Lawns

Question 1

State the benefits of establishing lawns from seed

Answer 1

Easy to transport
Range of species to choose from
Cheaper than turfing
Good for odd shapes

Question 2

State the limitations of establishing lawns from seed

Answer 2

Can only carry out in autumn and spring
Takes 6 to 9 months to fully establish
No immediate impact
Preparing the site takes longer than turfing

Question 3

Describe the procedure for preparing a site to sow a lawn from seed

Answer 3

Site should be well drained and level
Remove perennial weeds
In November, ground should be dug deeply and left rough over winter.
Level the ground and leave topsoil in position.
Add organic matter to poor soil
In march/April, fork over soil and break up, or rotivate.
Add fertiliser to the soil.
Rake and heel to find soft spots
Rake again to a fine tilth when soil is dry.
Remove stones.

Question 4

State the fertiliser needed for sowing a lawn from seed or turfing

Answer 4

adequate phosphate is needed for young grass roots.
Fish meal at 75g/m2
or
base dressing of rock potash at 75g/m2

Question 5

Describe the procedure of sowing a lawn by hand

Answer 5

70g of seed per m2.
Divide area into equal sections
Calculate seed for whole area then divide into sections. Divide seed for each section in half. Distribute that seed equally over the section one way, then the other half of the seed at a right angle to the first direction. Repeat in every section.

Question 6

Describe the procedure of sowing a lawn using a machine

Answer 6

70g seed per m2
Calculate area to be sown and measure out the amount of seed for the whole area.
Divide in half and sow that seed over the whole are. All the other half of seed over the entire area at a right angle to the first sowing.

Question 7

Describe the procedure of sowing a lawn, after the seed has been sown

Answer 7

Rake in the seed
Cotton covering as bird protection
Water in the seed gently
First cut to be done once grass in 5cm high and it can be cut to 2.5cm.
Remove weeds as they appear.

Question 8

State the benefits of establishing a lawn from turf

Answer 8

Time till established is short.
Immediate impact
Even overall initial growth.

Question 9

State the limitations of establishing a lawn from turf

Answer 9

Heavy and bulky to transport
Limited range of grass species and varieties available
Odd shapes are more difficult than seed.
More expensive than grass seed to buy.

Question 10

Describe the procedure from preparing an area for turfing

Answer 10

Hand cultivate - turn over top soil and level. Leave rough over winter. Fork over soil and break up in march/April or use a rotivator. Rake and roll to produce fine tilth.
Remove stones
Level.
Remove weeds.
Consolidate with a roller
Base dress.

Question 11

Describe the laying techniques for turfing a lawn

Answer 11

Starting from the edge of the site, unroll a turf roll in a straight line. Lay the next line so that the breaks between the rolls do not coincide (alternate bond pattern)
Try to keep sections of turf as big as possible so that the are less prone to drying out.
Do not step on the new turf while laying the next row,
Do not stretch the turf.Large areas can be laid by mounting rolls if turf onto a tractor.
Tamp down the turves or use a light roller to get rid of air pockets.
Apply a light top dressing of compost or other good quality top soil. Rake in using a lawn rake or lute. Fill gaps with a sandy loam. Keep turves moist until they have rooted well.

Question 12

How high should you cut ornamental lawns

Answer 12

12.5mm in summer and 20mm in spring/autumn/drought

Question 13

How high should you cut utility lawns

Answer 13

25mm in summer and 30mm in spring/autumn/drought

Question 14

How frequently should you cut lawns

Answer 14

Cut when 12.5mm longer than the recommended height. Do not remove more than 1/3 of the blade length during any single mowing.

Question 15

Describe the feeding of lawns

Answer 15

Feeding can prevent scorching or corticium disease in summer.
In march, give top dressing of 50-60g/m2 of fish meal bulked up with sanding repeat 4-6 weeks later.
Last feed should be done before July to prevent Fusarium wilt.

Question 16

Describe the process of scarifying

Answer 16

Autumn job.
Vigorous raking with a wire rake or a vertical mowing machine.
Removes dead grass and other debris and stimulate growth of grass plants.

Question 17

Describe the process of aeration

Answer 17

Improves root growth, allows top dressing to be brushed in.
Autumn job.
Spiking to be done 1 year in 3.
Good for heavy soils and lawns which are very compressed.

Question 18

Describe the process of top dressing

Answer 18

Increased root growth and grass growth
Coir is good - use at 500g/m2
Autumn job - no later than end of October
May be used to level the lawn by filling hollows.
Can be used to apply nutrients

Question 19

Describe how to carry out lawn edging

Answer 19

Use edge trimmers for streamers to define the edge of the lawn

Question 20

Describe weed control in lawns

Answer 20

A selective weed killer can be applied in autumn
Physically remove weeds where necessary

Question 21

How do you control lawn diseases?

Answer 21

Corticium and Fusarium can be controlled before top dressing.

Question 22

How do you control worms and worm casts?

Answer 22

Maintain an acid soil
Avoid excessive use of organic fertilisers and top dressings
box off clippings

Question 23

How do you control leatherjackets?

Answer 23

Grubs eat roots and shoots
maintain an acid soil\
box off clippings
avoid excessive use of organic fertilisers and top dressings

Question 24

How do you control moles

Answer 24

Sonic mole deterrents and trapping

Question 25

Name grass diseases and controls

Answer 25

Fusarium path disease - Small orange brown spots appear and kill off patches of grass. Grass becomes wet and slimy.
Controls - moisture control. Avoid alkaline conditions.
Reduction of annual meadow grass.
Remove clippings.
Thatch control

Red thread - Beached patches of damaged grass, tinged pink with red needles visible under wet conditions.
Controls - apply adequate fertiliser especially of summer nitrogen. Select resistant cultivars.

Fairy rings - arcs and circles of dark green turf or stops of toadstools.
Controls - lift affected turf from the ring including 300mm on either side. Trench dig the central 300mm wide area where the rings were and remove the soil. Replace with fresh soil from elsewhere then reseed or turf. Treat in spring or autumn

Question 26

Describe a cylinder mower

Answer 26

Good control of height of cut.
Clean and precise cutting
can remove clippings
can be difficult to handle in confined spaces and around standing objects
rollers increase compaction

Question 27

Describe rotating blade/disk mower

Answer 27

Robust machines. Good for banks and slopes.
Good for utility areas
little soil compaction
may not remove clippings.
can produce a thatched layer
can cause unsightly tearing of the grass

Question 28

Describe reciprocating mowers

Answer 28

useful for cutting very rough grass
poor control of height and limited use in confined spaces

Question 29

describe flail mowers

Answer 29

capable of cutting grass up to a meter tall
low maintenance requirements
capable of dealing with very rough grass areas
No use on fine turf, can leave areas in an unsightly state.

Question 30

describe lawn feed distributers

Answer 30

granular fertiliser distributers can be pedestrian operated and can apply fertiliser at an appropriate rate evenly and accurately with no overdosing.

Question 31

describe a scarifier

Answer 31

Can use a springtine rake or a powered mechanical machine

Question 32

Describe an aerator

Answer 32

Can have solid or hollow tines
Can be a spiked roller or an aerating fork.