In almost every suburban area, you can see the lawn lawn. It serves as a family holiday destination, and part of the composition of the overall landscape. When the lawn is still being planned, in dreams one sees dense, even grass that covers the ground with an even layer and creates the feeling of a green carpet. In fact, it turns out differently. For inexperienced gardeners, the lawn can shine with bald spots, weeds, no grass cover at all along the edges, etc. Most often, unsuccessful sowing is to blame for this. We could sow the grass at the wrong time, in an uneven layer, without preliminary preparation of the soil, etc. Let’s see what mistakes the summer residents most often make at the sowing stage and how to plant the lawn grass correctly so that it takes root and forms a good turf.
What determines the density of sowing?
The most frequently asked question from summer residents: how thickly sow grass for the lawn and in what way is it better to do. Let's start with the density of crops.
The first criterion for a healthy lawn is a properly selected mixture of herbs. Today they sell both domestic and imported lawn mixtures, and often the high price does not guarantee excellent seedlings at all. The grass must match the climate of your area. We wrote about this in more detail in the article "Grass for planting a lawn," so we will omit this question here.
Each package indicates the recommended seed consumption per square meter, but in this case, you must take into account the time of the year during which you create the lawn. For example, during autumn sowing, they adhere to the manufacturer's recommendations. But in the spring and summer, at least half is added to the norm, increasing the consumption of seeds. During spring floods and snowmelt, part of the seeds will go deep into the ground or will be washed off with water and will not germinate. In summer, they give more seeds per heat, which has a detrimental effect on young shoots and is capable of mowing up to half of the seedlings if you do not take some measures (more on this later).
The density of sowing is also affected by the location of the lawn. On peas, specially made bumps or lawns that go downhill, it is worth adding a little more seeds than the packaging recommends. At the upper points of the future lawn, the seeds will be washed with water in lower places with heavy rain if it falls during sowing.
Sowing methods and their features
Now let's figure out how to sow lawn grass. If with a norm per sq.m. you have decided, the second step is to sprinkle the grass evenly so that it does not turn out to be too thick shoots in one place, and "bald spots" in the second.
When sowing the lawn, places near the edge of the lawn, flower beds or paths are sifted thicker than all others. If this is done with a seeder, then pass 2 times
The easiest way to do this is with a seeder, which itself will spread the mixture on the grass with perfect uniformity. But if neither you nor your friends have such a device, then you should not buy it for the sake of one lawn. You can scatter evenly and with your hands. To do this, the seeds are diluted with fine sand 1: 1, i.e. if the grass consumption per meter is 50 grams, then add 50 grams to it. sand.
Some summer residents create homemade seeders from metal or plastic cans, piercing the bottom with a hot nail and creating many holes
If the lawn is large in area, then a sand-seed mixture is prepared immediately for the entire lawn. They sow like old bread: first along the prepared field, then across. After that, carefully loosen the soil with a rake to hide the grass under a layer of earth, and roll it with a heavy roller. If there is no skating rink, put on your skis and step on them all over the lawn, trampling meter by meter. Of course, you will surprise passersby with your unusual appearance in shorts and skiing, but the lawn will be rammed as it should.
If you are sowing a lawn not on a large platform, but arranging a narrow strip, then you can take a wide board for tamping, lay flat on the soil and trample on it. Then shift to the next part of the lawn. Etc.
If your arsenal contains only heavy metal rakes, it is best to move the soil first, and then sow the seeds of lawn grass
Row the sown seeds with a fan rake, which collect mowed grass. If you don’t have one, then wide metal or plastic models can take seeds too deep or pull in one pile. And your shoots will be uneven. In the absence of a fan rake, they sow a little differently: first, the soil is loosened with a rake, then the grass is scattered and immediately rolled. The skating rink itself will press the seeds to the desired depth and maintain uniformity of sowing.
How to choose the optimal sowing time?
Any summer resident knows that friendly and quick shoots are obtained only when the soil is moist and there is no heat. Therefore, before planting grass in the country in the prepared land, look at the weather forecast for a week. If weather forecasters predict +25 and above - leave the seeds alone. They will germinate poorly anyway. Wait until the weather is rainy. Water and a degree of earth lowers and accelerates the swelling of seeds. In spring and autumn, you don’t have to wait for such weather for a long time, but in the summer the wait can last for a month and a half.
For those who cannot wait, we advise you to spend summer sowing as follows:
- Wait for evening time (after 19.00.).
- Spill all the soil with a sprinkler method to wet it to a depth of at least 40 cm.
- Wait 1.5-2 hours before absorbing water.
- Sow the seeds.
- Loosen the soil with a fan rake.
- Roll up or tamp the board.
- Mulch with peat, humus (layer - half a centimeter).
- Leave overnight. Re-shed in the morning.
If the area of the future lawn is small, instead of mulch, you can spread the non-woven material and press it from the edges with boards, bricks or stones. There will be no heat under the white spanbond, as part of the sun's rays will beat back the light color of the fabric. Shelter will save the seeds from drying out and keep the air regime. Daily watering of the lawn is carried out directly on the covering material, which freely lets moisture in. Remove the shelter when the grass grows by 2-3 cm, or when changing hot weather to normal.
The ground is rolled up before the mulching, and not after, so that the peat layer does not press on the grass, but only covers it from the hot sun
If you sow grass for the winter, on slightly frozen soil, then by spring the seeds will be stratified and sprout very early
Some of the wisdom of the sowing process can be found in the video:
Tips for accelerating seed germination
To achieve good germination, consider the following nuances:
- Before sowing, the site must stand for at least 2 weeks to settle the soil.
- In early spring, grass sprouts for about 20 days, in summer for 7-8, in autumn for about 10 days.
- The closer the lawn is made in autumn, the fewer weeds will sprout along with grass.
- If the land on the site is good, do not dig the site deep. It is enough to turn the top layer and clean it of weeds. So it will be easier for you to achieve a flat surface, because the soil will not shrink.
- If you divide the area under the lawn into squares, and sow each part separately with the norm of seeds, then it will be easier to achieve the same density.
- The first week of watering is done manually, with a garden watering can with a spray. The hose hits the ground too hard, causing a crust to form in dry weather. And if you put it on automatic sprinkling, it is more difficult to check whether the soil is evenly wetted.
- Always buy seeds with a good supply, because with poor germination, you will have to sow empty places, and if there is no grass, then you can’t always buy such a mixture. As a result, your lawn will differ in shades of color.
- Do not overdo with fertilizers. If on the street - above 30 °, then you should not fertilize, otherwise the roots will burn.
The British believe that even with the most careful sowing and care, the grass will create a perfect uniform coating only after 5 years. So do not be discouraged if your lawn in the first year does not live up to expectations. Any plant needs enough time to enter into force. And a person can only accelerate this process with good care, timely watering and top dressing.
