Sowing the lawn - that's how it's done

• Preparation - Select grass type
• Right time for sowing
  • spring
  • summer
  • autumn
• Materials and tools
• Sow lawn in 4 steps
• First lawn cut

Today, there is hardly a garden that manages without a lawn. Lawn is easier to care for than beds, this argument is always brought back when it comes to the care intensity. Lawn is anything but easy to care for, at least if you want it to look good. Beds planted with care are much easier to keep in shape. No matter, this is about the creation of a lawn and the associated preparation.

Preparation - Select grass type

What you need to know about turf is which grass seed is the best for the desired area and when is the best time to sow. When seeds are important, what the lawn should be used. English turf, the most sought after, is indeed at its best with optimal care, but also very sensitive to stress and requires a lot of care. Sporting and playing turf, on the other hand, are significantly more durable. He is rather hard-wearing and not as caring. Shady lawns should definitely be used for shady areas. Even in partially shaded conditions this is an advantage. If you plan large areas of lawn and only want to mow them twice a year, you should opt for bleaching lawns. The flowering meadows contain both grasses and flowering plants, which transform the area into a colorful splendor and attract many insects.

• Ornamental turf - English turf - very decorative, delicate and very caring
• Sports and play turf - resilient, puncture-resistant, significantly more durable, but also requires a great deal of care
• Utility lawns - normal garden lawns
• Hard-wearing turf - just for stressed surfaces, playing turf, can withstand a lot
• Shadow grass - for shade and partial shade
• Blühasen - for "wild" meadow, which manages almost without cut

Tips

• It is important to use fresh seeds. If he is older than three years he loses his ability to germinate.
• For beginners granulated lawn seed is suitable. The small pellets contain the seed in a germ-promoting binder. They are very easy to deploy. It is easy to control whether they are evenly distributed.
• Lawn seeds are available at very different prices, and usually not without reason. In cheap mixtures is often a lot of filler included.
• Rule seed mixtures with the imprint RSM offer good quality.

Right time for sowing

For the creation of a lawn, temperatures above 10 ° C are important. Above all, the soil must have this temperature, even in a few centimeters depth. This is usually achieved when the air temperatures rise above 14 ° C for a long time. Is it better to sow in spring or autumn? "

spring

• Rain and dew provide sufficient water and a fairly even soil moisture
• Usually, not much additional watering is required
• Often large temperature differences
• Late frost can affect the seeds, they then take longer to germinate
• These frosts occur more often than it gets too cold in the fall

summer

• Soil drought threatens - it must be watered very much
• Heat and sun can burn the seeds or seedlings
• Typical summer downpours wash out seeds and / or seedlings
• Much stress for the lawn

autumn

• Rain and especially dew ensure a fairly regular soil moisture
• The frosts are usually not so early that young turf has to suffer
• Early frosts are rarer than late frost in spring
• In the fall, the lawn is usually less common than in spring or summer

Autumn is the best time to start a lawn. Due to dew and rain, there is enough rainfall. As a result, there is less need for irrigation. The temperatures are right. The soil is still warm, so the seedlings can quickly grow enough roots. The risk of first frosts is quite low, if not started too late with the sowing. September and the beginning of October are ideal for sowing grass. There are still no large temperature differences, but usually enough rainfall. It's hardly better.

Materials and tools

Of course you need grass seeds, in addition lawn fertilizer, garden / lawn lime, soil, river sand or quartz sand, bark humus.

As tools spade, grave fork, tiller, rake, spray or sprinkler and possibly a spreader and a garden roller are needed.

Sow lawn in 4 steps

1. Soil preparation

The soil has to be dug about 20 cm deep. It is important that the actual topsoil is about 15 cm. The digging spade or grave fork. For large areas, a tiller is recommended, which is faster and easier. Immediately during the digging, remove stones, roots, weeds and anything that does not belong in them. In unfavorable soil conditions, the substrate can be improved the same. In case of loamy soil, mix in river or quartz sand and in very light sandy soils mix in bark humus (smallest particle size). Alternatively, this works well with compost, if it is in sufficient quantity. It is ideal to use bentonite for soil improvement in sandy soils. This clay mineral flour then serves as a water and nutrient storage.

It is beneficial to incorporate 10 liters of lawn per square meter, but this is not only a lot of work, but also a price issue. It is more important to let the soil rest for two to three weeks after processing !!!

Level the floor

If the soil has rested sufficiently, it must be leveled. Bigger lumps are to be crumbled. A level ruler performs well. For larger areas, a garden roller is recommended. Small area can be leveled with a board. In any case, the soil should be crumbly and have no lumps larger than 1 cm. Since the pH value for turf is very important, the lime of the soil should be checked. There are special test sets for this in the DIY and garden market. The cost no 5 euros and give good information. As a rule, it is well explained how everything works, so that even laymen can handle it. If the pH is below 5.5, the soil should be improved, for example with garden or lawn lime.

Once the surface has been leveled, turf professionals recommend using the rake handle to dig a small ditch at the edges of the surface, just a few millimeters deep. There are more seeds in the sowing than in the remaining area. The goal of the whole thing is to get a resilient lawn edge. Finally, the ground is being irrigated.

3. The sowing

One week before sowing, the soil should be fertilized. Phosphorus is the most important thing young lawn grasses need most. Well suited is lawn starter fertilizer. It expects about 30 to 40 g / m². For spreading, a spreader can be used. Lawn is best sowed when there is little or no wind. A spreader is helpful again, it ensures an even distribution of the seed. However, grass seed can also be applied by hand. Of course, it is important that the distribution is even. For beginners granulated lawn seed is suitable. The small pellets contain the seed in a germ-promoting binder. They are very easy to deploy. It is easy to control whether they are evenly distributed.

So that the seed is not blown away by the wind, it makes sense then to gently undercut it with a rake. It is important not to cover the seed too much with earth, it is a light germ. Then the entire surface should be leveled again. This prevents the floor settling and uneven surfaces. A garden roller is best suited for this.

4. Water the lawn

After sowing, it is important to water immediately. The most suitable is a sprinkler, which distributes the irrigation water evenly. It is important that the entire surface is watered, evenly and not so strong that seeds are flushed out. With the jug and / or the shower, this is difficult, if not impossible. Water retention and runoff should be avoided. The grass must be kept slightly moist for the first three to four weeks. After 8 days, the first stalks will sprout. However, it can take up to three weeks for all the seeds to germinate. It is better to blow up than once a day, to divide the amount of water and irrigate morning and evening.

First lawn cut

Fresh grass should not be cut too early. You can let it grow 8 to 10 cm high. Since not all seeds germinate at the same time, it is often quite different in height. Better something is waiting there. Also, he should not be cut too short. 5 cm are enough. Ornamental and carpet lawns should be mowed a little earlier, at a height of about 6 cm. Later, when cut regularly, the depth of cut is only 2 or 3 cm. Hard-wearing, play and sport turfs may stay a bit higher, its height is about 4 cm. Shadow grass should not be mowed too short. Its ideal height is 5 cm.

A well-kept, even, dense and healthy lawn is no magic. Everyone can have such a lawn, though it is clear that it takes time and work. The soil preparation is important, whereby the substrate should be improved depending on the quality. Decisive is often the grass seed. Although the low-cost blends from the discounter do it, they contain many fillers and grasses that are not found in quality blends and for good reason. If you want to compare, you should try both. The difference becomes visible after one to two years at the latest.

With good soil preparation, appropriate grass seed, uniform sowing and subsequent irrigation, the foundation is laid for a beautiful, healthy lawn. Of course, one must continue to stay on the ball, should keep the green area around the year so. A regular cut, fertilization and irrigation are included.