How to plant a green lawn
Are you wondering how to plant a green lawn and the experience of proper cultivation techniques for green plant maintenance? Next, the editor will introduce these aspects.
A green lawn plays a crucial role in landscape gardening. Lawns not only improve the urban ecosystem and beautify the living environment but also broaden people's视野, relieve stress, expand their chests, calm their minds, and enhance the quality of life. Lawns are an important part of human material and spiritual civilization.
I. Classification of Lawns in Different Latitudes
Warm-season turfgrass: Suitable for planting in areas south of the Yellow River in China. It has good heat resistance, a single growth peak in summer, slow growth in spring and autumn, and dormancy in winter. The optimal temperature is 26-35°C, with low seed yield and mainly propagated by nutrients. It has strong drought resistance, pest and disease resistance, and relatively粗放 management. It has a short green period and uneven quality. It has strong growth and competitiveness, and once the community is formed, it is difficult for other grasses to invade. Therefore, warm-season turfgrass is mostly single-species, with fewer mixed草坪grasses. Mainly includes: Zoysia, Bermudagrass, Buffelgrass, Centipedegrass, Carpetgrass, St. Augustine grass, etc.
Cold-season turfgrass: Suitable for planting in areas north of the Yellow River in China. The optimal temperature is 15-25°C. It grows rapidly, has good quality, wide uses, strong cold resistance, long green period, two growth peaks in spring and autumn, but poor heat resistance, slow growth in summer, short-term dormancy, and poor resistance to diseases and pests. It requires meticulous management and has a shorter service life. Commonly used are Kentucky bluegrass, Fine fescue, Ryegrass, Perennial ryegrass, Tall fescue, etc.
Mixed草坪grass: Based on the natural conditions and climate characteristics of North China and Northeast China, combined with the characteristics of excellent grass varieties, the grass seeds are optimally combined, which is a new key technical measure for planting high-quality lawns in the northern regions. This combination has the advantages of complementary coarse and fine textures, complementary resistance, and complementary草坪 formation speed. The disadvantage is that the uniformity and compatibility of the grasslands planted with this kind of combination are poor, and coordination should be done before播种 in terms of seed treatment and seedling promotion and control to achieve the expected goals and results.
II. Methods of Planting Lawns
Sowing
Most lawns can be sown in spring or autumn, with better seedlings in late autumn. For large-scale lawn establishment, a seed drill can be used for sowing, while small areas are usually sown by hand. After sowing, rake lengthwise and crosswise once with a rake, then roll with a wooden roller. For microgranule seeds, cover with straw after sowing to retain moisture. The sowing method requires skilled broadcasting techniques to ensure even seed distribution. To ensure the success rate of sowing and obtain strong seedlings, a small amount of seed fertilizer can be added when sowing.
Sowing time: Late summer and early autumn are suitable for sowing cold-season grass, as the soil temperature is higher, which is conducive to seed germination, effectively avoiding the harm of weeds in summer, and allowing the new lawn seedlings to have enough time to grow before the arrival of cold winter weather. Warm-season grass mainly grows in summer, so late spring and early summer is the most suitable sowing period for warm-season grass.
Transplanting
In addition to direct sowing of grass seeds, the method of transplanting can also be used for lawn establishment. This involves growing the lawn in a farm through seed or vegetative propagation to an appropriate height and density, then cutting the lawn into sod blocks or rolls and transplanting them to the laying site to become a new lawn. Common laying methods include:
1. Paving Method
This method can quickly establish a lawn but is too complicated and requires a large investment.
Dense Paving Method: The sod is laid at intervals of 1-2 centimeters apart. This method is suitable for cold-season grass with weak tillering ability.
Interlaced Paving Method: The sod is cut into several small blocks, with an appropriate spacing between them, and the area of the sod laid accounts for about one-third of the total area. This method is suitable for warm-season grass species with strong tillering ability. The main advantage of this transplanting method is that it shortens the time required for the lawn to form.
2. Stolon Planting Method
Any grass species with developed stolons, such as Bermudagrass, Carpetgrass, Fine leaf Zoysia, Creeping bentgrass, Buffelgrass, etc., can be propagated using the stolon planting method. The best time to do this is early spring when the sod is about to germinate or during the rainy season. First, cut the stolons from the lawn and cut them into 5-8 cm long sections in a shaded area, each with a node, otherwise they will not germinate new roots. Then broadcast or drill them. Drilling: On a leveled plot, use a small hoe to open shallow furrows, water thoroughly, and after the water has渗透, place the stolon bundles (2-3 per bundle) in the furrows, cover with 1 cm of soil, with a row spacing of about 20 cm. Water once a day until new shoots emerge. Broadcasting: Evenly scatter the cut stolon sections on the soil surface and cover them with a thin layer of fine soil.
3. Root Planting Method
This method is suitable for grass species without stolons but with many tillers, such as Wiregrass, Velvet grass, etc. The best time to do this is early spring or during the rainy season. After digging up the dense sod, shake off the soil, remove weeds, cut off some fibrous roots, and then plant 2-3 tillers per cluster, tear them apart, and plant them in holes or rows at a certain spacing. Cover with soil and gently compact, and water thoroughly. Before new leaves sprout, spray water 1-2 times a day to prevent soil compaction and cracking. Generally, the simplest and most cost-effective method of planting sod is to use the stolon planting and root planting methods.
III. Analysis of Variety Selection for Different Seasons
Regional Main Grass Species Names (Most Common Combinations) Planting Season Summer-Autumn (April-September) Winter-Spring (October to the following March) South China, Hainan (Warm-season草坪) Taiwan grass, Manila (Zoysia matrella), Dwarf Bermuda (Bermudagrass,果岭草) Dwarf Bermuda (Bermudagrass,果岭草) North China, Northeast (Cold-season草坪) Mixed sod roll (Kentucky bluegrass 70% + Perennial ryegrass 20% + Tall fescue 10%) Mixed sod roll (Kentucky bluegrass 60% + Perennial ryegrass 30% + Tall fescue 10%) East China (Cold-season草坪) Dwarf Bermuda (Bermudagrass,果岭草) Dwarf Bermuda (Bermudagrass) 60% + Perennial ryegrass 40% Central China (Partly Warm-season草坪) Dwarf Bermuda (Bermudagrass,果岭草), Manila (Zoysia matrella) Dwarf Bermuda (Bermudagrass) 60% + Ryegrass 40% Northwest (Cold-season草坪) Mixed sod (Kentucky bluegrass 70% + Perennial ryegrass 20% + Tall fescue 10%) Mixed sod (Kentucky bluegrass 60% + Perennial ryegrass 30% + Tall fescue 10%) Southwest (Partly Cold-season草坪) Creeping bentgrass, Dwarf Bermuda (Bermudagrass,果岭草) Creeping bentgrass + Mixed sod (Kentucky bluegrass 20% + Perennial ryegrass 15% + Tall fescue 65%)
IV. Preparation before Lawn Bed Construction
1. Clear the Site
Clearing the site is mainly to remove debris that affects the growth of the lawn, such as stones, branches, and garbage. Turn over the soil to a depth of 30 cm within the lawn planting area and crush the soil to ensure that the lawn bed is loose, level, and ventilated. Mix the prepared nutrient-rich soil at a ratio of 1:1 (square meters/bag) into the soil, then level it with a fine-toothed rake, remove stones and impurities, and control soil particles to within 1 cm. Then remove weeds from the ground and soil layer, as the problem of weeds must be resolved first.
2. Adjust Soil pH
The suitable pH value for lawns is generally around 6 to 7. If the pH value fluctuates, it should be adjusted promptly. This depends on the type of草坪 grass being planted. If you want to lower the pH value, add sulfuric acid铅, and if you want to raise the pH value, add calcium phosphate or lime.
3. Fertilization
Add an appropriate amount of organic fertilizer to the soil to increase the nutrients in the soil and ensure the normal growth of the lawn. Common organic fertilizers include peat, manure, and compost. These can be chosen based on local conditions.
4. Spread Yellow Sand
The day before planting the lawn, water the cultivated soil to make it moist and let it settle slightly before spreading yellow sand.
If the soil is sandy, this step can be omitted; after fine leveling, evenly spread medium-coarse sand on the soil surface, controlling the thickness to 4-5 cm. Be careful not to damage the leveled ground when spreading yellow sand. At the edge of the paving area, the height of the yellow sand after paving should be 2-3 cm lower than the hard surface. After spreading the yellow sand, use a professional lawn roller to compact and level the yellow sand evenly, rolling multiple times.
5. Laying Turf
The sequence of laying the lawn should start from the inside to the outside. When laying, leave a gap of no more than 1 cm between adjacent sod pieces, with the gaps offset. At the corners, the sod can be torn and laid, strictly avoiding stacking sod layers on top of each other. When laying sod near灌木 edges, the edge of the lawn should be parallel to the灌木 boundary line, leaving a gap of about 10 cm. The sod should be laid flat and neatly connected, with the laying direction perpendicular to the slope. The edges should use whole sod pieces for a comfortable feel, with natural and smooth soil shaping and no obvious sod joints.
6. Watering
When watering, use a moderate to low volume of water for a long time to thoroughly moisten the lawn and soil. Never use a large amount of water to splash the lawn. During watering, use a meter board to pad the standing position and, when pulling the hose, at least two people should lift the hose to move it in the air, avoiding dragging it directly on the lawn.
7. Second Rolling
About 5-6 hours after watering, until it is possible to walk on the lawn without it sinking, roll the lawn with a roller. The speed of rolling should not be too fast, with each roll overlapping by 15-20 cm. For places the roller cannot reach, manually compact with a board or flat iron shovel to ensure the lawn is fully integrated with the sand.
The above sharing on how to plant a green lawn and the detailed introduction of proper lawn cultivation techniques are for everyone's learning and understanding!