5/6. Lawns Flashcards
Key uses for Grass lawns
- Cheap way to cover a large area
- Can help ‘set off’ surrounding plants
- Effective at linking garden areas
- Hardwearing and attractive all year
- Green is calming
- Green works well with most soft landscaping
- Can be low maintenance - left ‘rough’ with wildflowers
- Variable heights, create patterns
- Must have good drainage
Types of Utility grass
- Heavy wear
- Low maintenance
- Sown at a rate of 20-25g per m2
Lolium perenne / Perennial ryegrass
Poa pratensis/ Smooth stalked meadow grass
Types of High quality grass
- Formal lawn/ornamental
- Fine grasses, high maintenance
- Sown at a rate of 30g per m2
Agrostis capillaris/ Browntop bent
Festuca rubra subsp commutata/ Chewings fescue
Types of grass for Shaded areas
- Festuca trachyphylla/ Hard fescue
- Agrostis capillaris/ Browntop bent
Growing Lawn from seeds - Benefits
- Cheaper than buying turf
- A wide range of different seed is available to suit a variety of sites
- Lighter work than laying turf
- Seed can be easily stored until the weather conditions are right
Growing Lawn from seeds - Disadvantages
- Soil must be warm/moist for growth
- Birds eat seeds - Net or fleece must be used
- Seedlings susceptible to drought - must be watered in dry spells
- Can be overtaken by weeds
- Herbicide can’t be used for 6 months
- Slow - can take months
Growing Lawn from turf - Benefits
- Immediate visual effect
- It can be done at any time of year
- Less preparation of bed required
- Easy to lay
- Neat, well defined edge to paths and borders
- Weeds and birds are not a problem
Growing Lawn from turf - Disadvantages
- Expensive
- Heavy work/ Time consuming
- Less sustainable due to carbon footprint of transporting bulky goods
- Must be laid very soon after it has been delivered
- New turf must be constantly moist, otherwise it will shrink
Establishment of lawn - Site prep
• Removing any large stones and rubble and all plant growth including tree stumps
and roots
• Remove any existing turf if it is in too poor a condition to keep
• Eliminate all weeds
Establishment of lawn - Soil prep
- Weed - Remove emerging weed seeds by hand or treat with a contact herbicide
- Cultivate - Incorporate some well-rotted organic matter or sand if req, use a rotavator, or double dig. Adjust pH to 5.5-7 if necessary. Leave the soil to settle for a few days - six weeks
- Rake - Rake to a fine tilth
- Feed - Ideal top-soil for a lawn is a well-drained, sandy 20cm -30cm deep
- Tilth - As above
Establishment of lawn - Levelling
• Remove bumps & hollows which cause issues mowing
• Accurate levelling can be achieved using pegs
- Create a grid of pre-marked pegs
- Knock into ground at same depth
- Add or remove soil until level with marks on pegs
• Tred evenly to firm and ensure no soft spots
• Tred several times in different directions
Establishment of lawn - Sewing seeds
- Plan - Sewn Spring/Autumn
- Pest/disease - N/A
- Water - N/A
- Setting out - Divide site into sections or m2 with string and cane
- Plant - Divide seeds pack in half - spread using broadcast method. Lightly rake over to cover seed well
- Food - Apply general fertiliser 2-3 days prior
- Water – Thoroughly
Establishment of lawn - Laying turf
- Plan - Laid Autumn/Winter, lay straight away
- Pest/disease - N/A
- Water - Don’t let turf dry out
- Setting out - Start from corner or edge of site
- Plant - Lay first row in straight line, avoid foot indentations - use boards. Lay next row in staggered/brick pattern. Avoid gaps, always end row with full sheet - end piece vulnerable (backfill gaps). Ensure level - add sandy soil if necessary. Continue until covered. Firm lightly with rake or tamper. Leave undisturbed for 2-3days
- Food - Top dress with sandy soil to fill gaps
- Water – Thoroughly
Maintenance of new sewn lawn
- Weed - Remove any weeds by hand - no herbicide for 6months
- Water - Water gently morning or evening when dry
- Feed - Lawn feed 4 times a year. Top dress in Sep with sieved compost - fill any irregular holes
- Support - Over sew any patches where germination failed
- Pest/disease - Fairy rings, red thread, leather jacket
- Prune – Cut back when 5cm tall - sharp blades
Maintenance of new turf
- Weed - No weeds (minimal)
- Water - Water in summer - must stay moist to avoid shrinking (Water thoroughly to reach roots)
- Feed - Lawn feed 4 times a year
- Support - N/A
- Pest/disease - Fairy rings, red thread, leather jacket
- Prune – Mow when grass reached 5cm
Mower suitable for hardwearing utility grass
- Rotary mower
- One blade moving with such force it cuts the grass
Mower suitable for fine ornamental lawn grass
- Cylinder mower
- Two blades moving in opposite directions creating a clean scissor cut
When to Mow grass
- Early spring to late autumn
- Spring/ Autumn = Once a week
- Summer = Twice a week
- Never when ground is wet of frozen - damage turf and compact soil
Key grass Disorders
Scalping
- Bare patches appearing on soft ground and on turns
- May occur when cut height of mower is too low or where the surface in uneven
Moss
- Found when soil is compacted, low fertility, low in light or extremes in pH
- Treat in Spring with moss lawn killer or by cultivating (moisture, drainage, aeration)
Maintenance of established lawn
- Weed - Weed with 2-4-D in spring
- Water - Water if req - shouldn’t be needed as grass with recover
- Feed - Feed in spring with lawn fertiliser (high in nitrogen) - use spreader for even spread
- Support - Overseed bare patches
- Pest/disease - Aerate with fork to allow drainage 2-3 yrs. Scarifying - Vigorous but careful raking of surface for remove thatch. Top dress with fine sand and sieved soil, Level any bumps/hollows
- Prune – Mow to required height
Red thread symptoms and control
Fungal
- Patches with reddish tinge and gelatinous threads
- 8-25cm in diameter
Cultural
- Ammonium sulphate
- Cultivate - Drainage, aeration, scarifying
- Dispose of grass cuttings to prevent spread
Chemical
- Fungicide = Trifloxystrobin
Fusarium patch
Fungal
- Yellowing patches, dying
- White fungal growth can be seen on damp days
Cultural
- Avoid high doses of nitrogen
- Cultivate - Drainage, aeration, scarifying
Chemical
- Fungicide = Trifloxystrobin
Fairy rings symptoms/control
Fungal
- Irregular rings of dead grass
- Crops of brown toad stalls
Cultural
- Remove affected area 30cm deep
- Spike/water where dead patched occur
- Provide lawn feed
Leather jackets
Pest
- Yellow/brown dead patches
- Grubs can be seen below surface
- High levels of starlings, crows, magpies present
- Flower/Veg seedlings can be damaged
Cultural
- Nematode watered onto soil
- Wet soil. Cover with black sheeting overnight, lift to reveal, encourage predators
Moles
Pests
- Visible mole hills late winter/early spring
- Roots of plants damaged by excavation
Cultural
- Traps
- Netting installed before turf laid
- Electronic repellant - buzzes to drive away
- Repellant smoke - May cause moles to move
- Euphorbia lathyris - claim that moles don’t like roots but may cause weed problem
