A beautiful lawn greatly enhances a garden, whatever its size. This implies taking care of it but above all sowing the lawn in the rules of the art. Prepare the soil, sow, water, mow, fertilize, scarify… Here is everything you need to know to create and then maintain your lawn.
Preparing the ground before sowing grass
Spring (late March to mid-May) and fall (preferably late September) are the two best times to sow grass. Ideally, land preparation is done in the fall if you want to sow in the spring. But the end of September is also a good time to sow since the ground is still warm, which favors the growth of the lawn.
Here’s how to get a spotless floor to accommodate a lawn.
- Mark out the area to be sown with a spade,
- Turn the soil, either with a spade or with a tiller, to a depth of 20 to 25 cm,
- Remove all stones and plant debris,
- Eliminate weeds, taking great care to also remove their roots,
- To work the ground so that it is well movable and refined,
- If necessary, install an automatic watering system,
- Amend the soil with humus, compost, manure or even potting soil because the lawn needs soil rich in organic fertilizer.
It is essential toto anticipate because we only sow the lawn a few weeks after having perfectly cleaned the ground. We use a cultivation technique called false seedling which makes it possible to control future weeds since this weeding aims to eradicate between 50 and 70% at least of weeds. The resting the ground after its preparation must last several weeks. This gives the weed seeds left behind time to germinate. Their many young shoots having then developed, it is time to weed with a hoe, meticulously, to obtain a lawn without any weeds.
After this weeding session, it is still necessary level the ground by proceeding as follows:
- break up clods of earth,
- Pass the claw to obtain the leveling that one wishes,
- Remove the last pebbles and stones by passing the rake lengthwise then widthwise to cross, and obtain a perfect leveling,
- Pass the roll over the entire prepared surface to bring some firmness to the floor.
After the passage of the roller, do not trample the earth in order to avoid footprints.
Sowing grass in well-prepared soil
The important thing is to have chosen a seed perfectly adapted to the use of the lawn. There are different types of lawns: ornamental, relaxation, sport and games… Some easily withstand trampling while others, more fragile, are of great finesse and their aesthetic advantage is unparalleled. You should also know that depending on its composition, the lawn can more or less withstand drought… It is therefore better to seek advice from a specialist when buying seedlings from a garden centre.
When the time has come to sow your lawn, it is necessary to scrape the earth on a few millimeters. This surface scraping is done with a lawn broom. It is necessary so that the seeds are not dispersed by the wind. Then all that remains is to move on to sowing, proceeding as follows:
- Good mix the seeds to obtain a homogeneous lawn, a lawn being composed of several species of grasses and others.
- Mix some sable to the seeds if they are very fine, as this has the effect of facilitating sowing.
- Bring a seed drill or sow on the fly respecting the dosage indicated on the bag of seeds. For information, there are between 30 and 40 g of seeds per square meter.
- Perform two cross passages for a good homogeneity.
- Bury the seeds in the ground by scraping the surface with the rake by light gestures because they must not be buried too much.
- Water copiously in very fine rain.
Thereafter, and until the seeds sprout, it is absolutely necessary to ensure that keep the earth moist by regular but superficial waterings, always in fine rain, all the more when it does not rain. If you have taken care to install an automatic watering system, now is the time to use it, but by programming a short watering time in order to do not drown new grass.
Finally, as soon as the young lawn reaches 5 cm in height, it’s time to hunt down any unwanted weeds that would have the audacity to show the tip of their noses, and to firmly anchor the lawn to the ground by moving from the lawn roller again.
Mow the new lawn
Above all, do not rush to carry out the first mowing because this would only have the effect of weakening the blades of grass which are not yet very rooted.
Specialists advise waiting for the lawn to measure at least 10 to 12 cm in height but also that she is well supplied. This is essential for the future. During the very first mowing, be careful to set the mower with common sense, namely to a sufficient cutting height. No question, therefore, of carrying out a shaved pruning! A cutting height of 5 cm is recommended. After mowing, we pass the roller for the last time.
Mowing should then be done regularly. This allows the lawn to gradually acquire a good density. On the other hand, do not mow your lawn in summer, nor during periods of drought (regardless of the season), nor in winter.
Tips for having a beautiful lawn
Regular maintenance is the secret to a beautiful lawn.
Mowing frequency
From the second year, mowing should be done frequently so that the lawn is as dense as possible and gains in strength. There is nothing to fear, the plants that make it up generally offer good resistance to regular mowing.
For a ecological lawn, certain areas can however be reserved for less frequent mowing in order to allow a few plants to develop there spontaneously, such as clover, mallows, daisies and other wild flowers. The insects will be able to take refuge there and the birds will find food there.
Scarifier
After a few years, the lawn begins to show signs of aging. It may lack strength and lose its density to the point of appearing quite stunted. the felting gradually settled over the seasons. It is a compact layer that prevents air from circulating, water and nutrients from entering the soil. This felt consists of superficial roots and various plant masses, some are alive, others dead.
Pour give new life to your lawnand therefore eliminate the felt, there is no other solution than to pass the scarifier. It is an essential motorized or manual gardening device for scratching the ground because it is equipped with steel teeth. Thanks to scarification, the lawn remains green but also bushy. It is therefore important to pass the scarifier in the spring to have a beautiful lawn all year round. But be careful, we scarify on dry ground so as not to tear the earth and to preserve the blades of grass.
Fertilize in an ecological way
The good idea is to invest in a mulching mower since it allows you to fertilize the lawn while mowing. This mower disperses the cut grass on the surface of the ground. Thus, the mowing is directly recycled. This is the solution chosen by all gardeners who wish to reduce their purchase of lawn fertilizer and adopt an eco-friendly attitude, especially as they reduce the number of waterings at the same time.
If you do not have this type of mower, it is necessary to fertilize the lawn with a boost fertilizer specific which is only used on wet ground or just before a good rain.
Finally, from being trampled on, the lawn is damaged in places. So she needs to be patched with a renovator that one spreads where it is necessary after having passed the scarifier, removed the moss and the adventitious then scratched the ground on a depth of approximately 3 cm. It is then necessary to water abundantly so that the lawn renovator swells then to repeat the copious waterings as soon as its color clears up, and this until the grass begins to grow back. It can take 7-10 days if the conditions are favorable, namely heat and humidity. After 4 weeks, the lawn is again homogeneous and regains a beautiful look.