All about the lawn how to choose seeds, how to care, etc.

LAWN

Lawn (from the French gazon — turf, grass) — a plot of land with an artificially created cover of herbaceous plants; grass cover created by sowing seeds of specially selected herbs; often serves as a background for decorative plantings and park structures; can be an independent element of landscape composition. In northern latitudes, poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) is most often used to create a lawn. Specially planted flower beds (flowers) and shrubs are also considered a lawn.

Lawn History

Lawns with short-cropped grass became a symbol of luxury in Europe in the XVIII century and by the 1800s had gained similar popularity in America. Since the middle of the XIX century, a large spread of lawn has found its place in Eastern Europe, in Belarus and in the Russian Federation. The grass was sown in reserved empty areas around the buildings of the estates, where it was planned to expand the extensions of the building or build new auxiliary buildings nearby to avoid dust, insects or pollen from plants on the reserved uncultivated land. Rich landowners have demonstrated with such lawns the potential for building expansion, as well as the fact that they can afford to hire other people to take care of land used for non-serious purposes, for example, for games, celebrations or sports grounds. By the middle of the XX century, lawn mowers and pesticides had become widespread, currently a private house with a lawn is becoming a symbol of success for people with an average income. Currently, parterre lawns (turf grass lawns in the original) in the USA, in Europe, in Belarus and in the Russian Federation are considered a generally accepted element of the urban and suburban landscape, despite the costs and environmental problems associated with their support.

Classification of lawns

Lawns are divided into decorative and special purpose lawns. Types of lawns for different purposes:

Creating a lawn

There are several ways to create a lawn:

• Sowing the land with seeds of perennial grasses. Including seeding by the method of hydraulic seeding: with a water jet containing lawn grass seeds, gluten, hydrogel, color pigment, starter fertilizers or organic matter.
• Laying of the finished rolled lawn.
• The import of land from another place with seeds and roots contained in it.

What kind of lawn grass to choose?

To create lawns in the Republic of Belarus and in the central part of Russia, the following herbs are the most popular: boneless stalk, bluegrass, meadow fescue, red fescue, white vole, ryegrass, timofeevka. The highest rate of soil blackening is provided by fast-growing ryegrass and timofeevka. A high decorative effect is given to lawns by red fescue and bluegrass . The slowest growing lawn is a lawn made of red fescue. And the most unpretentious are lawns made of meadow fescue. The lawn can also be blooming: these are Moorish lawns consisting of a mixture of lawn grasses and meadow flowers. The Moorish lawn is a blooming meadow of several dozen types of flowers and does not require mowing.

Ordinary lawn	Parterre lawn	Sports lawn	To strengthen slopes and slopes
red fescue 40%, poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) 30%, pasture ryegrass 30%	red fescue 50%, meadow fescue 50%	pasture ryegrass 50%, meadow fescue 25%, white vole 25%	Poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) 30%, meadow fescue 30%, pasture ryegrass 25%, bonfire 15%
red fescue 50%, poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) 25%, white vole 25%	red fescue 75%, Poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) 25%	pasture ryegrass 40%, red fescue 30%, poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) 30%	timofeevka meadow 30%, boneless stalk 40%, red clover 30%
pasture ryegrass 50%, bonfire 25%, sheep fescue 25%	white vole 50%, pasture ryegrass 50%	bonfire without a tail 50%, poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) 30%, red fescue 20%	timofeevka meadow 25%, ryegrass pasture 20%, hedgehog team 25%, bonfire 30%
red fescue 10%, meadow fescue 30%, pasture ryegrass 30%, timofeevka meadow 30%	bluegrass meadow 100%	bluegrass meadow 100%	pasture ryegrass 45%, granary 25%, meadow fescue 30%

Threat to lawns

•       In the absence of proper care (timely haircutting, aeration, mulching, irrigation and fertilization), the lawn quickly deteriorates.
•       Animal products on the lawn damage the grass surface, forming patches from chemical burn.
•       Very often, deficiencies in construction, such as the absence of curbstones around the lawn, the creation of a lawn above the level of the surrounding asphalt, the inadvertent creation of walkways lead to the leaching of the land or the forced stepping of the lawn.

Lawn merits

Lawn not only pleases the eye with its natural aesthetics, but also brings to man a mass of useful, primarily due to the physical and chemical processes occurring on the surface of the sheet: photosynthesis, water evaporation, mechanical sorption. And indeed on a hot summer day it is much more pleasant to walk on a soft, cool lawn than on a concrete pavement. The surface temperature of the lawn is always a few degrees below the ambient temperature. Lawn will never absorb the amount of heat that is able to save paving tiles or asphalt or stone coating. But when the temperature drops on the street, the lawn, which has a greater heat capacity than air, on the contrary, will give its heat. Traditional urban coverings (asphalt, concrete) behave in exactly the opposite way – are cooled with the environment, becoming colder, or are strongly heated in the heat.

Lawn gradually, providing continuous moisture, evaporates from its surface water: for 1 hour 1 glass of water from an area of only 1 sq.m. Lawns contribute to the natural drainage of excess moisture from the ground, not hinder these processes, unlike urban areas sealed in asphalt or cobblestone. Lawns in winter can be a convenient place to store snow masses thrown from city sidewalks and roads. Lawns perfectly clean the air of megapolises from dust: 1 hectare of the lawn sorbs about 60 tons of dust.

The herbs that make up the lawn are actively producing oxygen with healthy, negatively charged ions. And thanks to their phytoncidal properties, they also struggle with harmful microorganisms. In addition, dense grass lawn suppresses weeds, preventing them from growing. Lawn carpeting on various slopes strengthens slopes and slopes, prevents soil erosion.

Lawns absorb noise better than asphalt or concrete. Green areas against the background of a gray urban landscape positively affect the psychological state of people, reducing stress and nervousness in urban residents. Lawn is recognized as the most traumatic surface for human movement, so the lawn is often used on sports и children’s playgrounds.

Thus, the turf creates a favorable microclimate in any territory. But lawns have a few more amazing properties that are not directly related to the environment. So, according to developers, real estate objects that have a lawn and live plants on the adjacent territory, have the market price is 10-15% higher than similar unsuitable facilities. Lawns highlight the architectural features of buildings, monuments, highways and various structures. In developed countries, there is even a tendency to build green roofs of high-rise buildings as a reception of a special advantageous structure. Lawns near unique and historical buildings always attract additional visitors: tourists, artists, photographers. Therefore, for development projects lawn development has a quite pragmatic investment attractiveness.

Lawns can be the original tool of unusual promotional and marketing actions. Modern roller lawn technology allows you to quickly create live green carpets for a wide variety of events, delighting and attracting the attention of the audience. Objects of rapid greening can be any street urban surface (squares, roads, stairs), roofs and walls of buildings, floors inside premises.

Downsides lawn

Disadvantages of an ordinary lawn compared to a naturally occurring diversity grass

Lawns reduce natural biodiversity in cultivated areas, especially in suburban areas with large areas of cultivation. Local plant species are being replaced by monocultures, often consisting of species from other regions, which in turn damages local fauna. In addition to grasses, wood plants are damaged – according to environmentalists, mowing lawns in combination with harvesting leaves leads to the death of trees.

Watering lawns requires large amounts of water, which disrupts the water cycle and leads to low groundwater levels.

Herbicides, which are used to remove natural grass vegetation, can cause serious damage to the environment and the health of people in direct contact with them. Children living next to permanently treated pesticide lawns have a 6.5-fold increased risk of contracting leukaemia.

УFertilizers and pesticides can also contaminate ground and ground water.

The amount of oxygen that is able to emit English and Parterre lawn and carbon dioxide absorbed is several times less than that of natural herbs. And when the lawn dies from drought or improper maintenance, the environmental benefits of this type of landscaping are reduced to zero.

Additional costs of cutting, watering and fertilizer.

Air pollution from lawn mower engines.

Lawn grasses are generally demanding of sunlight and water, and are therefore poorly suited for shaded areas and arid climates.

Permanent grass mowing is one of the reasons for the weakening of the root system of trees, which in turn can lead to their fall in strong winds.

Parterre lawns have questionable aesthetic value, as they are monotonous, cannot bloom and do not attract butterflies.

Now, knowing all the advantages and disadvantages of lawns, you will be able to make an easy decision whether you need a lawn on the site or you will do without it.

Below presented is the information, hopefully, will help any reader to solve all the problems of site planning, in choosing the right lawn mixture and further proper care!

Lawn creating principles

Lawn creating principles

Soil preparation

The basis is a perfect horticultural preparation of the soil before sowing seeds. We will remove stones and other foreign objects, leveling the area so that it is possible to thoroughly to aerated the soil to a depth of 100-150 mm, if necessary, you can dilute it with fine sand. Supplement the soil profile with phosphorus and nitrogen. As part of the presowing preparation, add the necessary nutrients (NPK) in the amount of 30-50 g/m2. After the appearance of weeds, carry out a mechanical or chemical weeding of the site, which should be repeated during repeated shoots.

Seed seeding

The right choice of grass mixtures determines the features and nature of the future lawn. Therefore, the choice of grass mixtures should not be underestimated in any way.

Sowing can be done from spring to the end of October, taking into account soil and climatic conditions. Sow the seeds with a sowing machine or – broadly- by hand. Before seeding, the grass mixing seeds should be mixed and divided into two identical parts. The first part of the seed is sown longitudinally, and the second – transversely to the first. Thus, we will achieve uniform seeding.

After sowing, the seeds are slightly puts rake to a depth of 2-3 mm, the surface of the soil is compacted, for example, by a garden roller. Gently moisturize until the plants start.

Depending on the chosen herbal mixture, the seeds germinate in 20-35 days. Seeding of grass mixtures varies between 10-30 g/m2 according to the quality of soil preparation, type of grass mixing and seeding technique.

Principles of seed dosing at seeding:

Grass seed weigh	To the square approximatively
0,5 kg	20 m2
1 kg	40 m2
2 kg	80 m2
10 kg	400 m2
25 kg	1 000 m2

Humidification of the created lawn

During the growth of the newly created grass cover, the upper soil layer should be kept in a constant wet state, up to the appearance of shoots. If the soil starts to form a crust during the germination period it is essential to break it up carefully using a rake or fluted  roller.

When humidifying, care should be taken to ensure that the seeded seeds are not removed with water, so use a garden sprayer with fine spraying. Intensive watering is best done in the morning or evening hours.

Mowing vegetation cover

Mowing the newly created lawn should be done at a height of grass resistance of 80-100 mm and necessarily sharp tools (spit, sickle, reaper). The height is reduced by a maximum of one third of the total height of the plant. At the first mowing more than 90% of annual weeds die, which grow simultaneously with the seeds of grasses (weeds from the soil reserve). After the third mowing, the lawn can be mowed to the required height. The next mowing is repeated depending on the type of lawn and the increase in grass on average 1-2 times a week.

Recommended lawn height:

Types of lawn	Recommended lawn height
(Only the first three mowing)	60–70 mm (only the first three mowing)
Park lawns	40–60 mm
Sports lawns	25–35 mm
Technical lawns	50–70 mm
Professional lawns
Football pitch	25–35 mm
American football	25–35 mm
Rugby	25–35 mm
Golf lawns
Tee	10–15 mm
Fairway	25–30 mm
Forgreen (collar)	10–15 mm
Green (putting green)	5–8 mm

Rough

30–70 мм

Note:

When is better to plant the lawn?

A lot depends on when the lawn is planted. Planting time will certainly affect such parameters as quality, durability, as a percentage sprouts and some others.

So, experts with many years of experience and practice of planting lawns are sure that the best time to plant a lawn, is spring. But it would be wrong to think that this time of year is the only possible time to make a lawn.

For example, planting in the spring should be made when it is already clear that there will be no frost. In this case, it is important with full confidence to exclude the possibility of night frosts.

In summer you can plant the lawn quite quietly and without any fear. The grass should grow well and thickly.

As for the autumn period, there are a few subtleties that would not hurt to know in advance, so as not to get into trouble. You need to remember that autumn – a good season for landing. But the month and weather are of great importance. It is worth to deal with each month separately.

Throughout September, the grass can and should be sown. This is the right time. Before the onset of frost sprouts will have time to strengthen, which gives a successful prediction that they will perfectly endure the entire winter. You can be sure.

But in October, it is not recommended to plant the lawn. Gardening experts claim that this is almost completely a failure option. People with experience do not sow in this month. What exactly is this associated with? The whole thing is that before the onset of cold sprouts will already be born. But they will certainly not have enough time to get stronger. This means that they will not survive the winter, and in the spring there will be no hope for a beautiful and thick lawn. And you can re-prepare the soil.

Quite different is the case with November. Only beginning of this month. What is the advantage of this month? It is quite suitable. The seeds will be planted and fixed, and the germinations will not have time. And this will be a decisive and very positive factor for them, because under a snow cap they will be able to pass the stage of so-called jarovization. As a result, in spring the lawn will rise with a very thick, strong, bright and beautiful grass. This is a little trick.

Agro-technical meddling and measures

In general, there is a rule that agro-technical measures are taken in the spring and autumn period.

lawn nutrition and feeding

The basis of a perfect lawn is balanced and adequate nutrition, which affects the quality of the grass cover and its resistance to stress, disease and stress.

Foremost, to eat quite fastidious park and sports lawns, which are subjected to frequent mowing. Nutrient requirements are best determined by soil analysis, visual evaluation and recommended fertilizer standards.

Nutrients are replenished with organic fertilizers or industrial fertilizers in the form of granules or liquids. Organic fertilizers improve the physical properties of the soil, increase the retention of nutrients in the soil complex, increase the activity of soil microflora and the absorbency of the soil.

The main nutrients components are:

• Nitrogen (N) – stimulates the growth and intensity of tillering herbs
• Phosphorus (P) – influences the formation of shoots and the growth of the root system
• Potassium (K) – increases the resistance of herbs to diseases, damage due to winter frosts and lack of moisture

The additional elements are:

• Calcium (Ca) – Calcium(Ca)- a building element cells plant.
• Magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe) – are necessary for leaf greening and organic mass formation.

Rules submit of pure nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium) in kg/100 m2/year

In professional lawns (especially golf and football fields), nutrient ratios the figures in the table are increased by 10-15% as necessary.

Care products Sam’s lines

Care products for lawn ODO «BERKUT» are produced using the most modern technologies and harmless to the environment. Uniform dosage throughout the growing season ensures the lawn’s impeccable appearance, good condition, resistance to stresses in summer and winter..

In order to ensure a balanced diet throughout the growing season and a healthy condition lawn, the regular supply of nutrients must not be overlooked. The company «Berkut» offers you a complex system of means for lawn during the whole growing year.

The care products also meet strict requirements to achieve EXTRA perfect appearance of your lawn.

1.       ANTI-MOSS

ANTI-MOSS – it is a means of combating the formation of moss on the lawn. This care products is effective and environmentally friendly. Mechanical method is labour-intensive work. But to have a decent lawn, you need to do a certain amount of work.

We often face the appearance of moss on the lawn and hope that the moss will disappear by itself we should not. To combat moss, we recommend the use of means with the content of iron. These is an Anti-MOSS. As a result, using this tool, you will achieve a good result and get a lawn without moss. It is intended for all types of lawns and must be used throughout the growing season (spring, summer, autumn). The nitrogen content favorably influences the growth and appearance of grass shoots, while the iron content suppresses the growth and appearance of moss on grass lawns. Regular application will ensure perfect grass cover without moss.

Composition: N (13.5%), Fe (3.5%)

2.       STARTING TURF SUPPORT

– this remedy long-lasting effect. It is enriched with magnesium (MgO) and a number of trace elements. It is designed for balanced feeding of all types of lawns with the possibility of use throughout the growing season, especially when restoring lawns and breaking new lawns. Increases resistance to summer and winter stresses.

Composition: N (18%), K (3%), P (3%), MgO (9%)

3.       SUPPORT FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD

– is a special product with a long lasting effect. Contains gradually released nitrogen (N), which supports the growth and intensity of the emergence of grass shoots, enriched with magnesium (Mg) and a number of trace elements. This product is intended for a balanced nutrition of all types of lawns and is recommended to be used from mid-March to the end of August. Improves the condition of the lawn and increases resistance to stress in the summer.

Composition: N (14%), K (12%), P (11%), MgO (3%)

4.       FEED THE LAWN

– is intended for balanced nutrition of all types of lawns for almost the entire growing season. The high content of potassium (K) contributes to an increase in the resistance of the grass cover to diseases, winter frosts and lack of water. Application period: from April to mid-November.
Feed the Lawn is produced using the most modern technologies and is environmentally friendly. Uniform dosage throughout the growing season provides the lawn with a flawless appearance, good condition, resistance to stress in summer and winter.

Composition: N (12%), K (12%), P (12%), MgO (7%)

5.       DOLOMITE LIMESTONE

Composition: CaCO3 (85 %), MgCO3 (4,6 %)

6.       TURF SUPPORT

Composition: N (12 %), P (11 %), K (12 %) + MgO (3 %)

7.       ANTI-MOSS AUTUMN

– is a special product designed for all types of lawns and designed for use at the end of the growing season. The high content of potassium (K) helps to increase the resistance of grasses to diseases, damage from winter frosts and lack of water, while it inhibits the growth and appearance of moss on the lawn. The content of iron (Fe) in a selected dosage effectively destroys the formed moss and prevents its subsequent appearance. Regular dosage ensures that the grass grows flawlessly without moss.

Composition: N (7 %), K (17 %), Fe (4,5 %)

Scarification – is the vertical cutting of lawn sod. It is accomplished using a special scarifying rake or a motorized scarifying on larger surfaces. The knives cut into the soil to a depth of 3-5 mm of the root sphere, clean the grass turf from dead grass and provide access to water, nutrients and light. The selected mass residue can be composted. After this operation, it is necessary to fertilize the lawn best with full combined fertilizer if the lawn is in good condition, or in the case of damaged lawn quick way – fertilizing with liquid nitrogen fertilizer for timely recovery.

Aeration

Aeration refers to the provision of ventilation of the soil by aeration rake or aeration roller. The hollow fork of this tool is thrust into the soil to a depth of 100-120 mm, from which the soil cylinders are removed to the surface. The holes are filled with sharp flint sand, which leads to the adjustment of air and water mode in the soil. It is carried out in the case of heavily compacted grass turf and soil or when the surface is overhumidified.

Lawn grass seed consumption

Lawn grass – frequent decoration not only of household plots, but also many lawns in social projects. To get a beautiful lawn, you need to plant it correctly, choosing the optimum density of subsequent shoots. If the seeds are too much, then in the future they will noticeably lack nutrients, and if there is a little, the lawn will not be too beautiful.

When calculating the consumption of lawn grass seeds, the most important are the seeds and soil

Seeds

When planting the lawn can use one type of seed or grass-mixtures. What kind of seeds or a combination of them are used and determines the density of planting lawn grass. On average, it is 30-50 g per m2.

Grass-mixtures

The most commonly used for planting are grass-mixtures. Each mixture is a collection of several types of seeds that complement each other in such characteristics as rooting rate in the soil, resistance to external stimuli (cold, drought, etc.), density and rate of growth, tenacity.

The composition and proportions of different cultures in the mixture can be completely different.

Often used many plants are used, poa pratensis, pole grass, ryegrass и fescue. Some crops grow quickly, have large amounts of seeds, and therefore require only partial care.

And although such a lawn is unpretentious in relation to watering, it requires regular haircutting, because the grass is growing quite quickly. In addition, the density of such a lawn will be high enough, so the seeding needs to be made more rare. On the other hand, there are more whimsical herbs that require more attention: they need constant watering, trimming. The seeds of such plants are usually smaller, their vigour is smaller, and their field density is less common. Consequently, they need to be planted more densely

Often in grass mixtures large and small seeds are mixed together and the rate of planted grass depends on their combined characteristics.

In this case, to calculate the seeding of lawns grass seeds, you can apply the formula:

N=n*p/D

где

N – rate of the planted seeds,

n – seeding rate of a particular herb (kg/ha),

p – amount of grass in the mixture in percentage equivalent,

D – fitness of seeds. This calculates the consumption for all seeds in the mixture and the results are summed. That would be the norm for a particular grass-mixtures.

This formula helps to calculate the minimum rate of seeding, in fact, the consumption of grass usually needs to exceed 2-3 times.

With one kind of seed is easier: you just need to follow the rate of the planted seeds the that you plant.

Table of seed rate of different plants:

Type seeds	Minimal rate of the planted seeds (g/m2)	Optimal rate of the planted seeds (g/m2)
Poa pratensis	4-5	10-15
Red fescue	15	30-40
Agrostis capillaris	2-3	5-10
Poa marsh	2-3	5-10
Poa oakery	5-8	15-20
Poa ordinary	4-5	10-15
Poa oblate	4-5	10-15
Poa narrow-leaved	4-5	10-15
Meadow fescue	18-20	40-50
Pole grass white	3-4	8-12
Agrostis stolonifera L.	2-3	10-15
Agrostis canina L	2-3	10-15
Lolium perenne	15-20	30-50

This table can also help in the calculation of planting grass-mixtures..

Soil

The soil significantly affects the rate of sprouting of shoots, so it is better to take it into account in the initial calculations. On average, the grass should be planted on light soils on the basis of 30-40 g per m2, and on heavy – 40-50 g per m2.

It’s interesting to know:

If you are not sure that everything is calculated correctly, you can check the germination density of the grass at home. To do this, select about 100 seeds and plant them at home. In 7-10 days you will see the result.

Best lawn mixtures

When choosing the seeds for lawns, you need to take into account both personal tastes and impartial circumstances of the territory. The best grass consistency is formed from several herbs. And separately, any of them is unlikely to be a beautiful lawn, but, sown together, they successfully complement each other.

Lawn seed acquisition

The seeds of the herbs are sold mainly in the form of consistencies, any of them being selected for any specific criteria. The choice is quite wide, you can buy at a reasonable price, you can even read reviews, decide and choose what you would like the most. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the properties of your site (shady, sunny, wet, dry) and your personal requests to the types of lawn that the manufacturer provides today: (elite (parterre), the strongest, resistant to drought or the same shade and so on). The right choice – a deposit of good lawn plots. Consider some of the available grass mixtures, the price for which you can pleasantly surprise.

Expensive lawns consistencies

From them you can grow a traditional velvety, surprisingly planar and bushy lawn surface that everyone dreams of. Also very graceful lawn emerald. Of course, it is quite a beautiful sight, but in order for it to remain so graceful, it will be necessary to constantly care for it and walk on it less. Expensive mixtures include herbs with narrow, neat leaves. This is the best herb: Festuca longifolia, Festuca rubra rigorous and Festuca ovinat.

Wear-resistant consistencies

They are also called consistencies of joint purpose, they are most suitable for large families with children, and sport chooses this mixture. On growing lawns can act sports delegation, you can ride a bike, walk, but still need to care for him.

These lawns are made up of impenetrable humus, the soil of which is considered powerful and grazing chaff, and broad-leaved turf-forming herbs.

Shade-tolerating consistencies

The majority of herbs prefer the sun, therefore, in case it is not enough on your site, you will need to choose special consistencies. The shade-tolerating consistencies include lolium perenne, phleum pratense, festulolium and festuca rubra.

Blend of herbs and microclever

Recently is gaining popularity, the eco-friendly lawn consists of herbs and micro clover – a plant quite similar to the usual clover but having a smaller leaf – dwarf. Micro clover contains a lot of advantages: it is perfectly tolerated by drought and is able to squeeze out of the lawn the bulk of weeds. Apart from all this, when smoldering the roots of the microclave emit nitrogen and everyday fertilize the lawn, so it remains greenish. The clover-seeded lawn will be more profitable, claiming less care and chemicals.

Pros and cons of lawn consistencies

Expensive mixture for the parterre lawns. From this mixture will grow a plausible, neat, bright green lawn, capable of beautifying your garden. Drawbacks. Need as little as possible walk on him. Without constant care, it will wither. It grows more slowly than wear-resistant. It shows all the convexity of the earth. This universal compound is quite expensive.

Wear-resistant mixture

A resilient, low maintenance lawn is fast-growing. Drawbacks. It doesn’t look velvety. Some consistencies grow too fast and need to be cut often. Some not very high quality consistencies have every chance of dying if they are cut too rarely

Consistency with microclever

Eco-friendly, robust, drought-resistant and low maintenance lawn; looks green and without the use of fertilizers. Resistant to diseases and weeds. Drawbacks. A certain part of the season on your lawn will be dominated by microclover. The micro clover lawn does not look smooth and neat like a grass lawn.

Lawn sowing

Sowing grass in early autumn or late spring. The first option is better, because at this time rearly there are long periods without rain, but spring is absolutely favorable time, if not very cold or dry. Choose the day when the area will be moist, but not too wet, and the weather is warm, but not hot.

In order to sow the lawn, absolutely quite right eye and hard hand, but in case you first size the pad, the result will be more uniform.

Seed protection

Arrange everything so that the birds are not allowed to the seeds until they rise (7-10 days in warm weather and up to 3 months in spring). It is possible to add a special means to repel birds, but if it is not present, insert sprigs throughout the lawn to prevent birds from swimming in dust. It is possible to attach something luminous to the twigs: foil strips or decrepit CDs.

Lawn watering

You don’t have to water the seeds before they come out. In the event that you do this, it will be necessary to continue, otherwise the seeds will die; if you do not water them, they will elementary begin to hibernate until the advent of optimal for the rise of weather criteria. However, in the event that the sprouts have already risen, and there is no rain, it is necessary to water them abundantly, so that the ground is wet completely..

The rolling or trample

Subsequently, the need as little as possible walk on lawn until the grass reaches a height of 3 centimeters, and then roll it with a garden roller or elementary perfectly drown. This can lead to the formation of fresh shoots, and the lawn part will look thicker. Apart from that, this way you will again compress the raised base and strengthen the sprouts in it. At the very beginning of the rolling process, collect from your lawn all climbed on the plane of the stones.

Thus, choosing for your future lawn the desired mixtures sowing and waiting for the shoots, you get a plot that will please the eye.

Possible types of lawns:

• Sown lawn
• Elite lawn
• Shadow lawn
• Football lawns
• Sport lawn
• parterret lawn
• Meadow lawns
• Mauritanian lawn
• Lazy lawn
• Russian lawn
• Soil lawn

Sown lawn

Description

When choosing a seeded lawn it is important to know that it is best to plant the seeds in exactly a certain period. The most suitable season for planting grass in the ground is the beginning of autumn and the end of spring. It is during this period that the air is relatively warm, there are no temperature fluctuations, the soil is optimally moistened. Of course, it is possible to plant seeds at another time, but it is impossible to guarantee the result and in fact it is allowed that the lawn cover will not differ in a uniform structure, and will have propels and voids.

After all, there is always a factor of abrupt weather change that will make its unrecorded adjustments. More durable lawn grass, which can be purchased in rolls, seeds, unfortunately, require during the germination period stable and warm climate with relative humidity. Again, the term of germination of seeds directly depends on weather conditions, so it is worth more careful and responsible approach to the selection of the period for landscaping. Optimal thickness of the turf is achieved only after a few months, so choosing a seeded lawn, it is necessary to prepare in advance for the fact that the occupation is not easy and will require maximum assembly from the gardener and experience.

Characteristics of Sown lawn

Except for the reasonableness and attractiveness of the planting process, seeded lawns have the following advantages

1. Young sprouts from the first days adapt to certain, natural conditions, which especially affects the durability of the lawn.
2. Planting of grass mixtures is allowed from early spring to late autumn.
3. As a rule, there are no weeds in the grass mixture, which simplifies care at the initial stage.
4. Sowing lawn is much more durable than roll coating.
5. It is possible to model lawn on its own and to use grass seeds, which are characterized by high wear-resistant properties, able to withstand maximum physical exertion or adapted to growth in dark areas.

Elite lawn

Looking at the lawns around us, you can see that some of them do not pay much attention, preferring the natural development of vegetation on the lawn: there is grass – and good.

But lawn can be perceived not only as a piece of land where the green grows, but also as an aesthetically valuable addition to the building near which it is located. Beautiful, well-maintained lawn always catches a look at itself, surprising uniformity and harmony. It seems nothing special – just a smooth coating. But it just beckons eyes!

Near the stylish in its architectural solution of the house elite lawn looks much more concise than a natural vegetation or just bare ground. True, to create such a lawn, you need to make some effort. This process is difficult. But the result is definitely worth it.

Elite grass: where to start?

The first step is to choose a mixture. Today seed producers have greatly simplified the life of lovers of aesthetics: no longer need to mix the herbs themselves, because it requires a lot of knowledge and experience, and the result is visible, only after a while. You can buy a ready-made mixture – and beautiful, juicy and soft grass will soon grow on the land allocated to it.

In further elite grass requires delicate care:

• regular watering;
• no less regular trimming.

This is so interesting! The perfect lawns at the palaces of the English lords, which, like a carpet, cover a huge area – this is nothing but the result of a well-chosen mixture and the active work of gardeners: grass on this lawn will grow no more than 4 cm.

Maintenance will not help the lawn look perfect, if in its composition unsuitable species of plants. Elite lawn grass is mainly shallow-leaf varieties:

• poa pratensis;
• different kinds of festuca;
• different kinds of agrostis.

This is so interesting! Elite lawn looks very beautiful, but it is better not to walk on it once more – fine-leaf grass is easily injured, and therefore the area remains “patches” – crushed area. That is why elite lawn should not choose for the yard, if the house has small children. On the other hand, elite lawn – a successful “basis” for landscape design: stylish paths perfectly dilute the laconic monotony of the coating.

Stylish lawn: how to choose?

It is easy to choose a mixture for an elite lawn, as many manufacturers call their mixes designed for this purpose. And if the description of the composition to an inexperienced everyman anything useful, the word “elite” immediately and unmistakably makes it clear that this particular mixture for the future lawn is great.

Some manufacturers are already creating mixes for lawns, which are broken completely or partially in the shade. In such conditions, it is difficult to achieve the visual integrity of the coating, because in the sun the grass grows faster, but also yellow faster. And in the shadows, these processes are slowed down. But now synchronization is also possible

Elite grass is the right choice for those who do not like unnecessary details in landscape design, but prefers elegance and style. Even in the most difficult areas of this lawn – it is always a win-win option.

Shadow lawn: Can something grow in the shade?

Lawns can be beautiful comfortable and thick, pleasing the eye with its chic uniform coating. But did you know that it’s very hard to do this in a part of the garden where the sun is barely shining? What to do to darken the wet area became a green original playground? For such cases, indispensable shadow lawn.

What problems can arise when growing lawn?

The territory of your suburban area can be beautiful, if you follow the recommendations of experienced gardeners. After a little effort and shady desert area will also be covered with emerald grass lawn.

ЕIf no direct sunlight hits the ground during the day more than 5 hours, this is the shade zone. In order for plants to develop normally, have a strong structure, they need light. If it is not enough, for example, under a tree or on the north side of the building, the lawn becomes rare. Signal that measures should be taken and methods of growing plants should be changed:

• The grass has turned pale.
• Slowly growing.
• High humidity will reduce and weaken the thick lawn.
• Appeared on the leaves of fungus.

Even on a healthy lawn the grass will lose its beauty if you build a new fence that will give a shadow.

Shadow Lawn – Solution to the Problem

To improve areas where there is a shortage of UV light, you can buy a shadow lawn. Alternatively, plant shadowy plants in the garden, only prepare the soil beforehand.

The soil should contain gravel and crushed wood bark, or ordinary stone crumbs. Do not believe how easy it is to care for vegetation.

Remove the old layer of turf with a shovel, loosened to 18-20 cm. Smooth and tamp. The next step is tying the turf plates, at the junction of which you will fill the compost.

The difficulty in selecting seeds for the shadow lawn – to choose those varieties that will grow well in the minimum light, and will be resistant to severe frost, characteristic of our region. In addition, must be kept bright and sprawling. It is possible professionals.

It is important in the first years of grass growth to provide the right support. If you did your best, the lawn will become the pride of your site after a year.

Football lawns

What a football field looks like – everyone knows the perfect green flooring. But not everyone knows how difficult it is to keep the field in order, how much knowledge and regular efforts are needed for this.

The stereotype that the lawn is something purely decorative (immediately recalled the inscription “not to walk on the lawn!”), and therefore necessarily beautiful and used only for contemplation, is not true. The lawn is called the area of land dotted with grass. And football field – one of the variants of sports lawn.

Football lawn: tough criteria

A football field is an area that is subject to intensive exploitation, and the coverage on it should always remain uniform.

Active training and even periodic football games do not help the grass to grow. On the contrary, the coverage is exposed to:

• trampling;
• ruptures;
• mechanical damage.

In order for the field to remain in line with the standard, you must initially choose the right grass, which will be planted lawn.

It is also important to remember that the grass on the football field, as on any other surface, will grow not symmetrically, but over time to dry and fall. It’s a natural cycle, but it doesn’t really suit the aesthetics of the sports field.

Here the grass should always be green, therefore is it actively irrigated and fertilized. But this does not help if the plants is not designed for intensive exploitation, and on the football field that is only.

It is not easy to create the right lawn for a football field – it is necessary to choose a variety of grass, which is characterized by high resistance, which does not have to be often cut and seeded, which is minimally prone to pests.

But there is no such grade. Although if you choose one grade, most often it is a meadow bluegrass (poa pratensis).

It is much more convenient in this sense mixtures – different plants have different properties and their mix will satisfy all requirements on one lawn. The mixture may consist of:

• meadow bluegrass (poa pratensis);
• agrostis;
• ryegrass (Lolium);
• festuca pratensis Huds.

Lawn for football field before sowing is treated in a special way – they rip up the loosen and fertilize it for more active growth of grass mixtures, prepare a drainage system, so that the water from the rain and irrigation did not stagnate. Then the lawn is planted and left for up to three weeks – that’s enough time for the grass to grow. After that the field with natural coating is ready for operation.

With us you can buy a herbal mixture designed specifically for football lawn.

The price depends on the composition (in fact – on your preferences in what should be the lawn for the football field).

For customers who are not sure of their choice, we provide competent advice and comparative characterization of mixtures.

Sports lawn

Lawn is a very important part of every garden and not only. Known and lawn on football grounds, and in school yards, etc. Moreover, today you can talk about various types of lawn. Such as, for example:

• Decorative.
• Sporting.
• Restoring.
• Special.
• Universal.
• Blooming.

In this article would like to tell in more detail about the features of sports lawn.

The requirements that are usually imposed on this type of lawn can be quite strict and specific. When creating a sports lawn, it is necessary to observe all technologies. Experts claim that errors made at the initial stage of the development of the lawn often lead to the need to completely re-re-design it, which, obviously, requires additional material costs.

From the name is clear, is intended sports lawn for constant and intense loads that are associated with activities on the grass. Such a lawn is laid on various sports grounds, stadiums, racetracks and other similar places.

Sports lawn, designed for various kinds of intense loads, you need to plant special types cereal grasses that are able to grow rapidly, endure prolonged drought, cold and snowless winters, have the ability to recover in a short period of time and actively develop its root system.

Such varieties of grass are able to create a beautiful and dense grass, with elastic and wide shoots and emerald-green color of their leaves. Lawn with such grass is resistant to trampling, has a dense cover with increased mechanical strength.

Sports lawn for summer cottage

As mentioned before, summer cottagers love to decorate their gardens with sports lawn, despite the fact that the original purpose of such lawns is sports. These lawns distinguish a special durability, so the purchase will be advantageous.

For those who do not want to plant grass, there is a very convenient option – roller lawn. With its help, the device of a beautiful garden will become a real holiday.

 Parterre lawn

Among all the varieties of the lawn takes a special place. He like no other makes anyone who sees him enthusiastically . To create and maintain such a lawn will require a lot of effort, resources and time. This is a real masterpiece in the art of landscape design.

Parter lawn is a perfectly smooth surface covered with fresh, thick and fluffy emerald grass. The word «parterry» in the name is not accidental. The fact that this grass is not recommended to walk even in winter, so as not to damage the tender vegetation.

You can only admire it from the outside. Such a lawn is worthy to decorate elite parks and country residences. He always has the most visible place.

The beautiful flower bed, fountain or sculpture on its background will look even more spectacular. But in order for such a lawn to make the proper impression and not lost, it should occupy at least half of the entire space.

Composition parterre lawn

For parterre lawn suitable short perennial grass with narrow and long leaves that bush well. They also have to be hardy and have a beautiful shade. This description is ideal for a Poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass). It is both beautiful and hardy, and well-bushy. This plant is best adapted to the conditions of the Russian climate. Its only drawback is its slow and intermittent germination.

Other suitable herbs are red fescue and some species agrostis, sometimes added to them festuca. The traditional composition of the parterre lawn seeds is usually a mixture of all these plants. In England, the Poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) is used less often. But our grass mixtures usually consist of at least 40-50% of it, since most the Poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass) shows itself better local weather conditions. The price of seeds or turf for a parterre lawn is always higher than for any other type.

How to grow parterre lawn and care for it?

Before you buy an expensive blend of herbs, check out the work ahead. The magnificent lawn will require a lot of time. Here are 10 basic rules of care.

1. First you need to find a suitable place. The location of the parterre grass is possible only in a sunny area with good soil.
2. The site should be carefully leveled, because on the finished lawn any bump or hole will be visible.
3. If the soil is poor, a nutrient layer is added on top.
4. All weeds must be removed before seeding.
5. If you want to grow a lawn from seeds, you need to sow them with excess, because most of the growing is not very cooperative. Even when the grass grows smoothly, it will still take a long time to get a real parterre lawn.

• Mowing is required every few days, leaving only a few centimeters in height. In England, the grass is cut very short, up to 1 cm, but we have to maintain a height of 3 or 4 cm.
• The lawn must be watered regularly to avoid yellowing.
• To maintain a bright color and rapid growth, fertilizers are necessarily applied.
• The turf needs to be pierced to get oxygen to the roots.
• Soft grass is tempting, but it is not a place for walking, playing children and walking animals. You can only step on it when you of extreme necessity, very carefully.

If you do everything correctly, you will eventually get the perfect green carpet. Perhaps it will not give way to even that growing in parks around the palaces. Examples of such luxurious lawns you can see in the photo.

Meadow lawn

Do you prefer naturalness in the design of the garden plot? Ready to spend – time, effort, money, even if minimal? Do you want to surprise your neighbors or enjoy natural luxury? Then you definitely need a meadow lawn!

What is meadow lawn famous as?

Such a lawn has several obvious features:

• the grass on it can withstand significant loads, and therefore is ideal for walking grounds and recreation areas,
• such a lawn site will look great on large areas,
• high decorativeness, not devoid of naturalness and ease.

By the way, you can buy a ready-made mixture for meadow lawn and sow a “naked” platform, and you can buy only some seeds and thus improve the meadow already available on your site.

Grass for the meadow lawn – what’s she?

For meadow lawn will need special seeds – both grass and flowers. Sometimes in such a lawn add even bulbous – this complicates the preparatory work, but guarantees a stunning effect. The most popular herbs here are the same as for parterre lawns, as well as legumes and top cereals:

• festuca: ovina, pratensis, rubra,
• poa (bluegrass) and agrostis,
• polyova mint (Mentha x),
• white and red clover,
• spikelet fragrant and foxtail (alopecurus pratensis),
• wheatgrass: creeping and gentle,
• onobrychis seeding,
• phleum pratense and agropýron,
• bromus inermis and dactylis glomerat,
• lolium perenn,
• medicago: lupulína, falcata or sativa.

In order for grass to become natural, you need to dilute it with the seeds of wild herbs, but if you want, you can add and bulbous. Browsing the meadow lawn photo, you will see how adorable such combined planting looks. Suitable bulbous species are those that withstand the frosty winter, live well with the strongly growing grass and naturally look. In the meadow lawn bulbous planted on the most open sunny places.

The complex on the composition of grass-tolerant lawns, however, remains easy to maintain.

Planting lawn – preparatory operations

If you have an area on the site already overgrown with wild grass, a little adjustment and your labor will turn it into a beautiful meadow lawn. You will need to control the created motley grass and periodically mow the it. You can buy separately seeds or ready-made turf – but do not choose industrial crops, as they are very rampant.

Choose the mixture of meadow lawn carefully, taking into account climatic conditions and light. In the breakdown meadow is more difficult than the standard lawn, and the preparation of the site in this case will be more expensive. In fact, the process of preparing the site for the future lawn is as follows:

• before sowing seeds or laying turf, be treated the ground with a “RoundUp” to prevent the further formation of powerful weeds;
• the soil does not need fertilizing. It is better if it is sandy and infertile – this will not allow the grass stand to grow too quickly;
• Grassland lawns do not need prior levelling of the soil.

Meadow maintenance

ГазLawn meadow type during the period of maturity is not regularly mowed -the it bulbous planting the mowed frequency effects. It matters and the desired height of the grass.

If we talk only about the meadow lawn created, then here the rules on the formation will be more stringent:

• for the first time a freshly seeded meadow is cut after the height of the grass exceeds 8 cm,
• this operation is then repeated every 14 days;
• perennial weeds that can spoil the “appearance” of your lawn are dug up.

Mauritanian lawn

Партерный газон выглядит великолепно, но довольно однообразно. Вы можете украсить свой участок пестрым и The parterre lawn looks gorgeous, but quite monotonous. You can decorate your site with a colorful and fragrant carpet, which is called Moorish lawn. Unlike the parlour lawn, which needs to be trimmed regularly, Mauritanian does not require special care. For lazy or busy people – this is a great opportunity. Without making much effort, you will become the owner of a chic flower bed.

The Merry many-flowering of the Moorish Lawns

Compared to the strict English lawn of trimmed green grass, a bright colored lawn in the Moorish style looks very different. It’s a whole meeting on the same lawn of different kinds of discreet, but such cute field flowers.

He came from the parade gardens of Spain

Among the parks and gardens of the rulers of the East, emirs and caliphs, there were merry lawns with cornflowers, poppies, calendula, gypsophila and other flowers.

In the medieval era, the Moorish lawn gained considerable popularity, spreading from the palace parks of Spain to the gardens of Europe. He immediately revived the green monotony that reigned in the neat and strict parks of the Nordic countries.

Today, the Moorish lawn is back in fashion

It has found its application among the huge variety of landscaping options available today.

This kind of lawn does not require special care, it is important that it does not need to be cut often. And the beautiful aesthetic qualities of the Moorish lawn are beyond question. To look at it – it is already a pleasure, in addition to it is loved to visit hard-working bees and graceful butterflies, dragonflies and other all sorts of insects, so this lawn always looks lively.

This lawn can be arranged on your site

It is not necessary that the whole site suddenly turned into one blooming bright lawn, yet in all things a measure must be observed. On the site may have flower beds and alpine slides, trees and ponds, and among all this there will be a small place for a Moorish lawn. It does not require fertile soil, as it consists of unpretentious plants.

The composition of the lawn necessarily includes grass, they are most, and can also have up to 20% of field colors. The timing of flowering of selected lawn plants should be different so that it does not lose its blooming appearance throughout the season. The main herbs in the construction of such a lawn can be such as:

• fescue;
• agrostis;
• poa (bluegrass);
• timothy grass.

As early flowers can be chosen bulbous plants such as scilloídeae, tulips, muscari, crocus and daffodils.

The choice of colors for a small garden meadow is very large, for example, you can take for it the most common plants:

• chamomile;
• cornflower;
• flax;
• carnations;
• daisies;
• clover.

They will saturate the green cover with bright inclusions of white, red, blue, orange, pink and other shades.

Moorish lawn creates on the site a small island of joy, it will not leave indifferent those who will admire them.

Moorish lawn from early spring to late autumn will decorate your plot with a timeless, flower-covered lawn. A mixture of annual and perennial seeds, lawn grass, grain grass seeds – all this you just sow on the site.

It is very important to choose the right flowers.

• They must be undersized.
• Choose the seeds of field plants with different periods of flowering: daisies, cornflowers, flax, maquis, iberis, linaria, velvets, veronica, chamomile, fingernails and many others. Well combined with the same-year bulbous: tulips, daffodils, crocus, snowdrops. So you get a colorful lawn throughout the season.
• It is better to seed the Moorish lawn with unpretentious plants, which do not need a special irrigation regime and other subtleties in the care.

A mixture of flowers and herbs for the Moorish lawn is sold at a very affordable price. Buy quality seeds of all plants that have high germination, long flowering period and magnificent aromas, you can.

Planting of Moorish lawn.

The plot on which you will break the flowering lawn, should be well dug up and remove weeds from it in the autumn.

All plants are unpretentious, suitable common ground. The site may be shaded. Drought flowers that are part of the Moorish lawn, also tolerate well.

You can immediately plant bulbs. In spring again dig the ground, trying not to damage the bulbs. Very carefully choose all weeds and roots. After that, leave the garden for about a week. Before planting the seeds, the ground must be tilled and once again remove all weeds.

Such painstaking soil treatment will greatly simplify the care of the Mauritanian lawn in the future. In reviews of him the main complaints sound about the fact that it is very difficult to pull weeds. It is no longer possible to work with hoe after sowing seeds – weeding is possible only with your hands.

Before planting the lawn, prepare several bags of soil, it should be enough to cover the area with a 3 cm ball.

Spread the seeds densely and evenly throughout the lawn. Cover them with cooked soil on top. That’s basically it. You just have to wait for them to come up and start pleasing your Moorish lawn.

Lawn for lazy

The favorite place of rest in cottages and country plots is the gazebo and grass lawn. Some owners of the lawn takes a few hundred acres, others a couple of square meters, but regardless of the area, the owners want to be proud of it and regularly mow the grass on it.

Lawn has become a part of landscape design, which may not carry any payload, but also be a place of rest, as well as decorative decoration of any suburban property both in the village and in suburban areas.

To create a lawn in the form shown in many promotional posters and movies is not such a simple matter. Selected seeds should be selected according to soil and climatic characteristics. Grass grown on the lawn must be low-growing to give the appearance of a green fluffy carpet laid on the ground. Wrong choice of grass grass will lead to regular mowing and distraction from other, more pressing problems.

Undersized herbs for the «lazy»

For several decades, European institutes have been conducting research to produce seeds that would allow the production of stunted grass. Lawns created with their help did not require special care and would be less critical to choosing the type of soil.

In the end, there was a lawn grass mixture «Lazy», which immediately got the name «Lawn for the lazy». The composition of this mixture includes such a short grass, such as:

• poa pratensis (meadow bluegrass);
• agrostis stolonifera;
• red fescue different varieties;
• agrostis capillaris undersized;
• festuca rubra subsp. fallax Nyman;
• festuca rubra trihophylla;
• festuca ovina.

Fescue seeds make up 75% of the composition of the herbs included in the «Lazy» set. This ratio is explained by the fact that the grass of this variety:

1. survives in dry season;
2. she’s not afraid of frozen and frost;
3. feels good under the shadow of the garden trees;
4. quickly restore the integrity of the cover under mechanical action.

Features of sowing and maintenance of grass «Lazy»

The selection of seeds was carried out in such a way that the process of planting and maintenance of the lawn was simplified to a minimum of costs, both in terms of time and load. This is facilitated by the fact that the growth of all herbs included in this mixture is dwarf, and occurs at a slow pace for a long time. This reduces the number of mowing operations. Generally, mowing only begins the second year after sowing.

You can plant such a herbal mixture on any type of soil, and, as you can see from the numerous photos posted on the sites for the sale of «Lawn for the lazy», the cover is uniform and with a saturated green color.

As evidenced by the reviews of owners of suburban land plots that have decided to buy and use the mixture «Lazy» in practice, with his help you can easily form not only lawns for recreation, but also flowerbeds, lawns along the paths and fences, as well as playgrounds for active sports.

With all its advantages the composition of «Lazy» has one serious drawback. The size of the seeds is so small that even for a relatively small area to sow the lawn, it is necessary to purchase a significant amount of sowing material, the price of which is higher than that of ordinary grass. However, if you calculate the cost of mowing ordinary lawn grass, which must be carried out regularly every two weeks, the purchase of «Lilliput» will pay off in a year, regardless of whether electricity or gasoline for lawnmowers will be spent.

Features of the lawn by domestic crops (Belarusian-Russian production)

Anyone who wants to have a nice lawn, but does not want to wait long and spend their strength, should pay attention to the wild or Russian lawn. With minimal effort, you can get a good result.

That’s what they call it, because it’s easily grown from herbs that grow in Belarus and Russia.

Since these herbs are distinguished by a thick stem and a developed root system, the lawn is almost not susceptible to trampling.

Such lawns have a grass height of about 4-5 centimeters. They are not demanding to light up, but they should not be placed in a thick shade. The most suitable soil is clay.

The lawns of Belarusian-Russian production date back to 1998, when the agricultural companies for the first time in Russia began their industrial production.

It will take at least two years to grow the finished lawn. To obtain a viable and dense grass cover, having a green saturated color, a comprehensive approach is used: selected soil of a special composition, applied the necessary fertilizers, prepared a mixture of grass seeds only of the highest grade. The technology is strictly observed, and special equipment is used.

Production technology

The technology of lawns of Belarusian-Russian production consists of the following points:

• from the best varieties of lawn grasses (poa (bluegrass), polevitsa (agrostis), raigras (ryegrass)) are composed of mixtures of seeds that correspond to the climatic conditions of our countries;
• suitable fields are selected, for which ground, precipitation, lighting and temperature conditions are studied;
• using the data obtained, an optimal agrotechnical program is developed;
• sowing and care, consisting in daily painstaking work (mowing, watering, fertilizing, weeding).

Crop maintenance takes place daily from the first spring days until late autumn. In a couple of years, the grass surface will resemble that of the residences and palaces.

After that, the lawn is completely ready for transplant. The success of this operation depends on how quickly the turf is cut and rolled into a roll with the least injury. The resulting natural thermos guarantees the complete safety of the lawn when transported over long distances.

Perennial groundcovers instead of lawn

Groundcovers plants are indispensable in the garden. They are traditional in rock garden, just original instead of lawn, beautiful in the flowerbed or in the balcony box a variety of types of groundcovers plants.

Planting in the garden groundcovers perennials instead of lawn, or as they are called, plants-mats, pillows, has become quite stylish lately. And it’s totally justified.

Groundcovers plants will simply decorate the slope, alpine slide, it is possible to choose plants for the sun, as well as for the most shaded areas, and even for dry and wetland, excellent looks carpet of groundcovers plants, located under trees, shrubs.

They can quite be planted instead of the lawn, in contrast to it, rather labor-intensive in cultivation, the bulk of the groundcovers are not demanding and quickly grows. And apart from that, the groundcovers appearance of plants works a wonderful background for flower beds, flowerbeds, not only filling open land and making the edge more natural, but also displacing weeds and conserving water for flowers.

Let’s consider the more famous and attractive species of groundcovers plants.

Fescue is one such herb that has minimal requirements for growing. This grass is short and for the lawn it is selected due to its rather high drought resistance, heat and cold tolerance. Fescue is remarkable inconsistencies for lawns with low wear intensity: it is well suited for roadsides, embankments, dunes, etc.

The poa (bluegrass) is usually used consistencies for darkened areas with the highest humidity, still suitable for settling on golf courses in hot seasons. In this case, the selection of the type provided contains a large value.

Perennial ryegrass (grassland ryegrass) is one of the fastest-rooting lawn grasses. These are perennials with the highest viabilit.

Clover-white (Trifolium) with consistency delicate herbs makes the lawn more green and healthy without adding nitrogen. Ordinary feeder species of snow-white trefoil are not suitable for these purposes. They do not tolerate repeated mowing. The best option for lawn is a micro-clover, with rather small leaves – this is breakthrough in the development of lawns.

Choose favorable plants for the criteria of your garden, while it is better to connect a number of plant types in one place.

The direct care of groundcovers plants begins with weeding at the starting point of the germination, and then, as the plants grow, they form impenetrable cushions, rugs or curtain wall and they do not need weeding, on the contrary, they will protect from weeds all adjacent plants.

Almost all species of groundcovers plants are aggressive and require monitoring.

Perhaps, for example, to dig into the ground barrier in the form of plastic or steel strip, height within 20 cm will be absolutely enough. Just do not plant more brutal species next to delicate plants.

Most common lawn diseases and measures to prevent them.

Snow mould (Monographella nivalis)

The herbs die down on areas of circular, ellipsoid or irregular shape. They are coated with mycelium in a whitish or pinkish color. The disease manifests itself mainly after snow. The main causes are the unbroken organic mass, snow on the frozen ground, compaction of the soil surface and excess nitrogen in the autumn. It is stronger in shaded areas. The lawn has a brownish or brown color and is very slow to recover.

Protective measures: the dead mass should be carefully scrapes and fertilized with saltpeter-ammonium and carbonic acid lime . In case of severe contagion, a fungicidal treatment should be carried out.

Typhula incarnata

After the snow subsides, brown spots of various sizes appear, the color of which changes to grayish to white. The cause of the disease recumbent-old snow, temperature 0-10°C and high humidity. The abundance of old grass also creates a favorable microclimate for the development of the disease.

Protective measures: the dead mass should be carefully scrapes and fertilized with saltpeter-ammonium and carbonic acid lime . In case of severe contagion, a fungicidal treatment should be carried out.

Powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis)

During the growing season, a whitish powdery raid spreads on the grass leaves, turning into larger brownish patches. The leaves are slowly dying. The reason is too thick vegetation cover and extensive mowing, increased humidity and shading of the site.

Protective measures: cultivation of sustainable varieties, balanced nutrition and frequent mowing prevent the spread of the disease. In case of severe infection, a fungicidal treatment should be carried out.

Crown rust (Puccinia coronata Corda)

Yellow-orange pustules appear on the leaves, accompanied by chlorosis and necrosis, which are replaced by black shiny spots. The fabric is gradually disintegrating. The cause is extensive mowing of vegetation, poor nutrition, high temperature and high humidity.

Protective measures: blanced nutrition and frequent mowing help to contain the disease.

Rust (Puccinia graminis)

Near the bends and on the bottom of the stems appear dark rusty dusty bubbles of summer spores, later appear winter spores black and convex. There is gradual tissue destruction, leaf curling and drying. The cause is extensive vegetation care, frequent dew and rainfall at high temperatures.

Protective measures: the disease can be controlled by watering only in the evening.

Red filamentousness (Laetisaria fuciformis)

Irregularly shaped spots appear on the surface of the plant, which later turn yellow and turn into straw. At high humidity there are pieces of air mycelium pink form. The disease manifests itself usually in autumn. The cause is a lack of nitrogen in the diet, prolonged dampness and frequent fog.

Protective measures: regular balanced nutrition, thinning of the lawn, if necessary, treatment with fungicides contribute to reducing morbidity.

Witch’s rings (Marasmius oreades)

The mushrooms of the Basidiomycetes group appear primarily on older lawns, on depleted and sandy soils, on very dense soils and former forest soils. They appear as dark green rings with excess nitrogen due to decomposition of wood, either as an extinct zone and as whitish mycelium in the soil, or as circles of fruit bodies.

Protective measures: the disease can be eliminated by replacing the soil in the arable profile of sufficient width and new planting of grass mixture.

SIDERATES

List of plants siderates that can be used as fertilizers.

Content:

• What is the use of siderates
• What plants are siderates
• Which siderate is better
• Acidity and soil composition
• How and when to sow siderats
• How to prepare fertilizer from plants-siderats
• Sideratsion as part of natural agriculture

Sideration is an agro-technological technique that allows you to preserve and increase soil fertility and reduce or eliminate the application of chemical fertilizers. This is done through the use of siderata plants, which not only provide useful inputs to the main crops but also heal the soil.

Why need sideration ?

Siderats are a source of nitrogen, starches, proteins and sugars. In addition, they accumulate hard-to-reach elements such as magnesium, sulphur, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. If they are not grown on the site where the main crop is planted or planted, the green mass is used. It can be composted or used as mulch. But the full benefit of the siderats can be gained by growing them as an intermediate or complementary crop. In this case, benefits not only the green mass, but also the roots of fertilizer plants.

The root system of siderats prevents overdensity of the soil, improves its water permeability, and also helps to deal with some pests, for example, with the bear. Root canals can reach up to 6 meters deep, which improves the mechanical structure of the deep layers of the ground, prevents its washing. Germs that accumulate nitrogen and worms feed on dead roots. Worms also fertilize and open the soil.

What plants are siderates

Растений, которые используются для сидерации, насчитывается около четырехсот. Список их видов:

• cruciferous (cabbage);
• legumes;
• polygonaceae;
• gramineae;
• amaranthaceae;
• asteraceae.

The most common legume crops are peas and vika, alfalfa and clover, donnycock, soy and lentils. All the legumes are nitrogenous. This is due to the fact that they have special bacteria on their roots, which can retain nitrogen, as well as transmit it from air bubbles in the soil to the plant in a convenient form for assimilation. In this way, nitrogen is absorbed and converted into green matter, which is used as green fertilizer.

Cruciferous siderates are mustard, colza (brassica campestris), rapeseed and oilseed radish. They are popular among gardeners because they are unpretentious to the type of soil and the content of trace elements in it. They are planted to improve the soil: to combat some pests and diseases. For example, mustard accumulates sulfur, so slugs, nematodes, pea moth and wireworm leave the beds where this crop grows.

Cereal siderates enrich the soil with potassium, inhibit the growth of weeds and keep the fertile layer from leaching and weathering. In addition, some plants prevent the development of diseases. For example, oats protects plants from the development of root rot, rye suppresses the development of phytophthora in the ground.

Rye is good to sow in waterlogged areas, as it dries the soil.

Which siderate is better

To get the most out of sideration, you need to know which plant is best suited for these purposes. To do this, you need to take into account several points:

• acidity and soil type;
• previous and subsequent major crops;
• how and for what siderates will be used.

For example, if cabbage is planned to be planted on the site, then mustard or rapeseed will not be suitable for sideration, because these are plants from the same family. They suffer from the same diseases and attract the same pests. But legumes – chickpeas, peas, clover, will saturate the soil with nitrogen, and calendula or phacelia will help with soil sanitation.

Next, the order of the description – which to sow siderates in the country, based on the predecessor cultures.

Siderate	Predecessor cultures
mustard, rapeseed, vetch	potatoes
buckwheat	legumes, cereals
clover	any
lupin	cereals, annual herbs
phacelia, mustard, rapeseed, vetch	tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers
esparcet	any
brassica rapa	grains and annual grasses
oilseed radish, mustard, rapeseed, vetch	early vegetables, winter spring crops, grapes

Acidity and soil composition

Most agricultural crops prefer soil with neutral acidity (pH) or with small deviations from it – from 6.2 to 7.5. The increased content of alkaline sales or kids in the soil prevents the development of soil-forming bacteria and the assimilation of useful substances by plants. Herbs that are used for sideration also have their own preferences. For example, it does not make sense to sow legumes on a site with high acidity, since the bacteria that help absorb nitrogen will die, and the plants will not receive the necessary nutrients. Cruciferous (cabbage) in conditions of high acidity get sick with kila, because such an environment is preferred by a parasitic fungus, the causative agent of Plasmodiophora brassicae infection.

But, just when the pH value deviates from the norm, siderates are necessary for the soil. This is one of the necessary agricultural practices, since without it, agriculture leads to land depletion. In the absence of green fertilizer, and, accordingly, organic matter, the natural mechanism of self-regulation is violated. After all, we harvest, leaving the land devastated, without the necessary elements, which leads to depletion of the soil and disruption of the acid balance.

Seeding with siderates makes it possible to replenish the reserves of trace elements after each harvest, which eventually leads to normalization of the acid-base balance and an increase in yield.

You can choose herbs, depending on the acidity of the soil, in accordance with the following data:

Soil acidity	Siderats
sour	oats, buckwheat, lupin
slightly acidic	white clover, oilseed radish, seradella
neutral	vetch, sweet clover
salt marshes	amaranth, sweet clover, esparcet
slightly alkaline	mustard, alfalfa, chickpeas
podzolic	beans

                  

In order to achieve maximum efficiency from sowing grass – green fertilizers, it is also necessary to select a culture depending on the type of soil. Some herbs can be sown on any soil, and some are demanding on the structure and composition of the soil.

In the table below, you can choose the right crop, depending on the site.

Soil type	Siderats
peating	oats
sandy	donnik, lupin
loamy	sweet clover, rapeseed, alfalfa, oilseed radish, rye
sandy loam	oats, oilseed radish
clay	beans, rapeseed

The timing of seeding seeds for sideration depends on the type of sowing. There are several crops:

• independent (Sideralin steam);
• mixed (compacted);
• intercalary (intermediate);
• podsevnoy;
• backstage;
•  stubbly.

Independent sowing involves the use of the site throughout the season only for sideral culture. The use of such a technique is justified on uncultivated or low-fertile soils. In this case, the seeds are sown at the time most suitable for green fertilizers. When the plants reach the desired maturity, a green mass is gathered, but the ripening of the seeds has not yet begun, the sowing is mowed and plowed. For the cultivation of the site, the siderates are sown for 2-5 years. The green mass can be partially used for mulching in other areas. Both perennial and annual crops, including winter crops, are suitable for such crops.

The Council

It is undesirable to allow over-ripening of herbs, because the coarsened stems decompose much longer than young plants. At the same time, the half-rotted mass becomes a breeding ground for parasitic fungi and various infections, which leads to soil contamination. This aspect is relevant for any type of sowing.

Intermediate sowing allows you to use the plot for the main crop. For this type of sideration, only annual herbs are used. They are sown after the main crop is harvested. Backstage cultivation is the alternation of the bands of the main and sideral culture on the same field (site). This technique is indispensable on the slopes. The strips are placed across the slope, which prevents soil leaching. In gardens, too, backstage sowing with herbs is used in rows between trees. Seeds of perennial plants are mainly used for sowing.

It is possible to grow the main crop and siderates together in one field – mixed sowing.

In this case, the plants are selected in such a way that they do not oppress each other. To do this, their root system must penetrate to different depths. Siderates can be sown under the cover of the main crop or in row spacing. The sowing or crop cultivation of sideral grasses also makes it possible to effectively use the acreage. Seeding — grasses during the growing season develop under the cover of the main crop, crop – seeds of siderates are sown immediately after harvesting.

When to sow siderates, you can find out from the table. There dates for the most commonly used seeds.

Siderates	Sowing time	Period of readiness for mowing from the moment of sowing
Vicia sativa	the whole of March or from 5 June to 20 July	3 months
Spring rape	march-august	1-1.5 months
Phacelia	march-august	1-1.5 months
Mustard	march-august	1-1.5 months
Melilótus	march-august	2-3 months
Pisum arvense	20 march-15 august	1-1.5 months
Clover	april-august	mowing 14 days before the landing of the main culture
Lupinus	april	1.5 months
Medicágo	20 April-15 May, 15 July – 15 August	1.5 months
Oilseed radish	april-august	1.5-2 months
Brassica campestris	20 days before the sowing of winter cereals	mowing early next spring
Secale	25 august-20 september	mowing in the spring-summer period of the following year

How to prepare fertilizer from plants-siderates.

Do need to dig over the siderats? The answer to this question depends on the form in which natural fertilizer will be applied and the timing of mowing.

Зеленое Green fertilizer from sideral herbs can be applied in the following forms::

• In natural form, when the green mass to dig over or plough into the ground.
• In the form of humus, producing the compost.
• Like liquid fertilizer.

To dig over of the siderats can be fully, slanting is practised and afterfog (otava).. In the first case, the whole green mass and roots of plants are grafted into the ground, when mowing – only the green mass, and in the case of the otava – the roots and the root part of plants. Slanting is practised in cropped crops and sliding are down in other areas.

Сouncil

When plowing the green mass in the autumn period, it should be taken into account that in the cold season the plants decompose badly. Some agronomists advise to leave the mown plants lying on top of the beds. If a winter crop was chosen as a green fertilizer, then it is better to mow it in the spring.

Compost fertilizer takes time to ripen. It is prepared from the green and root mass of plants. There you can also add fallen leaves and tops from the beds. The main thing is to make sure that infected plants and seeds or weed roots do not get into the compost pile.

The experience of using liquid fertilizer is interesting. In this case, the beveled green mass of siderates is folded into a container and filled with water. The resulting mixture is closed with a loose lid (for gas exchange) and left for 8-10 days. When laying herbs, it should be borne in mind that during fermentation, the level of the mixture will increase, so it is impossible to fill the container to the top. The resulting infusion is diluted with water 1:10 and fertilized by watering.

Sideration as part of natural agriculture.

Cultivation of sidereal crops is not a new method, but rather a well-forgotten old one. The return of interest in this method of soil enrichment is due to the fact that years of mineral fertilizer use have led to depletion and reduction of the fertile layer. After all, the planting of herbs not only provides fertilizer, but also gives the necessary mass of organic matter, creates a favorable environment for bacteria and worms, improving the structure and composition of the soil.

In addition, the sideratas attract pollinators, inhibit the growth of weeds, lift minerals from deep layers and, due to phytoncide action, repel many pests. Thus, the use of chemicals can be either eliminated or minimized. The quality, yield and environmental friendliness of the products can be improved by taking into account the acidity of the soil and other parameters.