When is the best time to plant lawn grass? Lawn grass - when to plant and how to do it right

The juicy greenery of lawn grass pleases the eye, creates an aesthetic landscape of the courtyard area and is a wonderful place to relax. Being important element garden ecosystem, it affects the improvement of our quality of life. Is it worth laying the site after the summer and how is the lawn planted in the fall?

Can the lawn be sown in autumn?

The lawn is, firstly, a natural “oxygen factory”, and secondly, it is a filter that purifies the air from dust and other pollution of civilization. It suppresses noise, regulates air humidity. The presence of a lawn in the immediate vicinity gives all the same undeniable advantages. People who have their own grass patch know this very well. However, it is worth emphasizing that the lawn performs many more functions in the ecosystem. It helps to improve soil fertility, prevents soil erosion (especially on sloping surfaces, which contribute to the leaching of valuable micronutrients from the ground during rain).

It is advisable to recall the various advantages of a plot with grass even now, when nature is preparing for the change of season. Winter is just around the corner, and after it spring will bloom again. And then the real pleasure will be the opportunity to meet her with a new, already green and well-rooted lawn. Therefore, in September, you should think about this event. But isn't it too late? Do they imprison lawn grass after summer? Experts say that it is possible to plant a lawn in autumn, and this even has its advantages.

Planting a lawn in autumn: the benefits

• Warm soil, heated by the summer sun, favors the germination of plants.
• Even air temperature - the absence of sharp fluctuations in daily temperatures - also creates favorable conditions for seed growth. Minimum temperature, providing seed germination, is 6-8 degrees.
• Air and soil maintain the required level of moisture. Cold evenings, nights and mornings lead to the formation of condensation, which additionally increases the level of humidity and improves the conditions for the development of grass seedlings.
• Keeping the main points proper fit lawn in the fall, the root system of the sod will develop before the onset of winter. Thanks to this, it will be resistant to low temperatures and snow.
• In the fall, the grass will have more time to take root well, especially when planting lawns from seed.
• The grass of autumn sowing has large quantity time to develop and prepare for summer heat than sown in spring.
• During the slow melting of winter snow, the green surface of the lawn will open, which, after standard care procedures, will quickly show itself in all its glory and in good condition.

Sowing a lawn in autumn: timing

If September is predicted to be warm, then very good conditions for autumn bookmark lawn. The time and weather restrictions of this event depend on the method of laying, that is, on whether the grass will be sown or the lawn will be “born from a roll”.

In the case of autumn sowing, it can be done even in early December, weather permitting. Experience shows that grass seeds can be sown until frost, when the soil is not yet frozen. If the seedlings do not have time to sprout before winter, it does not matter: they will do it in the spring, using the moisture accumulated in the soil after the winter months. But if the grass is in rolls, you need to pay attention to the fact that it needs to have time to take root before serious frosts.

How to plant a lawn in autumn: steps and rules

Creating a lawn is a process consisting of several milestones, so it is recommended to plan it carefully.

Soil quality

Soil preparation is a fundamental task and should not be underestimated. How to spend it? The grass needs a well-permeable subsoil and sandy-clay soil 20-30 centimeters thick. Optimal acidity– pH 5.5-7.0. Grass does not like extreme conditions - neither too wet "base" nor too dry. Excess moisture will contribute to the formation of moss, and excessive dryness will cause the plants to dry out. Soil structure and pH levels can be adjusted. So, if the earth is clayey, it is worth adding gravel with a fraction of 0-4 mm in order to improve the air-water regime in the soil and allow the roots to grow freely and strongly. In the case of weak, sandy soils, you can add compost or right amount peat to increase the humus content. In the case of a low pH level, liming is necessary, which increases the acidity of the soil to more alkaline and creates the desired structure of soil clodiness. Liming also prevents the growth of moss.

Foundation preparation

• The place chosen for a brand new lawn must be cleared of stones, leaves, weeds and other plants. This is very important preparatory stage when creating a lawn around a newly erected house - it is worth taking the time to remove debris after construction works. The result of careless cleaning of the base will be yellowing and wilting of the turf.
• Then it needs to be dug up, that is, loosened, filled with air. This is also a good time to correct the soil structure if necessary, as well as increase the level of phosphorus and potassium by adding the appropriate fertilizer.

Most convenient way performing these procedures is to use a rototiller adapted to the size of the lawn area. It provides efficient, simple and fast execution horticultural work that require physical effort.

• The next step is to level the recesses and level the surface, after which the area should be evenly hydrated.

Watering the territory

This step will help stabilize the soil better. After a period of drought, the procedure can have an additional positive effect - it will provide better moisture to the deeper layers of the earth and create more favorable conditions for the grass to develop, and also limit the floating of seeds during a possible rainstorm.

In the case of automatic irrigation, there is no need to water the land before sowing.

After watering, it is worth waiting for the soil to dry on top and rolling it.

Sowing seeds or laying sod from a roll

The penultimate stage of planting a lawn in the fall with your own hands is sowing or laying out turf rolls. Stripes with ready grass should be laid tightly to each other, pressing them well to the soil and constantly maintaining the same direction of plant growth (all should be either “with wool” or “against wool”). After a few days, the roots will grow together with the ground.

Sowing grass is a cheaper way to implement, but intended for more patient people. The time of germination and growth of sod depends on the type of grass, therefore it is very important right choice seed composition. If the aesthetic appearance of the lawn and the convenience of caring for it in the future are important to you, it is better to use mixtures with a predominance of fescue. They grow more slowly and have smaller leaves, but they do not tolerate intensive use of the site.

It is best to choose mixtures of well-known manufacturers. You should not be guided only by price, as cheap options carry with them the risk of a low percentage of germination. The end result can be disappointing, and besides, such a grass is usually weak and disease-prone, and later requires great effort to care for.

Grass is sown by hand or mechanically, in the quantities recommended on the package. Then the seeds are raked, covered with a thin layer of soil, and rolled in order to level the surface and press the seeds.

Watering

The last and key step in creating a lawn is watering - seeds and turf in rolls. During the first days, the soil in which the seeds germinate and the plants form the root system must be constantly moist. This is especially important in dry years and, mainly, during the period when the plants sprout. It is recommended to water them up to four to five times during the day to prevent the seedlings from drying out. At the same time, it is necessary to irrigate the site with small drops so that too powerful a stream of water does not wash away the seeds. Then you should gradually reduce the intensity of watering to once a day. This ensures soil moisture - together with night air and morning dew, this will create favorable conditions for seed germination and rooting of plants.

We are accustomed to the fact that most crops need to be sown in the spring. Everything around blooms and smells, nature comes to life, which means it's time to start field work. But it was not there! It turns out that planting grass at the end of October is no less, and in some cases more profitable than spring sowing. Why this happens and when you need to sow lawn grass before winter, you will find out in an article specially prepared for readers of the site.

Why winter lawn sowing is preferable?

Agronomists and experts in the field Agriculture agreed that planting lawn grass before winter is much more preferable. As evidence, they cite the following "iron" arguments:

• Air and soil have a fairly high humidity.
• It has not yet had time to get colder, so the temperature for seed germination remains optimal.
• Weeds at this time almost do not grow.

As you can see, the conditions for good education shoots and the formation of strong roots are more than favorable. For example, if the lawn is sown in the winter in September, it will have time to grow up to 8-10 centimeters by the first frost.

The sown lawn in September will have time to take root and germinate well before winter

Preparing the lawn for sowing: where to start?

The most unfortunate time for planting grass is the summer months.

At this time, the seeds have a very low germination rate. If you plan to sow lawn grass before winter, be sure to work the soil well before sowing. A lot depends on the size and location of the site. If you plan to plant a lawn before winter on the lowlands, the earth will accumulate water much more strongly. This will not affect the quality of the grass in the best way.

In order to avoid poor growth, we advise you to immediately lay a good, high-quality drainage. Use gravel or sand as the base material. After that, you can proceed to laying the soil. This option is especially preferable if a sports-type lawn is planned. The territory is cleared for crops, garbage is removed, and the soil is leveled. As for the land, it must be cleared of all, even the smallest weeds, roots, and some other plants.

The problem of sites with a decent slope is solved by hydroseeding. Melt water will not be able to harm the seeds if the planting was carried out in a "cunning" way. It even has an official name - hydroseeding. By the way, it is also effective for sowing large areas. A special mixture is prepared from seeds, technological additives with gluing functions, fertilizers and water. This entire set is driven into the ground under a fairly powerful pressure of 6 atmospheres. Thanks to this, as well as sticking substances, the seeds hold perfectly even on steep slopes.

When the soil is dug up, give it time to settle and recover properly. Approximate time is 2 weeks. After 14 days, the site is covered with vegetable soil. Its main function is to nourish the grass. We also highly recommend checking the pH. The normal value is 5.5. If it suddenly turns out that the performance of your soil is much lower, treat it with special lime and water it thoroughly.

Also don't forget to fertilize. They will accelerate the growth of the root system, make it stronger and more resilient.

Sowing the lawn in winter: let's get started!

The expression “into winter” does not mean at all that you are stubbornly waiting for the first snow and only after that you start planting seeds. It is better to carry out this procedure in early autumn, when the ground is no longer dry, but the risk of freezing seeds is minimal. If seeding is done later, your lawn will not have time to mature and may not survive the coming winter.

Winter sowing of the lawn is always done on a quiet and calm day. This is a necessary measure so that the lawn is uniform and the seeds do not scatter. After that, they are sprinkled with peat by about 8-10 centimeters, the site is leveled with a lawn roller. Everything is done as quickly and efficiently as possible. The quality of your lawn in the future will depend on this.

Leveling the soil with a lawn roller

The temperature must not be below zero. It is highly desirable that no more than 40 days pass from the moment of sowing to the onset of the first frost. root system will have time to get stronger, the grass will be able to grow to the desired height.

However, sowing a lawn before winter on frozen ground also has its fans. They have their own arguments. They say that in autumn the weather is too unpredictable, frosts can hit in September-October. It is better to do this in slightly frozen ground until a sufficiently dense cover of snow appears.

With the correct timing, this method of sowing also has the right to exist. Grass begins to grow literally before our eyes, light permafrost only hardens the seeds, gives them additional strength. Already in early spring, you can expect the appearance of magnificent shoots. The melted snow immediately saturates the soil with the necessary moisture that nourishes the grass. Plants acquire good frost and moisture resistance. They are much less susceptible to diseases, pests and weeds.

Lawn seeds can also be sown in slightly frozen ground.

On the other hand, sowing a lawn before winter is unlikely to suit people whose plots are at a slight slope. In early spring the snow begins to melt and simply washes the soil along with the seeds in it. However, such crops are risky for another reason. In autumn, the air temperature is really changeable. After frosts in September, a sharp warming can come in October. The temperature immediately rises, the seeds grow, and with subsequent frosts, alas, they freeze and die. Sowing lawn grass in autumn into winter is not effective, and in the spring it has to be redone. When choosing seeds, buy those that have increased frost resistance. This significantly reduces the possible risks.

How to take care of the autumn lawn?

So, you already know when to plant lawn grass, and perhaps even managed to sow. In that case, try. Subsequently, the grass will begin to grow, weeds will also make themselves felt. This also applies to other pests. That is why it is so important to follow all the rules for caring for the site:

• Regular watering. Can seeds planted in autumn be watered? Not only possible, but necessary! The strength and beauty of your lawn will depend on regular watering. But you shouldn't overdo it either. The advantages and features of autumn are such that rainy weather always prevails this season. Therefore, you are unlikely to need to water the soil too often.

The strength and beauty of your lawn will depend on regular watering.

• Quality fertilizers. Surely, you would like the sprouted grass to have a beautiful green color. There is nothing difficult! Timely apply fertilizers and minerals, make the necessary top dressing. Humus is best suited for these purposes. It is not recommended to take too fresh. The best option is humus at the age of 1-2 years. In a week you will see the result of the work done.
• Pruning. Even in autumn, a month before snow falls, we must not forget about the appearance of the lawn. Grass grows by leaps and bounds. Soon its height reaches unprecedented proportions. If you plan to grow a real mini-forest in front of the house, you can leave it unattended. As practice shows, only a few do this, and most other farmers still monitor the size of green spaces and take action in time. By the way, you do not have to mow it at all. You can always do original way and cut out some intricate drawings or shapes. Today, this trend is very common.

Grass grows by leaps and bounds if you mow it regularly

• Remember to take care of the health of your lawn. First of all, care is shown in the fight against weeds and various pests. The issue of weeds is easily solved. You can remove them manually or add special substances to the ground in advance to prevent their growth. Slugs and shrews are much more difficult to eradicate, although there are many poisons to eliminate them.

As for the choice of grass mixture, 5-7 different herbs in the composition will the best option.

Optimally, choose several types of grass

Of course, this is not the whole list of activities aimed at caring for the autumn-winter lawn. It can be concluded that sowing a lawn for the winter itself is not a difficult task. In addition, if you approach the solution of this issue with all responsibility and seriousness, there will definitely not be any problems. But do not forget that the final result always depends on the highest quality implementation of each stage.

The lawn on the site is like a green island. Many homeowners dream of having one with evenly cut grass, fragrant with field aromas. At present, it is not difficult to sow it on your own, having determined the place. True, you need to be patient - you will receive a full-fledged lawn of your dreams only after three to four years. proper care. And in this article we will tell you how to choose and plant grass with your own hands in your own dacha.

What is the use of the lawn can be on the site?

1. Beauty and aesthetic appearance. The site is being transformed and looks well-groomed with minimal cost strength and time.
2. Comfort in use. Unlike open ground, when walking on a grassy area, dirt does not stick to the soles of the shoes and is not carried by the feet into the house. And the dust in this case rises much less.
3. Benefit for health. It is no secret that foot massage has a positive effect on the functioning of internal organs. Walking on the lawn barefoot will have a massage effect on the lower surface of the feet, which in turn normalizes pressure, helps with insomnia and has a calming effect on nervous system generally.
4. Soil care. Open land vulnerable to impact external factors. The soil is weathered, washed out by rains. Covered with herbs beneficial features soil is not lost. On the contrary, it guarantees necessary work worms and microorganisms for their enrichment.
5. Organization of playgrounds and other areas. A thick green carpet will be soft enough for children's games and picnics. The lawn also decorates recreation areas, areas near pools and gazebos, ornamental ponds.

When should lawn grass be planted: spring or fall?

It is recommended to sow seeds in spring or in the first half of summer. During the warm months, the lawn will have time to rise and get stronger enough before wintering. If, however, to land in August or September, then it will not be able to grow enough to painlessly transfer the winter months.

Types of lawns for summer cottages

Exist different kinds lawns for gardens and home gardens. Each of them has soy pros and cons in content.

First of all, you need to decide for what purposes you need a lawn. Depending on the purpose, the choice falls on one or another type.

1. Parterre. Perhaps the most spectacular view in existence. In appearance, it has a velvety surface and is distinguished by the uniformity and density of the grass. Usually it is placed near the main entrance. Also found in front gardens and home rose gardens, filling the space between flower beds and trees. It consists mainly of cereals. Since cereal crops germinate slowly, the improvement of the territory with a lawn of this type can be delayed. Among other things, he needs frequent haircuts, about 2-3 times a week.
2. Ordinary. The best thing this species suitable for suburban areas. He is not demanding in care. It is recommended to cut it once a week. Ideal for children's games and recreation in the company.
3. Sports. Good to use for landscaping sports grounds, golf courses, for organizing a tennis court. Such grass is resistant to trampling and can withstand heavy loads.
4. Mauritanian. it blooming view lawn grass. You can cut it only a few times a season. It is not whimsical and does not require investment a large number time and effort to maintain it. Appearance such a lawn is very remarkable - among the green grass there are bright spots of flowers of various colors.

Proper lawn planting

The first task before sowing the lawn is to level the site. With the help of pegs, markings are made around the perimeter, pulling a fishing line between them.

Soil preparation

The place planned for planting is cleared of weeds.

After 15-20 days after such processing, the earth on the site is dug up for half a bayonet of a shovel, if the soil is soft enough. If rocks are present, then upper part soil is removed and brought to the vacant place fertile layer earth. Thus, a rocky layer remains below, acting as a drainage.

After the preparation, the site should rest for two to three weeks. It is even better if you carry out all the indicated procedures before winter. It is previously recommended to add fertilizer to the prepared substrate. What kind of top dressing to use depends on the initial composition of the soil.

Before planting, the entire area planned for sowing the lawn is fertilized with compost. Then the soil is carefully compacted. For this purpose, you can use a garden roller or compact the soil with your feet.

Sowing seeds

At the end of all the preparatory procedures, the easier, but no less important part remains - sowing lawn grass. First, you need to choose the right planting material. For this, one should take into account climatic conditions your region, soil density, own gardening experience.

It should be borne in mind that the number of seeds should be taken with a margin. As a rule, part of the seeds is washed off with water, weathered, destroyed by birds and insects.

In this regard, the number of seeds required for sowing square meter land, double it.

Seeds are recommended to be sown, after mixing them with sawdust to simplify the process. After that, the seeds are mixed with the ground using a rake. With light movements make forward and backward movements. Then the planted area is compacted.

Caring for planted grass on the site

Lawn care includes the following steps.

1. Weeding. After the appearance of the first shoots, weeding is carried out from the sown area. Most effective method- weeding by hand. At the end of the procedure, the soil should be compacted and watered.
2. A haircut. Depending on the type of lawn chosen, mowing should be done from 3 times a week to 1 time per month. To do this, it is recommended to use a lawn mower to achieve uniformity and beauty of the lawn.
3. Top dressing. In order for the grass to be bright and juicy, fertilizers must be applied regularly. In the spring, for the growth and density of lawn grass, you can use nitrogen fertilizers. In autumn, potassium-phosphorus top dressing is preferred so that the plants prepare for wintering. All fertilizers are applied to moist soil.
4. Cleaning. To maintain an attractive decorative look lawn, it is periodically cleaned of moss, debris, weeds and yellowed grass. To do this, they pass through the site, raking up unnecessary rubbish with a rake.
5. Watering. Watering is mandatory in the following cases:

• after landing;
• during the period of active growth;
• after weeding;
• after a haircut.

Lawn grass is also watered during a long dry period, heat. Watering should be plentiful. So that moisture does not stagnate on the surface, the ground is pierced with a pitchfork in several places.

Preparing the soil Compacting the top layer Seed preparation Planting grass with a special sprayer Watering a fresh lawn Necessary watering the lawn at least once a week Necessity to mow the grass as needed

The main mistakes when planting grass with your own hands

Consider the most common mistakes gardeners make when sowing:

1. Wrong backing. If the soil is based on light and porous lands based on sand or peat, then the grass will certainly dry out. This soil does not hold water. Therefore, before planting, add loamy components to the soil. If the problem was not discovered immediately, but in the second or third year after planting, then the soil is covered with loam over the grass with a layer of 1-2 cm.
2. Growth. To protect existing plantings from overgrowing with lawn grass, it is necessary to install curbs and other fences.
3. Moss. The cause of this problem may be improper or insufficient care. Moss appears with insufficient lighting, lack of fertilizers, a rare haircut. Also, the cause may be a violation of irrigation and ideal conditions are created for moss.
4. Trees and other plantations. If lawn grass is planted around existing shrubs or trees, the latter are buried in the ground. Subsequently, the problem of rotting of the root neck arises. To avoid this, when planting seedlings, it is worth considering this factor and planting trees on small elevations.
5. Wrong choice of herbs for planting. In this case, the lawn may die completely or individual sections may be damaged and unaesthetic bald spots may form. In the spring, you should sow other species that suit your climatic conditions.

A smooth green lawn is not a dream at all, but a reality. The main thing is to make a responsible choice planting material and take care of everything preparations before boarding. This is the key to the future health of your lawn. As you can see, growing grass is not difficult and even a lazy gardener can do it.

19.09.2016 10:18

Winter sowing of lawn grasses

Is it possible to sow a lawn in October? If there have already been night frosts, then you are late. autumn sowing lawn usually coincides with the sowing of winter grains in the region. After all, most lawn grasses belong to winter-type cereals, the best of which are rightfully meadow bluegrass (lat. Poa pratensis) and red fescue (lat. Festuca rubra). Autumn sowing of lawn grasses should take place a month before the onset of frost, when the average daily air temperature is + 17-15 ° C, and before the vegetation stops (grass growth stops at + 1 ° C), the plant has time to form several tillering shoots. Lawn grass should go under the winter sprouted, strengthened and sprouted.

Of course, there is also the so-called winter sowing of seeds ( without seedlings), falling at the end of September - mid-October. The lawn is sown before the appearance of a stable snow cover at a time when the ground is already frozen, but not yet covered with snow. Seeds do not have time to germinate in the fall, but they sprout together in the spring, actively germinating after promotion ( stratification). But how to be sure that the weather will continue, especially in middle lane Russia, when a sharp cooling can immediately come after the rains, or after several weeks of frosts there will be a prolonged warming up to + 10 ° C with severe frosts down to -25 ° C closer to spring. If the weather is warm for a long time in autumn, some of the seeds may hatch prematurely, and then die from frost. Therefore, when sowing before winter, the sowing rate of seeds is increased, and in the spring, if necessary, they are sown. In this case, it is recommended to use lawn mixtures, which include several types of lawn grasses. The more diverse the composition of the lawn mixture, the more likely it is to get friendly shoots in the spring.