Understand the establishment and maintenance of lawns Flashcards
State an appropriate grass mixture for a high quality ornamental lawn
Agrostis capillaris,
Festuca rubra subsp. commutata
Cannot tolerate foot traffic / high maintenance / fine and velvety lawn
State an appropriate grass mixture for a hard-wearing utility lawn
Lolium perenne
Festuca rubra rubra
Poa pratensis
Agrostis capillaris
Normal garden use - will tolerate some foot traffic
State an appropriate grass mixture for a shade tolerant lawn
Festuca rubra rubra
Poa nemoralis
Poa trivialis
Lolium perenne
State the benefits and limitations fo establishing lawns from seed
To be compared with establishing lawsn by turf (later) to include ideal months to carry out task, time required from establishment / immediate impact / evenness of initial growth / sustainability / species in mix
Costs (either in purchase or labour these must be qualified i.e. x£s per kilo or labour hours x square metres
What are the benefits and limitations to establishing lawns from seeds
Sow in September or April - hard to guaranteee germination at other times as too cold or dry
Benefits:
Cost: Relatively cheap – can be stored for months and used as needed / lower labour costs / low cost of seed per square metre
Availability: easily and widely available / wide variety of mixes to choose from / relatively easy to transport
Ease: Easier than turf for tiny areas e.g. patch repair / easier for larger areas also with a seeding machine/dispenser / easier to handle (lighter and not as bulky)
Other: more sustainable due to better storage and easier transport (lighter) / easier to cover on awkward shapes and undulations
Limitations
Time to establish: slow - needs to germinate and will take time to grow to full thickness / won’t have immediate impact
Other: Prone to pests (bird eating seeds) / germination can be patchy so could not look good first year / restricted to specific times for sowing / preparation of seed bed more critical
Describe the procedure for establishing a lawn from seed (prep, sowing, aftercare)
To include: timing, site preparation (hand cultivation, weed eradication methods, consolidation, levelling, base dressing stating both ingredients and rate)
seed sowing (techniques, mixtures, rates as grams oer square metre)
protection / irrigation / first cut
What site prepation is required to sow a lawn from seed or turf?
Want the tilth to be the size of breadcrumbs - to help the seeds easily take root
(loam is well-balanced soil - equal proportions of sand, clay and silt
- Eliminate perennial weeds like couch grass well before beginning to prepare the soil
- Dig over or rotovate the soil to a depth of 20-25cm
- Dig some well-rotted manure or organice matter (esp. on sandy soil) to hold moisture - important to consider drainage (root rot and compaction)
- Leave for a few days or 5-6 weeks or more depending on time you have to let the soil settle
- Remove any weeds that have germinated (by hand is best, or a contact weed killer (not residual weed killer as stops grass from germinating
- (Consolidate) Tread the area several times to level and firm the surface - do this in different directions
- Then rake several times in different directions
- (Base dressing) Apply and rake in 25g/sq m of general purpose fertiliser (N, P, K)
How to sow a lawn from seed
- sow seed at rate recommended from the seed mix (25-50g/sq m)
- Divide large areas into small sections or small plots of sq m
- Divide seed quantity in half
- Sow half the seed over the whole area by working in parallel rows lengthways
- Repeat the process with the remainin seed, working in parallel rows widthways
- If using a seed distributor follow the same method by calibrate the seed distributor
- Lightly rake over the sown area to cover the majority the seeds with soil
- If the weather remains dry for 2-3 days, water gently with a light sprinkler
- Protect from birds using netting or brushwood
What is the aftercare for a lawn sown form seed?
Keep well watered in dry conditions
When the seedling grasses are about 5-7.5cm high, lightly refirm the soil, ideally with a garden roller or carefully trading the raised areas
2-3 days later, cut the grass down by about ⅓ its length - ideally with a cylinder-bladed mower with the front roller having been removed to prevent flattening the grass - Sharp blades
No further mowing needed for autumn-sown turf until the following spring / for spring-sown turf, progressively reduce the height of the cut to that suitable for mature lawns, cutting every three to seven days as required
Use the lawn as little as possible during first season
Feed autumn-sown lawns in spring but not spring-sown in autumn
What are the benefits and limitations of establishing a lawn from turf? (compared to seed)
Best laid in autumn or spring but can be laid anytime if well-watered
Benefits:
Time to establish: Quick - looks good immediately, and walked on within a few days
Other: less chance of erosion if used on slopes / less problems with pests / easier to achieve neat edges to paths and borders
Limitations:
Cost: More expensive - must be used quickly (within 2 days) otherwise it will rot / more costly per square metre in terms of materials and labour
Availability: usually needs to be pre-ordered / heavy and bulky to transport / limited mixes available
Ease: labour intensive large areas / can be cut to shape / rolls are heavy and seaming needs to be done carefullly
Other: can be difficult to calculate exact quantities - often waste (less sustainable) / you can’t let it go dry after laying the edges or it will die
Describe the procedure for establishing a lawn from turf (prep, laying, aftercare)
To include: timing, site preparation (hand cultivation, weed eradication methods, consolidations, leveling, base dressing stating both the ingredients and rate)
laying techniques, top dressing nameing material, irrigation. Do not include drainage systems
How to lay a lawn from turf
- Begin at one side or one corner and work acoss so that person laying the turf faces bare soil
- Use boards to avoid foot indentations on the newly laid turf
- Lay sods with staggered joings in offset pattern (like bricks) and closely butted together to avoid gaps - overlap the edges
- Ensure turves are level by having a bucket os sandy soil at hand and adding or removing as necessary - can be trimmed to shape using knife and half-moon edger
- Once all the turf has been laid out, firm lightly with a light roller or homemade tamper
- Once laying is complete - lightly spread a mixture of sand and soil or compost and work into the joints, using a rake or brush - this top-dressing fills any minor hollows and helps the turves knot together to establish quicker
- Water well!
- Once top-dressed leave undisturbed for the first few days (critical for root development)
What is the aftercare for a newly laid turf
Water frequently in dry weather - keep turf constantly moist - careful not to overwater to avoid shallow rooting and weed grass
Mow with the blades set high as soon as the grass has grown to about 5cm
Don’t apply weedkiller for at least 6 months
Describe the annual maintenance programme for quality ornamental and hard-wearing utility lawns
To include: For high quality ornamental lawn and for hard-wearing utility lawn: height of cut, frequency of cut, remove clippings or not
feeding, scarifying, aeration, top dressing, edging, weed control, control of name pests and diseases.
Tasks should relate to a 12 month maintenance programme
What maintenance jobs need to be done for lawns in spring and summer?
Feeding the lawn with a high-nitrogen feed (March-April def. before August) / use at manufacturer’s rates
Mow regularly - 1-2 weeks for utility lawn - kept longer 1-2.5cm / 2-3 days for high quality - kept very short 0.5cm / mowing deters weeds and encourages healthy, thick grass / clippings definitely need to be removed for HQ / trim lawn edges after mowing
Water in the evening when necessary - soak once week rather than sprinkle everyday / consider if necessary if will recover from drought
Spring a good time to repair damaged bits of lawn
The dew needs removing from the surface of the grass for high quality lawns using a switch - this prevents leaf scorch
Manage moss on damp lawns in Spring
What is the annual maintenance programme of lawn care according to a 12 month period
Pests that affect lawns and their control
Diseases that affect lawns and their control
