May lawn care Seasonal lawn care. Lawn Care

No one even raises questions about whether it is necessary to take care of a vegetable garden or a garden to get good fruits. The same attitude needs to be developed in yourself if you are the owner of a lawn lawn. The lawn needs caring hands to please its owners with its appearance. And in this article I want to talk about how to properly care for the lawn.

Since the most active work on the lawn is carried out in spring, summer and a little in the autumn, I would like to dwell on these points in more detail.

How to care for your lawn in spring

As you can see, the lawn in the spring needs care and a lot of work. Therefore, we will move gradually, as problems arrive, as they say. And the first problem after the snow melted is melt water.

We fight with melt waters

Stagnant water on the lawn can provoke the appearance of pathogenic fungi on the grass. In order to never encounter this after winter, it is also necessary to provide drainage when preparing the land for the lawn. By the way, in the case of prolonged summer rains, drainage is also needed. Also, a natural or artificial slope of the earth ideally solves the problem of stagnant water. At the base of the site, you can install a drain grate through which excess water will leave the site through the drainage ditch.

In the spring, after the snow melts, the so-called "snow mold" may appear.

We comb out the turf

Next, we proceed to the cosmetic lawn care procedure. It's about brushing. Although it would not be correct to say that combing the lawn after winter is an exclusively aesthetic procedure, because. Garbage not removed from the lawn can again lead to the appearance of fungus. That's why combing is also a medical procedure, which is carried out with a rake or an electric comber.

Lawn mowing by hand

Leveling an overgrown lawn

Now the dried and clean area needs to be leveled. Why is it necessary to level the edges of the lawn, especially after the lawn hibernates in winter? Yes, because the grass does not ask where to grow. Therefore, the edges of a recently still completely flat lawn can grow and lose shape. In order to remedy the situation, you must first roll the entire lawn with a roller or board so that the roots are pressed to the soil. Trimming uneven edges can be done with a hoe or a sharp shovel. Even better, a curb made of stone, plastic or rubber can handle the uneven edge of the lawn.

Getting rid of weeds

Of course, no one has anything against such cute flowers as dandelion and daisy, but not on the lawn! Get rid of weeds immediately until they have grown. We remove unwanted guests with roots. In this work, the good old chopper will help you, as well as chemistry.

weed remover

We treat fungi and mold

Naturally, it is not a law that some kind of sore will definitely appear on your lawn. But there is such a possibility and therefore it should be described how to treat the lawn from fungi and mold. Lawn grass is susceptible to Fusarium infection (a plant disease that manifests itself in rotting of the roots and yellowing of the leaves), powdery mildew(plant disease, which manifests itself in the appearance of a white coating on the leaves), various types of mold. Affected areas should be treated with a systemic fungicide.

By the way, in no case do not use diseased grass as compost. She needs to be burned!

Eliminate moss

Another lover to spoil the view of the entire lawn for us is moss. Its spores quickly spread over the area that is cut too low. Also, favorable conditions for the appearance of moss are stagnant water, shade, soil acidity. Just stop cutting the grass too low, organize good drainage (see above), get rid of objects that create a shadow (if the lawn area is more expensive for you) and “deoxidize” the soil. Liming with fluff (slaked lime) will help with this. Pour the fluff into the dug up area on which the moss grew, at the rate of 250 g / m2 and pour mineral water. Sow with grass, roll and water.

Also, dichlorfen successfully fights moss, which needs to be treated with a moss-affected area of ​​​​the lawn. This is a liquid product, so do not process when strong wind so that the chemistry does not get on the innocent neighboring plants. Do not mow the grass or water it immediately after treatment.

How to overcome moss on the lawn (video)

We saturate the roots with air

Saturation of horses with air is a complicated process only at first glance.

Lawn aeration and lawn scarification in spring are comprehensive lawn care procedures under one common name verticulation.

It is necessary to carry out these procedures for the reason that during the winter the soil under the roots has compacted and does not receive enough oxygen. Aeration is carried out by aerators or pitchforks. Punctures should be done 10 cm deep. There is also a special technique for scarification, but a rake is also suitable. These procedures are necessary in the spring for quality lawn care.

Lawn scarification and aeration mechanically

We sow bald spots

Bald patches on the lawn make us sad. How to deal with them? These defects are eliminated by cutting out the damaged sod, and the gap is covered with earth, tamped down and sown with lawn grass seeds (sow the same seeds as in the main plot). Abundant watering is welcome.

We fertilize and nourish

In the spring, even people need top dressing and fertilizer, to say nothing of tender grass. Ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate can support the lawn after wintering. Feed the lawn after the second mowing and verticulation. Fertilizer is applied from above on the grass and watered abundantly.

Lawn fertilization

Cutting lawn grass

All previous problems (stagnation of water, mold, moss) are not visible at a cursory glance. But what is really noticeable is the unmowed lawn. Mowing the grass can start planning at t +5, because the grass is already growing. Don't cut the grass low for the first spring cut, wait for more vigorous growth. The cut healthy grass will become a shelter from the approaching scorching summer sun.

As you can see, general lawn care and lawn care in spring are different concepts, but for lovers of green soft grass underfoot, it will not be difficult to try to separate spring care from summer care, etc.

How to take care of your lawn in summer

Summer is the hottest time of the year in every sense. After all, it is in the summer that you need to have time to take care of the harvest, pick up mushrooms and berries, prepare conservation, and much more. It would be a pity to forget about the lawn in this cycle of affairs. Moreover, it seems to be such an independent object. But it's not. Although lawn care in the summer includes fewer items than in the spring, it does not become less important for this. By the way, if you carefully work on the lawn in the spring, you will spend less time on it in the summer.

A haircut

Mow the grass when it's dry outside. If you overdo it and cut the grass too short, then in the hot summer season, the soil under the lawn can dry out due to the fact that the roots are exposed. At the same time, a long cut makes the ground part of the lawn too weak.

And in general, there is one firm rule about this regarding haircuts: it is better to cut more often, but cut less.

Do not forget about the benefits of mulching and leave the cut grass on the lawn.

If you mow your lawn more frequently, the cut grass will be smaller and can be left in the area for mulching, i.e. fertilizer

Watering

Regular watering is essential to keeping your lawn in good condition. Especially after mowing the grass. But there is one nuance here: in the morning, when we are most cheerful and ready for exploits in the garden and in the yard, you can’t water the lawn, otherwise by noon all the moisture will evaporate from the heat, and drops on the grass can completely burn it. The best time to water your lawn is in the evening. and at least 3-4 r / week (of course, if the summer is not rainy). If, nevertheless, you failed to save the grass from burning out, then resuscitation will be needed in the form of abundant watering, just be careful not to form puddles, otherwise, saving one, destroy the other.

Water your lawn regularly

Fertilizer

Since grass is cut more often in summer than in any other season of the year, nutrients in the grass are depleted faster. Therefore, top dressing in the summer, despite the fact that the grass looks healthy and fresh, is required. Liquid fertilizers and fertilizers containing nitrogen are suitable for you.

For convenience, you can define your own task for each summer month.

June

• First half of the month: getting rid of weeds;
• Second half of the month: top dressing
• All June: watering, cutting, mulching.

July

• Second half of the month: complex fertilizers, overseeding of bald spots;
• All July: watering, cutting, fungicides from fungi (if there is a fungus).

August

• First half of the month: fertilizer with autumn dressings;
• All of August: watering at longer intervals than in June/July, less frequent mowing (1r/week), re-weeding the lawn, overseeding bald spots, combing and verticulating, re-fungicides for fungi (if fungus is present).

From this schedule, you can easily see that August is the richest in events. This is not surprising, because autumn is on the nose, and this is already an ajar door to winter. Therefore, it is extremely important to take care that the grass is well-groomed and prepared for winter.

Lawn care in autumn and preparation for winter

Since we have already written about what autumn and winter lawn care includes, in this article we will simply mention the basic rules.

• Garbage collection (fallen leaves);
• Rare haircut (2 r/September, end of October/beginning of November);
• Aeration as needed (and then only in early autumn);
• Special fertilizer for winter at the beginning of autumn;
• Sowing bald spots at the end of October.

In winter, it is better to refrain from walking on the lawn.

In winter, it's even easier: avoid walking on the lawn, even if it looks like the most beautiful white and fluffy snow you've ever seen. And also in case of icing of the lawn, the ice should be removed.

As you can see, there is a lot of work with the lawn. But gradually, taking into account the advice, you will be able to bring the green carpet of lawn grass to perfection.

Over the past few decades, the lawn has been an integral element in landscape design every second household plot. Thanks to beautiful design lawn grass any yard will become even more attractive and original. It is worth noting that lawn grass is designed not only to perform a protective function, but also to grow, retaining moisture in the ground and preventing it from drying out.

Description of the lawn: herbs included in the composition

When choosing grass for a lawn, you need to pay attention to factors such as the type of soil, the purpose of the lawn cover, the level of groundwater and climatic conditions regions, including the Moscow region. For sowing ordinary plots, in most cases, several varieties of grasses are used at once, which contribute to the formation of a dense coating. If you use several varieties of grass mixture, appearance the coating will become much more attractive, and it will be almost impossible to trample it.

Parterre lawns often include undersized varieties herbs such as red fescue, common bent grass and perennial chaff. The main advantage of the meadow type of lawn cover is resistance to various types diseases. A number of crops that meet this requirement include clover, perennial ryegrass, bluegrass, white bent grass, timothy grass and meadow foxtail. As for grass mixtures that are sown on sports fields, they usually include:

• bluegrass meadow;
• red fescue;
• perennial chaff.

When sowing a lawn for sports purposes, special attention should be paid to how the soil will be drained. For the design of sports fields, a rolled lawn, which can be found in specialized stores, is also perfect.

beautiful lawn

Note! To rid yourself of doubts about the poor quality of planting material, you can buy a lawn cover in a specialized store. After all, the lawn, which is sold in stores, is previously subjected to laboratory testing and meets absolutely all requirements.

Growing features: how to care for the lawn after planting

The best time to sow the lawn is early spring or the first half of autumn. This procedure must be carried out after the last layer of snow has melted. Mid-September is the deadline for sowing - it is up to this moment that all work must already be completed so that the grass has time to grow a little before the onset of winter. It is recommended to prepare the land before sowing.

Experts advise sowing the seeds of a particular lawn grass in slightly moist soil, but you need to carefully monitor that it is not damp. If the soil is not sufficiently moist or very dry, it must be watered abundantly. Start sowing only after the top layer of the earth dries. The correct lawn planting algorithm is as follows:

1. On initial stage you need to weigh the amount of planting material that is necessary for sowing a certain area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe land.
2. The measured number of seeds must be divided into several equal parts, the number of which may depend on the size of the lawn.
3. The area where the lawn is planned to be sown should also be divided into an equivalent number of parts. With the help of shallow furrows, it is recommended to mark the boundaries between the parts.
4. In order to properly sow the seeds, they need to be picked up in the hand, and then poured out in an even layer on the selected area. This procedure should be carried out at a distance of 1 m above the topsoil.

lawn seeding

To create the optimal conditions that are necessary for the germination and further growth of the lawn, you will need regular moistening of the surface layer of the soil after planting. It is necessary to water the lawn once a day, and it is advisable to do this in the evening, since it is in the evening that water evaporation is minimized. At high temperatures air, the lawn cover must be covered, because direct Sun rays can harm him.

Important! The first germinated shoots can be seen after 1-2 weeks. For 14 days after the grass has sprouted, it is imperative to maintain an optimal level of soil moisture.

How to care for your lawn in spring

As soon as a stable temperature is established and the top layer of grass is dried, you can begin to restore the lawn cover after wintering. Sod care with the onset of spring consists of such steps as combing the lawn, aerating, sowing new seeds (if necessary) and top dressing.

It is necessary to comb the lawn with a fan or simple rake, but before that you need to remove all the fallen leaves and other debris that has accumulated on the site during the winter. The caked grass should be raked into one pile and burned (can be attributed to compost pit). As for aeration, this is a procedure during which the upper and lower layers of the lawn are enriched with oxygen. This is necessary in order to provide air access to the root system of the grass, which contributes to its rapid growth.

Lawn care

An important element of lawn care in the spring is top dressing. You need to feed the grass with any fertilizer, which contains nitrogen and peat. It is recommended to use urea or ammonium nitrate, as well as a complex of special mixtures for building green mass.

Lawn care in summer

The most traumatic season for lawn coverage is summer. In the summer season, due attention should be paid to top dressing and regular watering, since it is in summer that there is a high risk that the turf can overgrow, lose its decorative properties, and become overgrown with weeds. So, lawn care with the onset of summer consists of the following procedures:

• Abundant watering, which should be regular.
• Top dressing with the use of complex fertilizers, which must be carried out in the second half of summer.
• Lawn mowing with a lawn mower.
• Treating the turf with fungicides if there are signs of a fungal disease.

Particular attention should be paid to the lawn in August, since on the eve of autumn it is necessary to fully prepare it for frost. If the lawn is weakened, you need to feed it with universal fertilizer in the first half of August. In the event of a repeated detection of a fungal infection, it is necessary to immediately re-treat the lawn with a fungicide.

Lawn care in summer

Lawn care in autumn and preparation of the lawn for winter

In the autumn, before frost sets in, all accumulated debris, weeds and fallen leaves should be removed from the lawn. Lawn mowing in September should be done no more than 1 time in two weeks, and in the second half of October, focus on the growth rate of the turf, as well as on weather conditions. The last procedure for feeding the lawn in the fall should be carried out no later than the end of October, but if the autumn is relatively warm, you can feed the lawn in November.

Aeration should be carried out only in the presence of waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall or excessive compaction of the lawn. Also in the fall, a thorough scarification of the lawn should be carried out. In the presence of bald spots, bumps or bare areas, grass mixture should be sown where necessary.

Note! With the onset of the first frosts, any kind of external intervention in relation to the lawn, as well as any load on it, is strictly prohibited. As soon as the growth of the turf stops, you can’t walk on it.

Lawn Growing Problems

When growing a lawn cover, you can encounter a number of problems due to which the lawn will look ugly and untidy. The most common problems include sparse and weak shoots, as well as bald spots caused by extreme weather conditions.

As for weak shoots, it is worth immediately wondering why they appeared. The weakness of seedlings can be provoked by an incorrect calculation of the optimal consumption of planting material for sowing lawn cover. Another one possible reason rare shoots are birds. After sowing, birds can feed on seeds, which is why in certain places bald spots are formed. In order to prevent this problem, it is recommended to sow encapsulated or pelleted seeds.

Bald patches on the lawn

It is worth noting that the formation of a loose grass cover can be caused by insufficient and poor-quality preparation of the land. It is possible to prevent the formation of bald spots by feeding the lawn, but, unfortunately, it is impossible to completely remove this problem.

Important! If, during lawn care, watering was scarce and irregular, cracks may appear on the surface of the lawn, and in the future it may dry out altogether. It is recommended to fight them with the help of abundant and frequent watering of the turf, as well as mulching the damaged areas.

Lawn mulching

Lawn mulching should be done every year. It is best to take care of this at the beginning of May or at the end of September. Before you mulch the turf, applying a new nutrient layer, you need to carefully comb the lawn and aerate. To prepare the mulch, you need a large trough, and you need to mix it with a shovel.

Lawn mulching

For each square meter lawn grass, at least 1.5 kg of mulch must be applied - this is the generally accepted norm. In the process of mulching, care must be taken to ensure that grass shoots are not completely covered. The mulch will need to be leveled with a broom or soft rake to avoid possible depressions and bumps.

The lawn is endowed with a protective and decorative function. To date, there are a huge number of different varieties of grass mixtures, the choice of which must be guided by certain factors. A novice gardener and summer resident definitely needs to know how to prepare a lawn for winter. If you follow all the recommendations in the process of sowing and further care for the lawn, you can successfully grow a thick and dense lawn, which will become an ornament to the dacha.

Guided by our article. If your family lawn around the house- an unpretentious place of rest and a cozy picnic on a day off, then you can get by with the very minimum of effort to lawn care. If your lawn conceived as a decorative element of the garden and you want perfect grass without flaws, it is better to immediately tune in to a significant investment of labor, money and time. Works on lawn care contribute to the improvement of water and air permeability of the soil, better nutrition of grass roots, prevent waterlogging, fungal infections, growth of moss and weeds, give the lawn a well-groomed appearance.

One day, a foreigner visiting the estate of an English lord, looking at a chic, even green lawn, asked the owner: "How do you support your lawn in such excellent condition?" "Oh, it's very simple," replied the descendant of a noble family. - You just sow grass, it grows, you cut it, it grows, you cut it again ... and so on for 500 years

Of course, this is just a joke. Handsome and well maintained lawn impossible to get only with haircuts; knowledge, effort and time are required. On the other hand, for do-it-yourself lawn devices centuries are not needed at all: with modern possibilities and some luck with the weather, you can create a lawn on their own and in one season.

Lawn watering, watering rate

New, just installed lawns(both rolled and seeded grass) need regular watering. However lawn watering, which was arranged a few months ago, is a matter of personal choice and availability of resources. For example, in the UK it is fundamentally not water private lawns and public lawns even during dry periods despite the fixed cost of cold water. The British consider it unacceptable to use national water resources for lawn watering, the grass on which, in a few rainy days, is naturally restored in all its green splendor. Browned during the drought lawns in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society and others national parks here it is taken quite naturally.

If you have made a choice in favor of watering your lawn, then do it strictly as needed, using lawn irrigation system with sprayers. Lawn watering rate is 13 mm of water at a time. More water at watering the lawn will be wasted. Place an open glass dish with a flat bottom in the area lawn irrigation systems and note the time during which 13 mm of water will be collected in it. If you have automatic lawn watering system, then you can set the timer to the desired time and lawn watering will be made without your participation.

Lawn mowing

Regular and competent cutting grass on the lawn– an absolutely necessary job if you want to have a well-groomed lawn. Lawn grass grows at a temperature of +5 degrees and above. Focus on it while timing first lawn mowing in spring And last lawn mowing in autumn.

During first lawn mowing in spring set the mower blade to the highest level. With the onset of stable heat, grass growth becomes more intense and you can already cut the grass on the lawn more often (once a week) and shorter, but not shorter than 5 cm. In hot weather, growth grass on the lawn slows down, especially in the sun lawns. Do this at this time lawn mowing less frequently (once every 2-3 weeks), mow quite a bit by detaching the mower basket. The cut grass will be evenly scattered over lawn and will serve as a natural fertilizer and mulching material that protects lawn from sunburn and excess moisture loss. The remains of the cut grass will soon disappear into the soil for lawn or be picked up by the lawnmower during the next lawn mowing.

Cut the lawn always better in dry weather. Beveled lawn grass can be added to the compost pit, interspersed with other ingredients, only if you have not used lawn herbicides for at least 2-3 weeks before lawn mowing. Too short lawn mowing contribute to the exposure of the roots, the drying of the soil and the general weakening of the grass. Too long lawn grass cuttings weaken the aerial part of the grass. General rule lawn grass cuttings: it is better to cut less, but cut more often. To achieve beautiful stripes or other natural "pattern" on lawn, change direction with the lawn mower.

After the main lawn mowing gently cut the grass at the borders with special lawn shears or lawn trimmer.

Lawn care in spring

In the spring, at the very beginning of the season, treat the lawn, which includes weed removal, scarification (cleaning, removing "felt" from dry grass and moss), aeration (piercing compacted soil), repairing bald spots, shaping the edges of the lawn, top dressing, leveling surfaces and mulching (earthing) of the lawn with a mixture of light garden soil and sand.

Lawn care: scarification

start spring lawn care with the removal of perennial rhizomatous weeds (dandelion, daisy, plantain, etc.) and mechanical cleaning. Gently dig rhizomatous weeds or pry with a chopper and pull out, trying to completely remove the root from the ground. For cleaning on small lawns, use hard (metal) fan rake, with the help of which it is necessary to rake dry leaves and debris that have gathered during the winter, as well as comb out moss and a layer of dry grass ("felt") that forms on the surface of the soil lawn. All this will go into the compost. On big lawns use special scarifiers - lawn cleaning machines (see photo at the very top of the page) or a special scarifier attachment for a lawn mower. After scarification, moisture, air and fertilizer will more easily pass to the roots of the grass without lingering on the surface. lawn.

Lawn care: aeration and sanding

After scarification lawn carry out aeration - piercing the top layer of soil to a depth of 10-15 cm. Aeration provides air, water and fertilizer access to grass roots and is especially important on heavy and clay soils, in places of stagnant water or on lawns which are especially heavily used. On small lawns use garden forks or spiked boots to aerate. On big lawns and in especially advanced cases it may be necessary lawn aerator, which extracts the soil from the holes made to the surface. After aeration, apply to the surface lawn a layer of coarse sand, which will fill the holes and provide better water permeability of the soil. We usually rent lawn scarifier and aerator a couple of times a year for spring and autumn processing of our lawn.

Lawn care in spring: repair of bald spots and irregularities

Next stage spring care behind the lawn- repair of bald spots. Bald spots are "bald" or sagging areas that are formed from intensive use lawn, in swampy areas, when lawn something has been standing for a long time (like a children's slide or a swing) or in areas where you've removed an entire colony of rhizomatous weeds. Bald spots need to be sown with fresh grass (how to sow grass on the lawn, read our article Lawn with your own hands), and sprinkle on top with a mixture of garden soil or leaf humus with sand that you prepared for lawn mulching (see below), so, so that the level of the worn area is equal to the main level of the lawn.

At the same time, irregularities on the lawn are repaired: lowlands and tubercles. The tubercles should be leveled with the general level, sown and lightly sprinkled with mulch. The lowlands are filled with earth and sand, sown with grass, and then lightly sprinkled with a small layer of mulch.

Lawn care in spring: edging

If you have a formal lawn of the correct form, then blurry, worn and indistinct edges (borders) will completely ruin the impression and nullify all the hard work of lawn care. Therefore, be sure to take the time to level and restore the edges of the lawn. Draw straight border lines along a board or along a rope stretched over pegs driven into the ground (see photo above). Next, use a straight, sharp shovel to create a crisp edge. Curl the wavy edges of informal lawns with a hose laid out in the desired shape. After repairing the edges, touch up and update the grooves - small empty areas that separate the lawn from the built-up areas of the garden, for example, garden paths or patio tiles (see before and after photos).

The collapsed and heavily blurred boundaries of formal lawns are quite difficult to restore. Although this "trick" greatly facilitates the work. Cut a rectangle or square of turf to a depth of 10 cm at the site of damage from the border to a healthy part of the lawn. Carefully cut the sod (grass with roots and soil) from below with a sharp, wide shovel, separate and lift it up. Now turn it 180 degrees and lay it in its original place. Now the edge of the lawn is sharp and beautiful again, and the problematic worn area has moved inward, where it is much easier to touch up. Treat the bald spot as above and sow with grass.

Lawn care in spring: mulching

If the grass on the lawn is sparse and weak, additional seeding can be done at this stage. After sowing the grass, it remains to mulch the lawn. The mulch will cover the grass seeds from the birds, which instantly flock in huge numbers, one has only to sow the lawn. For mulching, use a mixture of coarse sand with light garden earth or leaf humus (2:1), carefully leveling the composition on the surface of the lawn and correcting irregularities with the back of a rake or garden mop with a long, hard pile. Lawn mulching improves the structure of heavy soils, promotes better nutrition for grass roots, and corrects small irregularities in the lawn surface.

Lawn care: fertilizing, fertilizing

To keep lawn grass healthy, strong, and bright green, at least three seasons of lawn feeding are required: spring, summer, and fall. Top dressing helps to strengthen the grass and help it clog weeds, which are always present in one quantity or another on any lawn. Often grass fertilizer already contains herbicides (weed suppressants). Always apply fertilizer as recommended by the manufacturer. Too much fertilizer spoils the environment, can be dangerous to people, "burn" the grass and ruin the look of the lawn for a long time. Fertilizer should be applied through a special sieve, which can be bought at the garden center (see photo below).

Spring and summer fertilizer for lawn grass contains a large amount of nitrogen and causes an active growth of green mass. Feed the grass in the spring a couple of weeks after the completion of the autumn treatment of the lawn, and in the summer - in a not too hot and dry time. Try to fertilize your lawn before it rains. Autumn lawn grass fertilizer contains more phosphorus and potassium, which strengthen the roots of the grass and help it survive the winter without loss. Always use fertilizer according to the season.

Lawn care in autumn, preparation for winter

Autumn lawn care is very similar to spring lawn care. The difference lies in the fact that repair of bald spots, shaping the edges of the lawn and sowing grass are not necessary in the fall, especially if you live in a cold or snowy region and the lawn will not be used in the winter.

In addition, in the fall you will need regular cleaning lawn from falling leaves. Use garden vacuum cleaners or a lawn mower for this. The latter crushes the leaves and they can immediately be used for compost or mulching other areas of the garden. Remember that the colder the weather gets, the more grass height you need to keep.

Remember that during wet and frosty periods of the year, you should disturb the lawn as little as possible, try not to step on the grass, but necessary work hold, standing on the board, and not on the grass.

This article is an abbreviated version of my article. "Real English Lawn" for the magazine "The New Gardener and Farmer" (Nos. 5 and 6 for 2006).

Hello dear friends!

IN last years green lawns have gained unprecedented popularity in landscape design. A neatly trimmed grass "carpet" gives any backyard a well-groomed look and is the pride of the owners, delighting the inhabitants with emerald beauty throughout the season. Let's talk about how to care for the lawn in the summer on the site.

The maintenance of a cultivated lawn requires certain efforts from the gardener. The growth and development of the herbage, as well as its external attractiveness and saturation with greenery, depend on the quality of care. Timely implementation of the necessary measures not only ensures the longevity, decorativeness, viability of the lawn and prevents the degradation of plants, but also increases the resistance of the grass to adverse effects (drought, dry winds, etc.).

To basic care activities in summer period behind the lawn include:

Regular watering to maintain soil moisture and structure;

Top dressing to enrich the soil with nutrients, activate the processes of regrowth and prevent depletion of the herbage after mowing;

Mowing lawn grass set height to give the lawn an attractive appearance;

Cleaning up falling leaves and carrion (if there are trees on the lawn).

Lawn watering

To maintain decorativeness and harmonious vegetation of the herbage, the lawn needs to be provided with moisture. Irrigation is carried out with such an amount of liquid that moisture penetrates to a depth of at least 20 cm (root layer). The average volume of watering is three buckets per square meter. lawn meter. Surface irrigation, when moisture penetrates the soil no more than 5 cm, is not very effective and cannot provide the herbage with the necessary nutrition.

The number of irrigations depends on the weather conditions of the current summer. In drought and heat, lawn grass should be watered at least once every 2-3 days. In rainy summers, the number of waterings can be reduced to 1-2 times a week. It is undesirable to carry out sprinkling in the heat, under the scorching rays of the sun, as this can lead to the appearance of yellow burn spots on the lawn.

To moisten a large lawn, homeowners acquire special irrigation systems - sprinklers. In small areas, spray nozzles have proven themselves well, which are put on hoses connected to the water supply or well pump.

Lawn fertilizing

Speaking of that, it is impossible not to mention fertilizers, because each grass cutting leads to the depletion of nutrient compounds and plant organisms. The application of mineral fertilizers eliminates this distortion and provides the herbage with vital elements. Specialized mineral mixtures for lawn care are commercially available, usually in dry or granular form.

How to fertilize your lawn

You can fertilize the lawn in a dry way, dispersing the drug as evenly as possible over the surface of the site and then watering the lawn abundantly. The event is planned before planned watering or during a period of heavy rainfall.

But watering with a liquid solution is much more effective, although this process requires much more effort. Fertilizers are pre-dissolved in large containers, and then the liquid is poured into the tanks of watering machines or special sprinklers. If you have a hydraulic seeder at your disposal, then experienced gardeners recommend using this machine for liquid lawn fertilization.

What fertilizers should be used for lawn grass?

If at the beginning of the growing season, lawn grass needs increased doses of nitrogen, then in summer plants need potassium and phosphorus, as well as a complex of microelements. In spring and until mid-summer, nitrogen compounds should predominate in lawn fertilization formulations. The use of ready-made mixtures, as well as carbamide, ammonium nitrate or complex nitroammophoska, is effective.

From mid-July, it is not recommended to feed the herbage with nitrogen, since the plants are preparing for the end of the growing season and winter dormancy, and this chemical element activates the set of green mass, which can lead to a decrease in winter hardiness.

In the absence of a special fertilizer, you can make your own nutrient mixture for lawn fertilization in the last month of summer by mixing superphosphate and potassium salt. The proportions of the drug are observed according to the instructions on the package.

biological alternative mineral fertilizers is plant ash obtained from the burning of organic residues and garbage. It is a valuable source of potassium and phosphorus, as well as other trace elements necessary for herbage. Sifted ash is evenly dusted with a pre-moistened lawn, and then watered. It is possible to water the lawn with ash infusion: dilute half a liter jar in a bucket of water and let it brew for three days.

grass mowing

The first time after winter is carried out after the young grass grows to a height of about 12-15 cm. At first, the herbage is cut to 4 cm, setting the lawn mower knives to 8 cm. At the next mowing, the knives are rearranged so that the height of the grass remains no more than 6 cm .

The event is carried out depending on the specific, its growth rate and weather conditions. Usually the herbage is mowed every 5-14 days. The signal for the need for a haircut is the growth of greenery to a height of up to 8 cm from the original level. Grass should not be allowed to overgrow, as the removal of a large amount of green mass can lead to depletion of plants, stunted growth and even partial death. It is permissible to cut off up to a third of the height of the healthy surface of the shoots.

If for some reason you missed the planned mowing, you will have to leave a higher height than usual, and after a few days repeat the haircut to the normal level.

Now you know, how to care for your lawn in summer Right. Have a good summer holiday and emerald greenery on personal plot! See you!

Spring is the perfect time to get started on lawn care. Caring for this element of the garden never stops, but in spring it is especially important! If you are dreaming of an emerald smooth grassy carpet in your garden, do not miss the important procedures in the spring.

March

The beginning of spring in Ukraine comes only formally on the calendar, while winter is still in full swing outside. Its only difference lies in the frequent thaws mixed with snowfalls, which leads to the formation of an ice crust on the lawn. Under such a crust, the lawn begins to rot and “suffocate”, and subsequently this negatively affects the quality of the grass cover. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the formation of an ice crust and break it in time. You should also evenly distribute snow over the entire surface of the lawn, limit movement in these places, otherwise dents may form. And the formation of stagnant puddles should not be allowed, this leads to aging.

Top dressing with fertilizers. The first top dressing - nitroammophos at the rate of 20–30 g / m² - can be carried out on snow or after it has melted in the second half of March. Any other fertilizer with a high nitrogen content that is labeled "Spring" or "Spring-Summer" on the package will also work, for example:

● Agricol (Agreecol) (N 34%);
● Fertika (Kemira) (Fertica), NPK + (11-12-26) with the addition of trace elements;
● Florovit (Florovit) NPK+ (18-2-9+4Fe);
● fertilizers "Green Guy", NPK (27-4-10) + trace elements (EDTA);
● Scotts Landscape Pro, NPK (27-05-05+2MgO) – fertilizer long-acting(4 months);
● Novofert for lawns, NPK (20-10-12+3MgO+4S+ME) and others.

Try to apply fertilizer evenly, otherwise, in the place where there will be more of it, a hill of lush grass awaits you.

If you applied fertilizer not in the snow, then after that you should carefully water the lawn.

apply fertilizer evenly

April

Combing and aeration. An important stage in lawn care occurs in April, when the snow melts and the overwintered lawn looks unsightly. It is covered with felt and plant debris, which can cause disease and pests.

It is necessary to make verticulation - piercing the surface of the lawn with a pitchfork. As well as scarification (from lat. scarifico - “scratch”), which is produced by loosening with a rake or aerator. These actions will help to establish air exchange in the root layer of the soil.

During winter, the soil under the lawn becomes compacted, which prevents the supply of sufficient oxygen for the growth of grass roots. As a result, carbon dioxide accumulates, grass growth slows down or stops altogether. Aeration should be carried out - artificially saturate the surface layer of the soil of the lawn with oxygen. For these purposes, special aerators with different teeth are used. An ordinary pitchfork is also suitable as an aerator, with which it is enough to pierce the soil to a depth of 8 cm in those places where there was stagnant water or moss formed. For a large area, it is advisable to use special equipment, since it will be difficult to do it manually.

felt combing

Disease treatment. In the spring, very wet soil after the recent melting of snow begins to warm the sun, which can cause fusarium and mold. Unfortunately, it is difficult to notice the infection processes at the initial stage; Fusarium is manifested by spots or rings of yellowing grass already in May. The spots gradually increase in diameter, forming bald spots. In wet weather, fluffy white or pink mold may appear on the edges of the affected areas of the lawn.

Preventive measures against lawn diseases should be taken in April.

Therefore, preventive measures must be taken in April, using the drug Maxim at the rate of 20 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water per 2 acres of lawn.

Fertilizer. If you did not have time to apply the first fertilizers in March in the snow, then in April you need to do this after combing and aeration. Mortar fertilizer has proven itself well.

The main rule of fertilizer application is uniformity. This is not so easy to do even with the use of seeders. It is recommended to apply part of the fertilizer by hand scattering it over the lawn, and part of it should be dissolved in water and applied using a knapsack sprayer.

Sanding. The next step is to improve the soil structure of the lawn with sand mulching. Sand gives soil porosity, improves its structure and, as a result, promotes the formation of grass roots. Sanding is mainly used on loamy soils or in areas of heavy use, such as sports turf.

For sanding, dry alluvial sand with a grain size of 0.6–1.2 mm should be used in the amount of 0.1 m3 per 100 m2 of the site. Sanding is done once a year after combing and aerating during the most active grass growth.

May

Weed control. May is characterized by the active growth of not only lawn grass, but also weeds, which are not easy to deal with. There are two ways to fight:

● Mechanical– weeding special device, the so-called root extractor, or manual pulling of weeds. But this method is suitable for small areas of the lawn.
● Chemical method- application of herbicides. These preparations are both continuous action, when using which all vegetation dies, and selective, which allow you to destroy weed grass without damaging crop plants.

How to use herbicides? Herbicides of continuous action on the lawn are used locally, that is, they are carefully applied from a syringe to the leaf of the plant. The Roundup preparation with a wide spectrum of action has proven itself well: the consumption rate is from 50 to 120 ml per 10 liters.

Selective herbicides kill on the lawn weeds causing minimal damage lawn grasses. It is recommended to use drugs such as Lintur (the consumption rate of the drug is 2 g per 10 liters of water) or Lopren. Multiplicity of treatments - at least two times with an interval of one week. Herbicides should be applied in calm, warm and dry weather. For the best effect, it is recommended to use two types of herbicides.

Restoration of a damaged lawn. After winter snow and frost, it is difficult to predict what condition the lawn will be in. Damaged areas that are subject to cardinal repair may be found.

The damaged piece of turf must be cut out and a new one put in this place. It can be cut from another site or purchased at a garden center. Adjust the soil level under the new piece of sod by adding or removing soil until the new piece is level with the rest of the lawn.

Having equalized the height of the piece with the lawn, compact it with the back of a rake or a small roller. Sprinkle some sand over the surface, especially at the joints, and water thoroughly.

Leveling a hole or hump. As mentioned above, during high humidity it is impossible to walk on the lawn, otherwise dents and various irregularities will form on it. But it is not always possible to keep the lawn intact, the main thing is to know how to fix everything. For example, in places where hills or pits have formed, it is necessary to make two cuts in the sod at a right angle with a semicircular blade and unscrew the sod from the deformed place. Holes need to be filled sandy soil, and remove excess land from the hills. After turning back the edge of the sod, lightly compact and mulch with fertile soil over the entire area.

Lawn mowing. Lawn mowing is the most important and responsible care procedure! In May, grass growth is most intense, and the lawn requires mowing 2 times in 10 days, and in summer it can already be reduced to once a week. The cutting height is recommended from 5 to 6 cm, a shorter one can weaken the lawn and provoke the loss of narrow-leaved grasses. Mowing is carried out in dry weather, in no case on a wet lawn. After mowing, abundant watering is required.

If you do not have a lawn and you only dream of sowing it, be sure to read useful article in our blog. And in the next article about the lawn, we will talk about the work of caring for it in the summer. Good luck!