Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Soil cultivation

Most lawn grasses (except couch) respond best to slightly acid soil, pH 6 to 6.5. Only if soil is very acid use lime (less than pH 5.7). Allow area to stand 2-3 weeks. Lightly hoe out weeds and rake deeply to bring up more weed seeds for destruction.

Fertilizing
Seven days before sowing or planting, rake area lightly to clear. Mix lawn start fertilizer compost with an equal amount of dry sand. Divide and spread half one way, the rest at right angles. Water well.

Starting the lawn
Lawns can be started from seed, Sprigs or turf, depending on grass, availability, cost and growth speed. Most Beautiful gift baskets philippines can purchase through philippinesflowersdelivery

Seeding
Seeding is the cheapest method. Drawbacks are: seeds must always be kept moist with a fine spray (a heavy blast washes seeds from soil); if seeds dry out, you have to reshow; new grass is too tender for foot traffic for several months, and a seeded lawn looks sparse for about a year. Different blends of grass seeds suit different areas. Use the quantity calculated from recommended sowing rate. Prepared soil must be damp and lightly raked. Mix seed with equal amount dry sand, divide and spread as for fertilizer or windless day.
Rake surface to and fro with teeth of rake to cover most seed lightly. Roll sandy soils gently to give seeds close contact with soil and ensure even germination (borrow or hire a roller). Moisten area with fine hand held spray. Keep moist with frequent light sprinkling until grass is about 2 cm high and growing strongly. Sow seed in either spring or autumn when it is neither so hot, that soil quickly dries out nor so cold that seeds will not germinate.

Sprigging
This method is used to establish creeping grasses for which no true breeding seed is available. It is cheap; a whole lawn can planted from a few meters of sod. Springs or runners are pieces of rhizome with both foliage and roots, cut 10 to 15 cm long. Prepare only each days planting or buy from a turf supplier, and keep covered with wet hessian.
Using a hoe, make furrows 5-7 cm deep and 30 cm apart in damp soil. Lay sprigs 15 to 20 cm apart; with a hairpin fix each spring firmly to soil. Firm soil around roots leaving green tops showing. Water immediately. Keep constantly moist for the first week to prevent sprigs from drying out and to encourage growth.

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