the shade even has an advantage - it grows slower than in the sun, and you need to mow the grass less often.

You can choose lawn grasses that will feel comfortable in different weather conditions and have different requirements for the quality of the substrate

Video: choosing lawn grass

Think over the layout in advance; it’s even better to draw a plan for the lawn. There may be some structures on the selected site. All this will interfere with the haircut in the future. If you plan to use a lawn mower rather than a trimmer, there should be at least a meter of free space between the lawn and any wall or fence. A large mower will not allow you to cut grass that is close to the fence efficiently and evenly.

Grass has a tendency to spread throughout the area and “choke” any plantings. If there are flower beds, alpine slides, rose gardens, or other landscape design elements near the lawn, use plastic border strips dug into the soil, which will prevent greenery from spreading uncontrollably.

Flowerbeds with the most valuable and rare flowers must be separated from the lawn so that the grass does not “smother” them

Grass surrounding trees and large bushes often causes deepening of the root collar. This provokes its ripening and the development of rot. If possible, plant trees at the same time as grass, forming small mounds for them so that the root collar is higher above ground level, and installing borders.

Lawn grass can cause the death of shrubs and trees,

If the area is heavily overgrown with weeds, the use of herbicides is recommended to control them. Weeding by hand is useless - the roots of the plants remain in the ground. Dandelions and wheatgrass are especially tenacious.

Roundup is one of the most popular herbicides among gardeners; it must be used strictly according to the instructions

Next, you need to clean and level the selected area. It is necessary to remove all debris, uproot stumps, remove a layer of turf about 10 cm thick, using a shovel or a special machine. Turf is the surface layer of soil in which most of the weed roots are concentrated. Instead of the removed turf, a layer of soil is poured flush with the surface of the earth.

At the same time, soil deficiencies can be corrected if ordinary garden soil is used to fill the void left after removing the turf. Light soil is mixed with powdered clay, heavy soil with sand, acidified soil with dolomite flour and wood ash.

Removing turf helps to better level the area for the lawn

Where groundwater comes closer to the surface than 1 m, and in areas located in lowlands, drainage is required - a layer of large pebbles, brick chips, ceramic shards 8–10 cm thick and on top - 5–7 cm of fine sand, crushed stone The drainage is covered with soil (12–15 cm). Each of the three layers is compacted in turn.

If the lawn requires drainage, you need to remove not only the turf, but also the soil underneath it (about 30 cm)

The surface of the future lawn is leveled by tearing off mounds, hummocks and filling existing holes. A lumpy lawn looks very unsightly.

A smooth lawn looks much more presentable than one covered with holes and hummocks, so leveling the area is indispensable

Video: leveling the area for a lawn

The next stage is compaction. Soil compaction is necessary to get rid of voids in the soil. Subsequently, depressions may form in these areas of the lawn. Trampling with feet is unproductive and also leaves marks. It is better to use a special garden roller or at least a heavy cylindrical object with a flat surface (treated log, metal pipe). To control the perimeter of the lawn, low stakes are driven in and a rope is pulled through them. After processing, it should form a perfectly straight line. It is advisable to check the result using a building level.

Video: compacting soil

Next, it is recommended to fallow the soil. The prepared substrate is kept fallow for a month and a half, regularly weeding out emerging weeds. An alternative is to sow the area with green manure plants, then mow them and incorporate them into the soil as fertilizer. This procedure takes extra time from the gardener, so it is often skipped, but as a result it is possible to almost completely get rid of weeds, improve the quality of the soil, and saturate it with nitrogen.

Pre-sowing a lawn area with green manure improves the quality of the soil and provides the gardener with natural organic fertilizer in the form of green mass.

7–10 days before sowing the grass, complex nitrogen-potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are applied - approximately 50 g/m². Fertilizing with a rake is embedded in the soil to a depth of 4–5 cm. Then the area is treated with the same rake or motor-cultivator, breaking up all large lumps of earth larger than a grain of wheat. If this is not done, the surface of the lawn will not be smooth.

Sowing lawn grass

For planting seeds, choose a clear, dry, windless day. The substrate on the surface of the site should dry out, at a depth of 8–10 cm it should remain moderately moist. Go over the soil with a fan rake, forming shallow furrows.

Fan rakes form shallow, even furrows that are easy to navigate when sowing lawn grass

Mix the seeds in the package. The average consumption rate of planting material (unless the manufacturer recommends otherwise) is 40–60 g/m². It’s not worth saving - otherwise bald spots will form, which will quickly fill with weeds. And if you thicken the plantings too much, the grass will not have enough nutrients, it will weaken, which will not have the best effect on its appearance. On each side, go beyond the outlined perimeter of the lawn by about 6–8 cm.

Both herb seeds of one type and their mixtures are available on sale; the choice is purely a matter of taste.

Divide the entire area of ​​the site into approximately equal squares. Divide the entire volume of seeds into the same number of parts. Or you can use a template frame made of thin slats with sides 1 m long, gradually moving it across the lawn.

Sow seeds as evenly as possible and without saving - the quality of the future lawn depends on this

Fill each square in turn, scattering half of the planting material parallel to the rake furrows, and the other half perpendicular to them. You can do this manually, but a special seeder will do the job better. Pre-mix small seeds with an equal volume of sand.

The lawn seeder allows you to distribute the seeds more evenly than when sowing by hand

After finishing sowing, use the same rake to cover the seeds with soil (layer 1–2 cm) and compact the area with a roller. The final stage is moderate watering of the future lawn using sprinkling. The appearance of the first shoots is noted within 4–5 days after planting, mass shoots - after 10–15 days. After a month or a month and a half, you can evaluate the general appearance of the lawn and, if necessary, sow seeds.

In some places, a “bald” lawn looks very unaesthetic, so you need to purchase seeds with a reserve - you will almost certainly have to reseed the grass

Video: the process of sowing lawn grass seeds

Further care of plantings

Before mass shoots appear, the area, if there is no precipitation, is irrigated once every 2–3 days. The soil must be wetted to a depth of 5–7 cm. Sprinklers and watering cans with fine sprinklers are used for this. The thicker the water stream and the stronger the pressure, the more seeds are washed out of the soil during watering.

The best option for watering the lawn is all kinds of automatic installations that simulate natural precipitation

Video: proper watering of the lawn

You can take your time with weeding; wait about a month from the moment mass shoots appear. The lawn will become slightly stronger and you can walk on it. While weeding, place a piece of plywood on the grass and stand on it. Or cut out some kind of mini-skis or snowshoes. This will distribute the pressure evenly and avoid the appearance of holes in the lawn.

The lawn is mowed for the first time when the grass reaches 8–10 cm in height. Only the tops are cut off, shortening the shoots by 1.5–2 cm. Be sure to check the sharpness of the mower blades (otherwise the grass will be pulled out by the roots). With each subsequent mowing, move, changing direction (perpendicular or diagonal compared to the previous mowing). The optimal cover height is 4–8 cm.

Lawn mowing is carried out regularly during the active growing season; it is best to do it with a mower, which simultaneously collects the cut grass.

The lawn itself will not drive out weeds. You can sow it on unprepared soil and then suffer for a long time. Or you can suffer through it once and then just take care of the lawn.

Glata

I mow the lawn when the grass grows over 15 cm. That’s why I have to mow once every 2–3 weeks (I have about 8–9 acres allocated for my lawn).

http://dacha.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=21983

I don’t have a lawn, but my new neighbor in the country made one for himself. True, instead of a bulldozer, he had relatives who only saw shovels on TV. They dug up, didn’t bother the weeds much, and sowed them with lawn grass. The first year the sight was deplorable. The field is like an unshaven man with week-old stubble. And the next year the lawn grass was destroyed. Now the neighbor runs around his field with a trimmer once every couple of weeks. Regarding the weeds: at least he doesn’t have dandelions, although they are rampant along the border of the property.

http://dacha.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=21983

The roots of the weeds will remain during preparation in any case. You need to walk not with a rake, but “salt” it with sand, as if rubbing it with your hands, and then sprinkle the prepared surface with soil (only now it should be without roots and pebbles) “salting” it in the same way. After the passage, you can already plant lawn grass. Gently press (tamp) down with a piece of plywood on top. Then sprinkle with soil again. There is no need to treat with chemicals - everything accumulates in the ground, and then it is unknown what the results will be. Out of harm's way. But keep in mind: it’s not a fact that, having done everything according to science, you will end up with a gorgeous, smooth English lawn. Although, there was experience of replanting and “sprinkling” seeds on bald spots in a place near the house. I’m ashamed to admit, but it was not lawn grass, but the remains of food for parrots - roughly speaking, millet with oats and something else. The result was that there were several times fewer dandelions than in other places on the lawn, and on the bald patch near the house there was neat grass. Of course, not a lawn, but the view was much more pleasant.

Beginner Me

http://dacha.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=21983

I love mowing the lawn; it’s just relaxation for me. I mulch the beds and plantings with cut grass: it becomes so beautiful and clean. I'm just overwhelmed by how many things I do at once.

http://www.mamcompany.ru/forum/forum11/topic35402/

It is necessary to make a layer of crushed stone under the fertile soil layer - drainage. Be sure to compact both the crushed stone and the soil (not with your feet, but with a special device - a roller). In general, DO NOT walk on the lawn in wet weather or in early spring - the holes will remain. When fighting weeds, wear wide flip-flops to relieve pressure. Every spring it is necessary to clean the lawn with a rake (but not the young one). It is also advisable to pierce the turf to allow oxygen to enter. It is better to choose local grass. We water every day at night. Buy seeds with a reserve, since the young lawn freezes in places and needs to be reseeded. Other seeds give a different color and intensity: even if they have the same name, the batch is still different. It is important not to overuse fertilizers. Mow 1-2 times a week depending on the type of grass (but not young lawns). You need a lawn mower that collects the cut grass. Gasoline or electric on a wire with an extension cord - depends on the size of the lawn.

Grunting

https://www.u-mama.ru/forum/family/dacha/792064/

I just loosened the ground, sowed seeds, laid down boards, stomped on them and that’s it. The lawn has been growing for three years now. The main thing is, when you sow seeds, do not spare them: the more, the better. And the trimmer is a good thing.

https://forums.drom.ru/house/t1151389359.html

Grass seemingly grows everywhere without any outside help. But planting a lawn and maintaining it in a presentable form is not as simple a task as it seems at first glance. There are some nuances in the technology of preparing the site, in sowing seeds and in further caring for the “lawn”. You need to find out about all this in advance if you want to get a really beautiful lawn, and not something unintelligibly bald.

Nowadays, the lawn has become popular not only in city parks and squares. More and more summer residents are giving preference to it, taking away space from traditional garden beds and implementing comfortable recreation areas. The lawn is an integral element of landscape design, tying together flower beds, compositions of shrubs and large trees. Due to the property of lawn grasses to evaporate large amounts of moisture, even on hot days a comfortable microclimate is maintained on the green lawn. In this article we will consider not only how to plant a lawn with your own hands at the dacha, but also how to properly care for it throughout the year.

Choosing grass for the lawn

There is a wide variety of lawn grasses, each designed for specific operating conditions. To achieve the desired result, it is not enough to simply read the name of the herbal mixture on the packaging; you must carefully study its composition, having a clear understanding of the properties of each herb in its composition.

Based on functionality, lawns are usually divided into three types:

• decorative;
• sports;
• specialized.

Sports turf grass

As the name implies, such lawns are planted on sports and playgrounds.

They differ:

• resistance to mechanical damage;
• resistance to trampling;
• fast recovery.

It is for this reason that most summer residents choose these grass mixtures for their plots. But it is worth considering that they always contain ryegrass, which dies during cold winters. Therefore, in the northern regions it is advisable to abandon it or be prepared to re-sow it every spring.

As a rule, the sports grass mixture contains the following set:

• perennial ryegrass. It germinates most quickly and has a bright green color that lasts throughout the season;
• meadow bluegrass. It can withstand both heat and cold very well. Forms a dense cover that perfectly resists trampling;
• red fescue. This is the least demanding cereal with good frost-resistant characteristics;
• meadow fescue. In most cases, there is the least amount of it in the mixture, since it does not resist trampling well, but at the same time responds well to mowing.

The sports lawn should be planted as densely as possible, at least 50 grams per 1 m2 is recommended. In areas with increased load, this norm doubles and is no less than 100 grams per m2.

The best time to plant it is early autumn.

Grass for a specialized lawn

These grass mixtures are used for landscaping roadsides, industrial sites, etc. Their direct purpose is to absorb dust and purify the air. Therefore, you should choose the least demanding herbs that can filter polluted air and be resistant to burning.

They contain:

• awnless rump. This is an undemanding cereal that easily tolerates drought and frost;
• shoot-forming bentgrass. It is optimal for those areas that cannot be mowed frequently, as it recovers slowly after mowing. It does not tolerate drought, but is extremely frost-resistant.

Grass for decorative lawn

Decorative lawn, in turn, is divided into three types:

• meadow. As the name suggests, it imitates a natural meadow landscape with a large mix of grasses, wildflowers and some weeds;
• ordinary. Consists of several herbal mixtures. In terms of the softness of the turf, it is inferior to the parterre lawn, but superior to the sports one. A lawn made from an ordinary grass mixture can withstand light loads, but will require regular maintenance;

• ground floor. These are elite lawns that are extremely demanding to care for. They are intended only to be admired. Parterre lawns are unstable even to minimal loads, as they consist of one type of grass, which has exclusively decorative functions. Therefore, it is often placed in front of the main facade of the house as a rich green background for flower, tree or shrub compositions.

• stands apart from everyone else Moorish lawn. It is distinguished by the widest composition of herbs: clover, cereals, wild flowers and many other herbs. It is sown only once in mid-spring (depending on the weather conditions of the region), and subsequently reproduces independently - by self-sowing. This DIY lawn does not require regular mowing.

• In addition to classic mixtures of cereal herbs, there are lawns made from chamomile, clover, thyme or yarrow.

• Recommended grass composition for certain areas:

1. for a shaded area, the following herb composition is suitable: meadow fescue 60%, white bentgrass 20%, meadow bluegrass 20%. Or red fescue 50%, perennial ryegrass 25%, meadow bluegrass 25%;
2. for an area in the open sun, you should choose a herbal mixture of 60% bentgrass and 30% bentgrass;
3. shoot-forming bentgrass is intended for full shade;
4. A mixture of meadow bluegrass 60% and red fescue 40% is planted along the fence.

• It is also worth mentioning about rolled lawns. There is a misconception that this is an option for the lazy. In fact, it requires exactly the same serious soil preparation as a conventional seeded lawn. The only difference is that with the help of a rolled lawn you immediately get ready-made thick turf.

• When purchasing domestic grass mixtures, you must be prepared for the fact that fodder grains will certainly be added to their composition. It is also possible that there are some weeds present.

Layout of the lawn on the site and preparation of the soil for it

Before planting a lawn, a number of preparatory work must be carried out.

The first step, even before preparing the land, is to draw a plan for the location of the lawn on the site. It is important to take into account the location of flower beds, trees, small architectural forms, etc. This is necessary so that there are no problems with mowing the lawn in the future.

Stages of preparing soil for a lawn:

• clearing the lawn area of ​​debris, which includes branches, stones and various household waste. This must be done efficiently, without burying anything in the ground;
• remove all unnecessary trees and shrubs;
• clear of weeds. There are several ways to do this:

1. the first is regular weeding by hand. To do this, in the spring the earth is watered abundantly to speed up the growth of weeds, after which they are weeded and the soil is thoroughly watered again. This will need to be done several times;
2. in the second case, any aggressive green manure, for example, rye, is planted in the fall. In the spring it will come out first and “strangle” most of the weeds. It must be dug up at the stage of young shoots and embedded in the ground. It will not only help to cope with most of the weeds, but will also further loosen and enrich the soil;
3. the third way is to remove weeds using herbicides. The most popular of them is Roundup. But it negatively affects any vegetation, so today there are chemicals that remove only weeds without harming lawn grass;

• the prepared soil is dug up. If necessary, new fertile soil is brought in; for the development of good turf, a layer of 10 cm thick is sufficient. At the same stage, mineral complex fertilizers are applied;

• Now it's time for leveling. Using a rake, all lumps and depressions are broken and leveled;
• The soil leveled under the lawn is compacted tightly with a roller. If a large area is being cultivated, then it is most rational to rent a special skating rink from any landscaping company. When arranging a small area, you can do it yourself, for example, using a barrel of water or making a skating rink from a log;

• Before sowing the seeds, the surface of the soil must again be slightly loosened with a rake and covered with film for a couple of months. Thanks to this, some of the remaining weeds will rot and die.

How to sow a lawn with your own hands

It is best to sow grass mixtures in late spring in calm and dry weather, which will ensure even distribution of seeds over the soil surface.

Today, for uniform sowing of lawn grasses, special devices are sold - seeders.

Their absence is not a problem; all the work can be done manually.

Stages of work:

• for ease of work, the lawn is visually divided into longitudinal strips. First, the grass is sown moving along them, not missing even a small area. And then they walk across. In this way, a uniform and dense distribution of seeds is obtained;

• Now the seeds must be protected from birds and possible erosion by rain. To do this, they are slightly buried into the ground with a rake. Here it is very important to do all the work carefully so as not to disturb the density of the sowing;

• To speed up the germination of a lawn, it is not enough to simply rely on weather conditions. Be sure to water it immediately. First, you need to spill it at least 5 cm, but at the same time make sure that no puddles form. In the future, it will also be necessary to provide regular watering, the frequency of which depends on the time of year.

Mistakes when creating and caring for a lawn

Wrong choice of grass mixture

• Before purchasing, you need to have a clear idea of ​​the conditions under which the lawn will be used. And also the characteristics of the herbs in its composition.
• Avoid choosing a lawn designed for full sun and plant it in the shade.
• Not all grasses that come in ready-made lawns can winter even in central Russia. It is important to consider that they will not sprout in the spring.

Wrong time for sowing

• Sowing in autumn before winter is possible only in the southern regions of Russia. Otherwise, the lawn seeds will freeze without having time to gain strength before winter. Or early spring frosts will destroy the young shoots.
• Spring is also not the best time. Because weeds will begin to sprout in large numbers along with the young lawn.

Tip: The best time to sow lawn grass seeds is late summer.

Maintenance mistakes that lead to moss formation

Due to the fact that it disrupts air circulation, the lawn begins to turn yellow and die in this area.

Reasons why moss may appear:

• very short regular lawn mowing;
• swampy area;
• acidic soil;
• high soil density;
• 24-hour shade;
• insufficient amount of nutrients.

But all these troubles can be corrected by determining by the type of moss what the lawn lacks:

• low-growing or creeping moss - lack of sunlight and high soil moisture;
• tall moss indicates too acidic soil;
• dense, small and low islands of moss are a sign of too short a haircut.

To prevent this, the lawn requires constant maintenance, consisting of combing, fertilizing and piercing to improve aeration.

Late application of nitrogen fertilizers

Nitrogen helps stimulate the growth of the above-ground, green part of the lawn; it is useful as a spring feeding. But it would be a mistake to apply it in the fall, thereby reducing the winter hardiness of the turf.

Advice: at the end of autumn, you need to apply a complex of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers that help strengthen the roots.

Improper mowing of the lawn

• Too short and it will weaken the lawn, making it more vulnerable to diseases and weeds;
• It is not recommended to cut off more than one third of the plant’s height at a time. In severely advanced cases, haircuts are performed in several stages at intervals of a couple of days. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the lawn to recover;
• You should not cut the lawn after it rains, as it is more susceptible to damage when wet.

Mistakes when preparing your lawn for winter

There is an opinion that leaving mowed grass and foliage on the lawn over the winter will protect its roots from frost. But this will harm him more than help. Dense turf does not need this kind of protection, but fungi can develop on the greenery left behind, which will cause plant disease. In addition, such a covering layer prevents air from penetrating into the soil.

Advice: before winter, the lawn should not only be fertilized, but also trimmed and combed.

Winter lawn care

• Until enough snow falls (and this is at least 15 cm), you cannot walk on the lawn.
• When crust or ice forms, they need to be loosened, as they block the access of air.
• You cannot set up a skating rink on the lawn, as in the spring, due to the slower melting of ice, it will lead to a number of problems.

Creating a real lawn with your own hands is a painstaking and labor-intensive task. It will require constant attention, especially on difficult soils. Of course, you can make the task somewhat easier by purchasing special equipment to care for it and installing a watering system, but all this will require serious financial investments. Therefore, summer residents often limit themselves to regular mowing of the lawn, which consists of weeds.