The green lawn in front of the house or in the garden with a smooth emerald carpet not only pleases the eye, but can also serve as a place to relax. To grow a perfect lawn, you need to correctly calculate the number of seeds when sowing. From this article you will learn the consumption rates and the selection criteria for planting material for the lawn.
What affects the selection and consumption of lawn grass seeds
Sowing a plot with any seeds is simple, but it is unlikely to produce the desired result. Not every grass is adapted to the climate of the region, to the composition of the soil in the country. In addition, between different plants, there may be competition for moisture and nutrients, for space for the roots.
Did you know? One of the most beautiful lawns in the world is considered a green carpet in the park of Sigurta, Italy. Its area is 50 ha.
A dense herbage will provide not only the amount of seed, but also the ability to scrub, the percentage of seedlings and care after planting. When calculating the norm, it is necessary to take into account the possible number of deaths of already hatched sprouts. To make a grass mixture follows from the characteristics and requirements of crops to the conditions of cultivation and care.
Type and purpose of the lawn
The choice of lawn mix depends on the purpose of the lawn. For parterre sites they buy exclusively expensive compounds that require very careful care. Sowing material can be brittle, as these lawns are not designed for noisy games or relaxation. It is highly recommended not to walk on them. The direct purpose of the greenery on the plot can be the leveling of the relief and the suppression of shedding on the slopes.
Did you know? One of the earliest descriptions of a lawn with a pattern was found in a European manuscript from the age of 14–16 centuries. The work is called "The Benefits of Country Life", in it, among other information, there is a detailed description of the creation of the lawn.
Here, the composition of the mixture is fundamentally different from decorative grass. The root system must be very branched and deep. Game lawns, recreation areas must withstand a certain load. Accepted places on such a lawn tend to straighten without loss in appearance.
The most popular types of country lawn by value and grass options for them:
Soil quality
Not all regions boast chernozems. There are soils with a heavy, dense structure, and vice versa - too loose. In the first, water stagnates, which leads to the development of diseases. The second too quickly pass the liquid and the plants lack it, dry. There is no original recipe for both types of soil. Each of them needs to be brought to mind (in detail below). But there are plants that adapt well to conditions, such as fescue, ryegrass and bluegrass. These herbs are not afraid of the harsh climate; they winter well under the snow.
Important! Humus stimulates all biological processes of plants, saturates the earth and improves its structure, protects against weathering.
The enrichment of the soil and reduce the time to care for the lawn area, in particular for fertilizing, will help the use of humus. Biofertilizer is rich in all the useful elements necessary for crops. Instead of spending several tons of purchased land, it’s better to add a layer of humus and not know the problems for about five years. Calculation of the amount of fertilizer: the ratio of humus and sand is 1: 3, 1 kg will require 500 kg.
How many seeds are needed
You need to choose seeds, focusing on the germination rate, ideally it is 100%. Practical experience shows, as mentioned above, that a lot depends on the quality of the soil and weather conditions, usually this is 75%. The figures below will be valid for seed-ready material, i.e. not older than 4 years. Seeds should be healthy and not have a bad smell (musty, mold). Typically, mixtures for the lawn are sold ready-made in bags, packaged in 5-10 kg. The norm is designed for large areas, indicated in kg / ha.
To calculate independently how many seeds need to be sown per square meter, the following expression can help - N = n × p / D, where:
- N is the desired number (seeding rate in grams);
- n is the norm of an individual component in kg / ha;
- p is the percentage of equity of one type;
- D is the percentage of seed germination.
On average, about 40 g of seeds are obtained per m². On light, loose lands, you can reduce it to 30 g, on heavy soils - increase the rate by 10 g. Accordingly, 3-5 kg of seed will be obtained per hundred square meters. The collection of herbs, for example, from fescue, ryegrass and bluegrass is prepared in a percentage of 50/45/5 for clay soils and 25/40/35 for sandstones. To find out the number of bluegrass seeds for a dense lawn soil (the norm in a single-seed crop is 80 kg / ha, according to the packaging), the calculation is carried out: 80 × 5/75% = 5.3 g / m².
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How to sow lawn grass
To sow an ideal lawn, it is not enough to calculate the number of seeds. You need to start with the preparation of the site.
Important! Exceeding the norm will lead to a lack of moisture and nutrition in the grass. The lack of seeds is uneven seedlings and bald spots in the meadow.
The process is carried out in several stages:
- Clear a place from plant debris, the remaining roots will break through the grass. If the plot is overgrown with weeds, the necessary procedure is treatment with herbicides. After the shovel, the sod layer of the desired parameter is removed. (By the way, for a rolled lawn, the first stage is also required.)
- In most cases, designers using the building level check how smooth the surface of the future landing is. If necessary, all pits are leveled, falling asleep with soil. In the course of work flooded by rains and meltwater, the plots are equipped with a drainage system. For flat places with a good soil structure, thorough cleaning and fertilizing the soil is enough.
- Depending on soil density, it is either “diluted” with sand, measuring the amount based on the percentage of clay in the ground. The sandstone also needs to be modified by “weighting” the soil by adding clay and peat.
- After that you need to tamp the groundthat will drive out air pockets. If you leave them, over time on the lawn there will be bumps, failures. You can do this with your feet and rolling a heavy log or something similar on the surface. After leveling the ground with a garden rake.
- About a week before sowing the bed is fertilizedmaking any NPK-mineral complex up to 60 g / m². Powder or granules are embedded in moist soil to a depth of 5 cm.
- The final stage - sowing. Using a fan rake, swipe over the surface, forming shallow grooves. Distribute the amount of seed available equally. It is better to sprinkle crops with a rake. Shoots will appear in 1-3 weeks depending on the plant variety. During this period, every 2–4 days, watering is carried out.
Adhering to the recommendations set forth above, it is not difficult to create a lawn for any purpose - classic, ground or game. Do not be too lazy to conduct thorough preparation, and the lawn will soon please with smooth, friendly emerald shoots.
